Teens Celebrate Passing of CROWN ACT Ordinance in Louisville

The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act is now law in Louisville, Kentucky, thanks to a group of young teens known as The Real Young Prodigy's.

The CROWN Act was created in 2019 by The Crown Coalition and Dove as a movement that aims to protect all different styles of hair within the black community. California was the first state to pass the law.

In March 2020, The Real Young Prodigy's (TRYP) rallied alongside other youth and supporters to the Kentucky state capitol in Frankfort for the passing of House Bill 43. Thus far only 13 states have completely passed the legislation and Kentucky is not one of them. However, the ordinance of stopping discrimination against natural hair within any school or workplace did become law in other cities such as Covington.

National CROWN Act Day is now celebrated each year on July 3.

The power in black hair independence is magical and says so much about an individual. Singer India Arie mentions how she is not her hair, whereas other celebrities' teach us for others to not touch our hair and for us to whip our hair back and forth.

TRYP rise to fame began with their single RAParations, a song that caused a lot of controversy due to it's civil right historical references. The Prodigy's serve as a voice not only for themselves yet also younger people within their community.

The group was formed at Wheatley Elementary School under the instruction of the 2019 Kentucky Elementary Teacher of the Year, NyRee Clayton-Taylor. A teacher who teaches her students creative reading and writing through hip hop.

Last year their focus centered around Police Brutality which includes fighting for Justice For All black lives across the country including one that hits very close to home, the life of Breonna Taylor.

TRYP music has both powerful content and dancing fun for people of all ages.

On Saturday the group of teens were able to display that during their concert celebration at the Shawnee Community Center where MelodicallyInTune's own Melody Simone served as the hostess for the afternoon.

Be on the lookout for more empowering music and events from The Real Young Prodigy's.

Here are the NaeNae Twins TikTok dance challenge to TRYP song CROWN. Show off your crown and lets see what you got...

#TheRealYoungProdigys #NationalCROWNActDay #ItsTheCrownForMe

You can sign the petition to help ban discrimination against natural hair by going to www.thecrownact.com

B.A.R.S Brunch

"Live your best life personally and professionally."

You can still party yet be professional within the process.

The Beautiful, Ambitious Real Sisters also known as "B.A.R.S" portrays the sisterhood amongst three entrepreneurs BellaRae, Alexandria "AJ" and Robin G. These three ladies came together to create an event called Bishes Love Brunch.

Their mission is to create dope events to help empower, uplift and inspire others. On

Sunday afternoon at Club Nirvana the place was mainly filled with ladies yet men were welcome too. A 21 and over brunch event with food catered by Superchefs. On the menu was french toast, eggs, hash brown potatoes, fried chicken, cheesy rice, fried fish and fruit. Everything was delicious...can't forget the bottomless mimosa's!

Business card raffle and opportunities to network amongst one another along with checking out some local vendors as well. The vendors present were Kipani's Kloset, VOA FIT and the S.T.E.A.M. Chemist Jerald Nice Cream.

Surprisingly, the event turned into a premiere for the first episode of the B.A.R.S new podcast. Throughout the entire afternoon footage was being taken for the first series of the podcast titled "Don't Ask Me Where My Kids Are." A topic conversation to address the double standards that women often have when they are out handling business and get questioned about where their kids may be. As if they're just not out working and trying to have a good time at events that are not kid-friendly.

Shortly after recording all business cards, buffet table put away and lights turned down low for the real turn up to begin with DJ K Karm on the 1's and 2's.

If you missed this brunch no worries be sure to check out the next one on Sunday, October 13th.

Tickets ranged from $10, $20 and $30 yet you can always gather up your peoples' and take part in the V.I.P Squad Package which covers 6 guest.

Stay tuned for more events from B.A.R.S!

Follow B.A.R.S on social media

Facebook: @BARS

Instagram: _b.a.r.s

T.H.U.G✊🏿

Where a teenage girl is constantly switching between two worlds... Speaking on the act of code-switching, which is when you're turning 'it' on and turning it 'off'... referring to one's blackness.

It is a film inspired by the book 'The Hate U Give' written by Angie Thomas. She happens to be a huge fan of rapper, Tupac as well. While writing this book Thomas was able to find a connection with the term "THUG LIFE" and events taking place in today's society such as: gang violence, black on black crime, white crime, police brutality and a 'corrupt' system.

When attending #NABJ18 in Detroit, #MelodicallyInTune sat in on the Arts and Entertainment Taskforce, 20th Century Fox Presents a Clips & Conversation Reception where director of the film, George Tillman Jr. spoke with moderator Roland Martin and fellow journalists and other professionals about the movie schedule to hit all theaters on October 19.

The main character, Starr Carter played by Amandla Stenberg is constantly reassured that her father Maverick Carter (Russell Hornsby) did not name her Starr for no reason and that not everyone was giving the same superpowers.

The Carter's (Regina Hall, wife/mother), growing up in Garden Heights only wants a better life for their family. Starr and her siblings Seven (Starr's half brother) and Sekani were all given unique names with a special meaning. None of them attended their "neighborhood school" because the only thing people do there is either get jumped, high or pregnant. Starr's parents sent them off to a predominantly white private school called Williamson.

"Our live is here [Garden Heights] because our people are here."

Garden Heights was one world but the school they actually attended was another. For instance, talking slang makes white people seem cool but for Starr it would only make her hood.

"We have not been trained to be unapologetically black"

-Roland Martin, NABJ18 Convention

The director Tillman Jr. faces these same experiences until this very day.

In the movie he wanted to display that Starr could have a white boyfriend, black best friend and still live the best of both worlds. He continues on to say "be who you are, don't be afraid of being who you are!"

We must have conversations about black and white people so that things can keep getting better and we can keep moving forward.

It's a movie displaying that "where you live does not define who you are." At one point within the movie, Starr feels as if she has to be quiet so she don't seem like a poor girl from the hood who just now saw her friend get killed.

At a point within the movie, Starr's uncle Carlos (Common) plays the role of a cop and states how the views of police officers are different and that we live in a complicated world. After being given two different scenarios, most people as in white people when dealing with blacks being pulled versus dealing with someone else white they "don't see it as a crime but another traffic stop gone wrong."

One of the incidents Tillman used as motivation amongst completing this film was the Philando Castile, who was a 32 year old man at the time who got pulled over in Falcon Heights, Minnesota and shot to death by a cop.

Within the movie it shows how it's "Just US for justice." Us meaning black people... Starr has to deal with the fact that her second life of people doesn't understand the seriousness of what happened to her best friend Khalil (Algee Smith) and being black in America.

"Violence brutality, it's the same story just a different name."

"Division is how they win unity is how they crumble."

The concept of acting black but still keeping the same white privilege isn't an option for black people.

Director Tillman Jr. presented this film to 20th Century Fox Pictures by telling them it's not only about the things that are happening right now today in society geared towards police brutality but also displays personal growth, love, respect, relationships amongst others and yourself...

Watch the official trailer of The Hate U Give.

The entire movie is heartfelt and had us in tears drowning in our feeling with a remarkable ending.