People
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday. During the event, the White House says it will “uplift American art forms that sing to the soul of the American experience” as part of Black Music Month.
Artists who will be featured include Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, singer and talk show host Jennifer Hudson, and Cliff “Method Man” Smith, a member of the legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.
Juneteenth marks when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free — which occurred June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers told enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, news of their freedom. It became a federal holiday in 2021.
———
Musician María Elena Ríos has accused "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" star Tenoch Huerta of sexual assault.
In a series of tweets, the saxophonist and activist called the Marvel actor a "sexual predator" while accusing him of sexually assaulting her.
Ríos leveled the allegations this week after Poder Prieto shared an episode of a podcast featuring Ríos on social media. Huerta is a spokesperson for Poder Prieto, a collective working to combat racism in the entertainment industry.
Ríos, a former member of Poder Prieto, accused the organization of protecting "sexual predator" Huerta.
When another Twitter user asked Ríos if Huerta had sexually assaulted her, Ríos answered in the affirmative.
Ríos also used the social media site to explain why she didn't speak out sooner, saying Mexico has a culture of injustice and violence against women.
"It's very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and the abuse of power of a sexual predator who is loved around the world for playing a character in a movie such as Tenoch Huerta," Ríos tweeted on Saturday.
Huerta has starred in dozens of movies and TV series. His portrayal of Namor, the layered antagonist of "Wakanda Forever," drew widespread acclaim and was hailed for boosting onscreen representation for Indigenous people.
"This is the first superhero with an Indigenous background, a Mesoamerican background," Huerta said. "It's a brown-skinned guy. This ancient culture is in his roots. And he speaks like me. We are making history. I told them, 'Let's do something to be proud of.'"
———
DENVER — Colorado authorities on Friday confirmed they’re looking into allegations of elder abuse involving beloved actor John Amos.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is looking into the matter, along with the sheriff in Custer County, where Amos has owned a home northeast of Westcliffe.
“The Custer County Sheriff’s Office is the lead on it. We are just assisting them. It is an open investigation right now,” CBI spokeswoman Lisa Kohlbrenner said Friday, adding the bureau’s assistance was requested on May 15.
Custer County in a news release confirmed they received reports that Amos could have been the victim of a crime.
“We are thoroughly investigating that allegation and have consulted with our partners at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Department of Human Services,” the release stated. “We have also been in contact with Mr. Amos and his attorney.”
Officials declined to include more information in the release, noting the investigation is ongoing, but the release confirmed that Amos’ publicist confirmed the 83-year-old actor is a patient in a Tennessee hospital.
A daughter went public with accusations that he was the victim of abuse, but Amos himself reportedly has rejected this. A prolific actor who played the steadfast, loving father on the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” also starred in “American Dad.”
From combined wire services
