News
Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of
Whitney Houston, dead at 22
Jonathan Landrum Jr.,
Associated Press
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) —
The brief, chaotic life of
Bobbi Kristina Brown was
never really her own.
Born and raised in the
shadow of fame and litiga-
tion, shattered by the loss
of her mother, Whitney
Houston, Bobbi Kristina
was overwhelmed by the
achievements and demons
of others before she could
begin to fi gure out who she
was.
Her demise was the most
awful inheritance of all.
Bobbi Kristina died on
Sunday at Peachtree Chris-
tian Hospice in Duluth,
Georgia, about six months
after she was found face-
down and unresponsive in a
bathtub in the suburban At-
lanta townhome she shared
with Nick Gordon, the man
she called her husband. She
was 22-years-old.
“Bobbi Kristina Brown
passed away July, 26 2015,
surrounded by her family.
She is fi nally at peace in
the arms of God. We want
to again thank everyone for
their tremendous amount
of love and support during
these last few months,”
Kristen Foster, a representa-
tive for the Houston family
said Sunday.
The Fulton County Med-
ical Examiner’s Offi ce
confi rmed Bobbi Kristina’s
death Sunday night and
will issue a news release on
Monday.
Police said she was found
Jan. 31. A police report de-
scribed it as a “drowning.”
Bobbi Kristina was the
only child between Houston
and Brown.
She was hospitalized for
months in Atlanta — even-
tually being placed in hos-
pice care — after being
found in a manner grimly
similar to the way her mega-
star mother died three years
earlier. Gordon said at the
time it seemed Bobbi Kris-
tina wasn’t breathing and
lacked a pulse before help
arrived.
Brown — the sole heir of
her mother’s estate — did
have dreams.
She identifi ed herself on
Twitter as “Daughter of
Queen WH,” ‘’Entertain-
Kids Co-Write
Play about
Racial Tension
By Arashi Young
Of The Skanner News
Z
Bobbi Kristina Brown
er/Actress” with William
Morris & Co., and “LAST
We honor the many
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Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people work-
ing in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this
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of a dying breed.” She told
Oprah Winfrey shortly after
her mother’s death in 2012
that she wanted to carry on
her mother’s legacy by sing-
ing, acting and dancing. But
her career never took off.
Actor and producer Tyler
Perry said she had a future
as an actress after her debut
on his TV show “For Better
or Worse” in 2012, but she
only appeared in one epi-
sode. Aside from two ill-fat-
ed reality TV shows and the
occasional paparazzi video,
her image mostly showed
up in the “selfi es” she post-
ed online.
She attended award shows
and appeared on red carpets
with her mother and father.
She performed a duet with
her mother in 2009, singing
“My Love Is Your Love” in
New York’s Central Park.
She became social media
sensation, sending more
than 11,000 tweets and at-
tracting 164,000 followers.
As the news of her death
spread across social media,
several celebrities tweeted
their condolences.
Grammy-winning
per-
former Missy Elliot tweet-
ed, “My heart is truly heavy.
May u rest in peace with
your mommy #BobbiKris-
tina sending prayers 2 the
Brown/Houston family.”
“Empire” star Taraji P.
Henson tweeted, “Rest in
heaven.”
“RIP #BobbiKristina My
deepest sympathies 2 your
father #BobbyBrown n your
GrandMa #CissyHouston
We will miss ya 4sho dar-
ling ;) Actress Vivica A. Fox
said on Twitter.
And Winfrey tweeted,
“Peace at Last!”
Read the rest at
www.theskanner.com
Page 8 July 29, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner
ara Smith stands alone in her classroom. She
gets good grades and is pleasant to her teachers,
who all believe she will achieve great things in
her life.
She is also lonely, bullied and harassed for her suc-
cess. She is the subject of relentless teasing, being
labeled an “Oreo” — too Black on the outside, too
White on the inside.
Only 10 years old, she wonders aloud to the empty
room.
“Acting White? What does that even mean? My
mom says we have to work fi ve times as hard to get
one step forward,” she asks.
Zara’s story is one of many told in Between the
Lines, a play from the Maverick Main Stage Produc-
tion Company. The dramatic company hosted encore
performances of the drama at the Alberta Abbey on
July 24 and 25.
Nearly all of the performances in Between the Lines
are from youth between the ages of six to 14.
Jennie Brown, the director and founder of Maverick,
told The Skanner News every play Maverik produces
is an original work inspired by the cast.
Between the Lines grew out of cast conversations
about race. In rehearsal exercises leading up to the
writing of the play, Brown kept hearing her young ac-
tors tell each other things like, “You’re acting White,”
or, “You’re acting ghetto.”
“We kind of explored that together. ‘What does that
mean? What does race mean to you guys?’ We really
had some very in-depth conversations around that, and
it just seemed like a perfect time to make it something
for public to come take part of,” Brown said. “It’s an
issue that is very real, particularly in this area.”
The play tells stories of racial tension and gentrifi ca-
tion through the eyes of elementary school kids, their
teachers and parents. At the center of plot is Zara’s
teasing by another girl, A.J. Both girls compete with
each other through singing and dancing performances
and an upcoming talent show, which only heightens
the tension between them.
The Skanner News spoke with some of the young
cast members about their experiences co-creating and
acting in the play. Sinai Jones, who plays Zara Smith,
said the play makes people think about racial tension
beyond Black versus White.
“I think that our community feels like racial tension
is always about it being Black and White, when that
is not necessarily the case. But people get bullied and
judged because of their circumstances, their stereo-
types, what they have and what they don’t have,” she
said.
Eleven-year old Dakhi Davis, who plays the class
clown Milo Sweets, said the play combats the prej-
udice that Black students can’t be successful without
“acting White.”
“Black people can be smart, too, and get good grades
and so can White people. Any race can do good and be
successful,” Davis said.
Many of Maverick’s young actors met Brown when
she brought theatre arts classes to local public schools.
When budget cuts dropped the theatre program, Brown
would move on to another school, often bringing per-
formers with her during after-school workshops.
Eventually, she started Maverick independently so
that any student could access the program, regardless
of school attendance.
Between the Lines closed with the school talent
show.
Milo arranged a show-stopping medley of Jackson 5
songs and Zara and A.J. mended fences through com-
passion, understanding and duet.
Tanisha Jones, mother of Sinai and her younger sis-
ter (and fellow cast member) Nia, said she was proud
to see youth show off their talents and represent their
communities.
“I’m proud to see the cast of youth from our com-
munity who really refl ect what our community looks
like and the fact that this play was based off of …
their experiences,” Jones said. “I was eager for them
to get the message out and be able to deliver that to
the community.”