Master P ‘Bout It’: New Orleans Native Named ‘Entertainment Ambassador’ Of Super Bowl LIX
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Master P's new appointment.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has announced that Master P will take on the role of “entertainment ambassador” ahead of Super Bowl LIX.
Cantrell announced that the New Orleans native will help connect the city to the world as they host football’s biggest night in February. Master P, whose real name is Percy Robert Miller Sr., will serve the city as one of its legendary figures. According to NOLA, his affiliation with the event aims to provide new opportunities.
“He’s deserving of all the love, all the praise, for demonstrating the resiliency of this community and that there’s no limit to accomplishing great things for the city of New Orleans,” said Cantrell during a news conference on Aug. 30.
These endeavors include a “Hollywood South Collaborative,” which will teach entertainment business skills and offer mentorship to residents. Despite growing up in the projects of New Orleans’ Third Ward, Master P earned his success through his No Limits records label. He later grew as a multifaceted businessman beyond music and entertainment.
For Master P, giving back to his hometown remains a top priority in this new role.
“We are doing this through film, television, and entertainment,” the 54-year-old said. “But we are also doing this through business because I want people to see what I was able to grow. I grew up in the projects in New Orleans and was able to change my life and educate myself. Get out there to see more. And I want more for the city of New Orleans.”
To kick off his new role, Master P will also join the NOLA Insight Podcast. Through the platform, he will meet with entertainment influencers to share their journey and insight to the local community.
All the programming will come to a head during Super Bowl LIX at the city’s Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025.
Former Miss South Africa Contestant Wins Miss Nigeria After Xenophobic Backlash
Chidimma Adetshina won Miss Universe Nigeria after withdrawing from the South African competition.
A former Miss South Africa contestant took home the Miss Universe Nigeria title on Aug. 31 despite xenophobic backlash on her identity.
Originally, Chidimma Adetshina was vying for Miss South Africa. However, her nationality faced public concern due to her Nigerian heritage through her father. Despite being born in South Africa, the pushback led her to withdraw from the beauty pageant in August.
She stated the choice sought to protect “the safety and well-being of my family.” The attacks began after she became a finalist for the competition in July. In the midst of the controversy, the South African government investigated allegations that her mother stole someone’s identity to claim citizenship.
However, Adetshina did not give up on her goals for a crown. Organizers of the Nigerian pageant invited her to compete for their title, stating she could represent her paternal heritage.
While having not traveled to Nigeria in 20 years, Adetshina ventured to Lagos to earn her crown.
“As I accept this honor, I want to share a vision that burns deeply within me, a vision of African unity and peaceful co existence,” she wrote on Instagram. “Lets break down the barriers that divide us. Let’s foster a continent where every African can move freely without prejudice, pursue their dreams, and contribute to the growth and prosperity of our great continent. This crown is not just a symbol of beauty, it is a call to action.”
Upon winning the competition, the 23-year-old spoke of the “tough journey” she endured to get to this moment.
“This journey has been a tough journey for me … I am so proud of myself and I’m really grateful for the love and the support,” Adetshina told the Agence France-Presse, as reported by The Guardian. “This is something that I’ve always wanted, and I’m really glad that I have a second shot as well at achieving it.”
However, another beauty queen called the newly-crowned winner’s experience an instance of tribalism across Africa.
“We all need to stop with the xenophobia … with the tribalism,” expressed first runner-up Paula Ezendu. “We’re all one family. We’re all human beings.”
Adetshina still loves her native country, but hopes to win the official Miss Universe title for Nigeria at the pageant in November.
Coco Gauff Keeps Spirits Up After Early Loss In U.S. Open
Gauff has faced a series of setbacks despite winning the 2023 U.S. Open.
After Coco Gauff’s early loss at the U.S. Open, the 2023 champion kept all things in perspective.
Despite continuing a series of losses unbecoming of the tennis star, the No. 3 seed remained positive about the year she’s had. According to NPR, Gauff spoke following her round of 16 defeat to Emma Navarro on Sept. 1.
“I feel like there’s 70 other players in the draw that would love to have the summer that I had, even though it’s (the) least, probably, (I’ve) done well during this time of the year,” expressed Gauff. “So many people want to be in the fourth round. So many people want to make the Olympics. So many people want to be a flag bearer. It’s perspective.”
However, Gauff remains on an uphill battle to reclaim her throne, with another chance now over at the U.S. Open. Before this, Gauff lost in the third round at the Paris Olympics.
To prepare for the New York-based tournament, Gauff also struggled through contests that also resulted in defeat. Despite working on her serve, she tied her own career high of 19 double-faults in her second loss to Navarro.
Of the issue, the 20-year-old called it a “mental hurdle” she hopes to overcome.
“It’s sometimes more of an emotional, mental thing, because if I go out on the practice court right now, I would make, like, 30 serves in a row. I’ve done it before,” Gauff said. “I think it’s also just kind of a mental hurdle that I have to get over when it comes. … But I definitely want to look at other things, because I don’t want to lose matches like this anymore.”
With 60 unforced errors during her final match at the competition, Gauff is a far cry from her performance just last year, where she won her first Grand Slam title. While the Olympian still chases her former glory, she hopes to course-correct her current problems to become a champion again.
‘The Forge’ Takes ‘Accessible’ Approach To Bringing Faith And Discipleship Back To Hollywood
'The Forge' takes a practical approach to bringing faith-based films back to Hollywood.
This special edition of The Culture Shift takes us to the Atlanta Symphony Hall for the red-carpet premiere of the new faith-based film The Forge.
Brought to us by The Kendrick Brothers, the new devotional film tells the story of Isaiah Wright (Aspen Kennedy), a 19-year-old who’s one year out of high school and still unsure about what he wants to do with his life. With a passion for basketball and video games, Isaiah can easily get lost with time while engaged in a serious game on the court or online.
But with no job, direction, or understanding of what it means to be a man, his single mom, Cynthia (Priscilla Shirer), is losing her patience and praying for a positive shift in her son’s life. As a last resort, Cynthia gives Isaiah a stark ultimatum: step up or move out.
Torn between the influence of his friends and the pressure from his mom, Isaiah lands a job at Moore Fitness, unaware of how profoundly the owner will shape his life. Guided by his mother’s prayers and the unexpected support of a new mentor, Isaiah confronts his past, lets go of his selfishness, and begins to uncover a greater purpose for his life through faith.
Speaking with BLACK ENTERPRISE, Kennedy cited the personal connection he felt with his character, having also been raised by a single mom.
“I was raised by my mom and I didn’t have my dad around so just being able to know who God has been in my life as a father,” he explained. “It’s the same journey Isaiah has been and it has been a blessing.”
Shirer hit the red carpet with her husband, Jerry Shirer, who plays a small role in the film, and one of their three sons, and explained how much she resonated with her character, Cynthia, due to her real-life role as a mother to young Black men. With a focus on the film’s underlying theme of discipleship, Shirer explained how important it is for adults to pay it forward in the form of mentoring a young and developing adolescent.
“I’m a mother of three young men, and so being able to remember the importance of not only being intentional about parenting them, but then the men outside of our family, they have a great father, but when they have a football coach or a basketball coach or somebody they admire that affirms them, the way that matters to my boys, to see that on screen is something that’s really exceptional,” she shared.
“I think it’s [the film] going to remind all of us that it matters when we affirm a young lady, or when a grown man affirms a young man in business or in sports or in their character, it matters.”
There was a lot of love and support on the red carpet for the Kendrick Brothers’ new film and how they’re taking a practical approach to introducing faith-based films and themes of discipleship in Hollywood. Believers and entertainers like Pastor DeVon Franklin, actress Yvonne Orji, and Braxton Family Values star Trina Braxton shared how the film resonated with them and will resonate with other viewers.
“The movie is about discipleship, and especially if you were raised in the church, I think this movie reminds us of the foundation of our faith, which is in discipling each other,” Pastor DeVon Franklin says. “Especially older men, discipling younger men, and I think they’re gonna get tips and tools on how to bring discipleship back into their life, back into their community, back into their church.”
As a practicing Christian, Insecure star Yvonne Orji praised The Forge for being a devotional film that’s participating in the “awakening” that’s sweeping the entertainment industry.
“As a Christian, it’s like we need more Christian entertainment,” Orji says. “I think there’s a Hollywood awakening happening and we’re here for it.”
As for the film’s practical approach to topics of religion and having a relationship with God, Orji applauded how the Kendrick Brothers tackle discipleship and compared it to the forms of ministering seen in the Holy Bible’s New Testament.
“I feel like faith should always be accessible,” Orji said. “You know, like, even Jesus was chilling. He told Zacchaeus to come down from the tree so he could go have dinner with him. He was doing stuff like, ‘I just want to break bread with you, bruh.’ And so I think when we try to separate the masses, it doesn’t work. That’s not accessible. But when you’re like, ‘Hey, let’s reach you, let’s serve, let’s be in community, let’s be in communion with one another.’ That’s when, like, Christianity is more accessible.”
Faith leaders, including two bishops from international churches who have hosted screenings for The Forge, also spoke with BE about the importance of films like The Forge and how it might be able to reach someone who’s struggling with their faith and looking for an answer.
“This is really a good movie for the Christian faith because it’s time for so many of us in the body of Christ to move beyond just Christianity to discipleship,” Bishop Neil C. Ellis of Mount Tabor Church in The Bahamas said. “I believe discipleship is the real strength of Christianity.”
Press play below for the full red carpet experience and be sure to check out The Forge, which hit theaters nationwide on Aug. 23.
Advocates Reclaim Forgotten New York Cemetery For Enslaved Africans And Black Americans
Harambee Kingston, a non-profit organization, wants to turn a long-forgotten burial ground into a memorial honoring the dead.
Harambee Kingston, a non-profit organization that has maintained custody and ownership of the Pine Street African Burial Ground in Kingston, New York since 2021, wants to create a memorial in honor of the enslaved Africans and Black Americans who were buried at the site and forgotten.
Harambee Kingston, composed of a group of students from the State University of New York at New Palz (SUNY), is led by Professor Joe Diamond. Diamond and students in the Department of Archaeology at SUNY had the land surveyed and archived over the past few years, and those efforts led to the confirmation that human remains were buried in clustered patches on the parcel of land.
The group wants to raise $1 million in order to transform the formerly forgotten space into a memorial befitting the lives of the people who were buried in the graveyard. Diamond, an associate professor of anthropology at SUNY discovered the site while conducting an archeological survey of the city.
Tyrone Wilson, the founder of Harambee Kingston, told Newsweek that the organization bears a deep responsibility to honor those who had been buried at the site and to restore their dignity.
“This site holds the stories of those who endured unimaginable hardships. It is our responsibility to ensure that their legacies are not forgotten and that the disrespect they endured is rectified,” Wilson said.
Antoinette Jackson, an anthropology professor and the founder of The Black Cemetery Network, discussed with Newsweek how what happened to the Pine Street African Burial Ground fits into a larger story of the burial grounds and cemeteries of the enslaved or other Black populations.
“A good deal of them (burial sites) have been built over—by parking lots, schools, stadiums, highways,” Jackson also noted that these cemeteries are merely the “tip of the iceberg.”
New York has had a few burial grounds discovered in a similar manner to the Pine Street African Burial Ground, most notably Manhattan’s African Burial Ground Monument and a renovation project in Newburgh, New York which in 2008 uncovered 100 sets of remains and another piece of New York’s history of enslavement.
According to Wilson, local families have said that they will provide DNA samples and he wants to be able to connect any living relatives to their ancestors. In addition to Wilson, some of the other advocates are hopeful tests on the remains will reveal aspects of their lives like occupational hazards or whether they came to the area from elsewhere.
As Wilson told The Associated Press, he hopes that the pieces of information will help cultivate an understanding of personal history, something that is often lacking when it comes to Black Americans.
“One of the biggest issues that we have in African culture is that we don’t know our history,” Wilson said. “We don’t have a lot of information of who we are.”
Atlanta has secured the #1 spot in Forbes' most educated cities ranking.
A new report by Forbes has claimed Atlanta takes the top spot for most educated city in the United States.
The publication released the rankings on Aug. 28, determining that the Georgia capital is first on its list of 100 cities. However, their rankings are a combination of multiple factors that made Atlanta its top dog.
Their rankings incorporate high school dropout rates, graduate degree attainment rates, and gender and racial gaps in obtaining one’s degrees. With these stats in mind, Atlanta remains “primed to produce more innovation and tax revenue.” In turn, companies with locations in Atlanta seek out educated workers, with more qualified individuals flocking to the city as a result.
According to the rankings, Atlanta’s bachelor completion rate boasts nearly 60% for those 25 and older. Over 26% of those in that age range also hold graduate degrees. In their description of Atlanta’s top ranking, the news outlet mentioned its esteemed universities as an additional push.
The report stated, “Home to major colleges like Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University, it’s no surprise that Atlanta is a highly educated city.”
However, despite the city’s successes, its drawbacks include a wide racial gap in bachelor’s degree attainment. In this stat, Atlanta has a -22.32 percentage. Its runner-up, Arlington, Virginia, has a much narrower gap at 10.27%. Moreover, it also hosts a higher bachelor’s and graduate degree attainment, at 78.22% and 42.56%, respectively. However, it does have a smaller amount of those 25 and older with some college without a degree, with only 7.50%.
Despite this difference, Atlanta’s 5.71% high school dropout rate and higher percentage of those with some college solidified its status. Furthermore, the city continues to host a diverse population, with over 47% of its residents identifying as Black, per Data USA. Other cities rounding out the top 5 include St. Petersburg, Florida, San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, California.
While all these cities boast high bachelor’s completion rates, Atlanta maintains its status at the #1 city for its educated and diverse population.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Celebrates Black Cowboy Culture With New Book
Ron Tarver's 'The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America' is comprised of a 20,000 photos of Black cowboy life taken over 20 years.
Over 30 years ago, Pulitzer prize-winning photographer Ron Tarver started collecting and taking photographs of Black cowboys, rodeo queens, and ranchers across East Texas, Oklahoma, and Philadelphia. As an assignment for National Geographic and The Philadelphia Inquirer, Tarver has captured generations worth of cowboys and cowgirls in their element and compiled them into a complete book, The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America, released on Aug. 31.
Tarver’s photographs include cowboys working in their stables and working in their town parades, showing off their grand ranches and how they care for their horses. Tarver collected nearly 20,000 pictures in a storage container from his travels. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, he’s set to be doing a book signing to promote his new book. On Sept. 7 at the 20 / 20 Photo Festival Photo Book Fair at Cherry Street Pier, the book’s stylistic photos will be displayed as part of the Portrait of Philadelphia exhibition.
Tarver said, “This is one of those projects that wouldn’t leave me alone for the longest time. It’s always been on my mind because it’s such an important project to get out into the public.”
One of the centerpieces for the book was North Philadelphia native Jordan Bullock, who was first photographed in 1993, working under his father, Bumpsey Bullock, who ran the White House stables in Brewerytown.
Jordan, 43, now works as a racehorse trainer at Parx Casino and Racetrack. Bullock said, “This is all I ever knew. It was normal my whole life. That’s what we did on weekends and after school; it was my father and my aunt, my cousins, and one of my uncles. My mother’s side of the family — by total chance–my parents did not know this when they met each other — but my mother’s side of the family is in horses in Virginia.”
Bullock represents Philadelphia’s urban rodeo history in Tarver’s book. He recalled growing up: “You had the White House. You had 33rd Street, at 332nd, and Master, which is literally up the street from us. You had the Hole in the Wall, which was a stable where they broke a hole in the wall of a warehouse and built a stable. There’s, like, a whole culture.”
Tarver spent years, from as early as the 1990s, following Black cowboys across the country to explore Black horse cultures. Some images include a Philadelphia horseman playing basketball. At the same time, their horses idle in the background and another of two women cleaning a saddle while sitting on the hood of their Subaru.
Tarver wanted his images to tell the story of an urban and rich history. “I didn’t want to have a documentary book. I wanted to have a book that celebrated the lifestyle of Black people who share this Western heritage. Just, for lack of a better word, beautiful images of this lifestyle and people enjoying this culture,” he said.
He’s been glad to see Black cowboys enter more mainstream media with the likes of rapper Lil Nas X playing into a Black western aesthetic with his 2018 hit “Old Town Road” and Beyoncé breaking into the country genre with her new album, Cowboy Carter.
“I think it is more prevalent now because it’s out in the zeitgeist,” Tarver explained. “You can’t have better notoriety than Beyoncé coming out with an album. The Cowboy Carter album just blew everything up.”
“It became accepted, but there’s still a little bit of prejudice out there when it comes to what’s accepted as a country and what’s not accepted. I’m hoping that this book will just add to the conversation.”
Oprah Winfrey Gathers AI Powerhouses For TV Special
She will join technology experts like Microsoft’s Bill Gates and OpenAI’s Sam Altman for an AI discussion on the future of technology.
Oprah Winfrey is taking her talents to artificial intelligence (AI). In a recent announcement, the renowned media mogul revealed that she will join technology experts like Microsoft’s Bill Gates and OpenAI’s Sam Altman for an AI discussion on the future of technology.
“AI, it may fascinate or scare you or if you’re like me it may do both so let’s take a breath and find out more about it,” said Winfrey in a video announcing the news. “I’ve gathered some of the country’s leading experts to answer all of our questions.”
The “AI and the Future of Us” logline describes the special as a “serious, entertaining and meaningful base for every viewer to understand AI.”
“Altman will explain how AI works in layman’s terms and discusses the immense personal responsibility that must be borne by the executives of AI companies,” it reads. “Gates will lay out the AI revolution coming in science, health, and education and warns of the once-in-a-century type of impact AI may have on the job market, and YouTube creator and technologist will walk Winfrey through mind-blowing demonstrations of AI’s capabilities.”
No stranger to sitting down with some of the world’s greatest leaders to discuss topics directly impacting the community, this is not Winfrey’s first rodeo in exploring key issues. From 1986 to 2011, she was the host of the critically acclaimed “Oprah Winfrey Show,” where she addressed everything from the HIV and AIDs epidemic to the controversial trial of the late O.J. Simpson.
In late March, Winfrey hosted “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,” in which she addressed her struggles with weight loss following her exit from the WeightWatchers board. Following her revelation of using weight-loss medication to aid in her fitness journey, Winfrey aimed to have an open and honest conversation about obesity in America.
“AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special” will air Sept. 12 at 8 P.M. ET and be available to stream on Hulu the following day.
South Carolina Basketball Player Ashlyn Watkins Arrested, Charged With Assault And Kidnapping
According to the Associated Press, the six-foot-three Watkins is accused in a warrant for her arrest of grabbing 'the victim’s head' and Watkins allegedly 'forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.'
Ashlyn Watkins, a key member of South Carolina’s national championship women’s basketball team, was arrested on Aug. 31 and charged with first-degree assault, battery, and kidnapping.
According to the Associated Press, the six-foot-three Watkins is accused in a warrant for her arrest of grabbing “the victim’s head,” and Watkins allegedly ”forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.”
According to multiple warrants issued for Watkins’ arrest, the unnamed victim, who was referred to as a minor, was able to eventually escape Watkins’ grip and pull a fire alarm inside the student housing center on the campus of South Carolina. When police and fire emergency personnel arrived as a result of the victim’s actions, the victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The warrants also state that Watkins was read her rights, and she confessed to the crimes she’s accused of.
According to WLTX, at the bond hearing later on Aug. 31, prosecutors alleged that the two knew each other. Watkins was eventually granted a $30,000 personal recognizance bond and released at approximately 3:30 p.m. the same day.
Watkins’ attorney, Todd Rutherford, told the outlet that once all the facts come out, it will be clear that Watkins is innocent.
I just spoke with Todd Rutherford who is representing Ashlyn Watkins. He asks for patience and believes that when “all of the facts are out there, that this is simply a misunderstanding” @GamecockWBB@wachfox#Gamecockshttps://t.co/Nk7Nnt8L88
“We believe once everybody has a full grasp of what happened, this will end up being a misunderstanding,” Rutherford said. “What we know for certain is that Ashlyn did not assault anyone and she did not kidnap anyone.”
Despite Rutherford’s assertion, Watkins was ordered by the court to stay 1,000 feet from the victim’s home, work, school, and place of worship. She can, however, travel out of state for basketball games and practices. Watkins’ next court appearance has been scheduled for Oct. 25.
According to ESPN, a spokesperson for the South Carolina University women’s basketball program told the outlet that “we are aware of the situation and are continuing to gather information.”
Watkins is a South Carolina native and was South Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. Watkins led the national champion South Carolina Gamecocks in blocks and became the first women’s player in program history to dunk in a game in 2022. At the time of writing, Watkins has not responded to requests for comment from multiple news outlets sent via social media platforms.
In the first year after the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling, Black enrollment at elite schools is trending down.
With the first year’s data since the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action as practiced by the nation’s colleges and universities was unconstitutional, it is becoming clearer that Black enrollment is trending down at elite or more selective universities since the Court’s 2023 ruling.
According to TheNew York Times, although Black enrollment at elite universities is decreasing, enrollment numbers at other universities seem unclear. For example, at Amherst College, Tufts University, and MIT, Black enrollment went down by 8%, 3%, and 10%, respectively.
In comparison, the outlet reported that the University of Virginia, a public university, only experienced a slight decrease in its share of Black students, indicating that less selective schools may not feel the impact as elite universities appear to.
Although the picture painted by school enrollment data is still developing, supporters of affirmative action have been warning that the upending of affirmative action policy will have a negative and immediate impact on diversity at universities. That hypothesis is, however, difficult to prove, given the Supreme Court ruling also keeps admissions officers from looking at applicants’ races unless it happens to come up organically.
Matthew L. McGann, Amherst College’s admissions dean, told the Times that the Supreme Court’s ruling has directly affected the college’s numbers.
“As a consequence of the Supreme Court’s decision, the incoming class is not as racially diverse as recent classes have been. Other institutions have seen a similar impact, and all colleges and universities are evaluating the outcomes of this first admission cycle under the new legal standard,” McGann said.
In contrast to supporters of the policy, critics of affirmative action say that the drop in enrollment will be temporary, while universities, like the University of Virginia, implement their workarounds for the current state of affirmative action.
The University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, has created partnerships with public schools in low-income communities to recruit a diverse student body.
According to Justin Driver, a Yale Law professor and an expert on the Supreme Court’s education rulings, the program exemplifies how institutions can be creative in utilizing solutions to a problem created by the Supreme Court.
“It is a fine example of how universities can be creative, consistent with the Constitution, to avoid the plummeting enrollment of Black students that some universities have already witnessed,” Driver told TheNew York Times.
Amherst’s President, Michael A. Elliott, described to the outlet how a seemingly small drop in enrollment numbers can change how students experience life at his university.
“On a small campus, the drop in demographic population can change the experience for those students. One of the unfortunate circumstances of the ruling is that it might diminish the sense of belonging that a student feels here. And we do not want that to occur,” Elliott said.
