BEYONCÉ, Album, Cowboy Carter, trends
(Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 2, 2024

Beyoncé Announces ‘Cowboy Carter’ Art Book Ahead Of NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show

The art book features 136 pages of never-before-seen images.

Beyoncé is preparing for the next phase of her “Cowboy Carter” album rollout. The singer announced the project’s accompanying art book ahead of her NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show performance.

The 136-page book, inspired by her country-infused album, will reveal exclusive, never-before-seen images of Beyoncé. The already-sold-out book will cost fans $74 but aims to quench their insatiable desire for visuals from the star. Parkwood, the singer’s self-owned label, shared the news on Dec. 1.

The launch follows Beyoncé’s announcement that she will again grace the NFL halftime stage, this time on Christmas Day. She will perform at the Ravens vs. Texans game in Houston on the holiday. The event also marks her first time performing songs from the highly-lauded album.

While fans can expect this performance, one should not assume that a tour announcement will follow. The news of the art book also comes after Beyoncé’s team debunked tour rumors. Whispers began to gain traction surrounding Beyoncé’s alleged launch of a world tour after her Halftime show. However, her team swiftly denied the reports.

“Untrue. Nothing to report here. Whenever there is news, you will hear it directly from the source, first,” wrote her longtime publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, to X.

The tour news would have echoed her 2024 announcement of “Cowboy Carter.” Beyoncé dropped her first singles from the album after her Super Bowl commercial with Verizon aired.

While catching Beyoncé in one’s city seems far-fetched for now, fans and football lovers alike can make their way to Texas to see her debut performance of the Grammy-nominated album. If they can’t travel to the singer’s hometown, the entire game will be inaugurally streamed on Netflix for the world to see.

In the meantime, fans can relish this new influx of visuals from the album, although in images and not videos. Pre-orders are available now, and the collector’s item is expected to ship on Dec. 13.

RELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé Leads The Pack For 2025 Grammy Nominations

Walmart, skilled training, Atlanta
(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

December 2, 2024

Jesseca Harris-Dupart Calls Out Walmart’s Elimination Of Multicultural Beauty Sections

Jesseca Harris-Dupart sheds light on how Walmart's rollback of DEI initiatives is affecting multicultural brands like hers.

Walmart is the latest major corporation to scale back its DEI initiatives, and beauty mogul Jesseca “Judy” Harris-Dupart is voicing concerns about how this shift jeopardizes brands like hers.

The Kaleidoscope Hair Products CEO recently addressed the issue on Instagram Live and explained how Walmart has been phasing out multicultural beauty sections. Her products, once prominently displayed in these sections, are now placed alongside mainstream brands like Pantene, a move she says puts Black-owned brands like hers “at risk.”

“There’s a shift in the movement of hair, of beauty. So they’ve merged us,” Harris-Dupart explained in a clip captured by Livebitez. “There isn’t a multicultural aisle anymore.”

“There’s a beauty aisle, so they have us with the general market,” she continued. “So normally I would be next to Camille Rose or like a brand like that, but right now they’ve moved the Black brands next to the Pantene’s and next to the Suaves and next to all of that.”

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Harris-Dupart went on to highlight the disadvantage the move could have on Black-owned brands, which might be overlooked over beauty products from general-market brands.

“So while that’s a great opportunity to be next to big brands, it also is a higher risk when it comes to marketing dollars, share of the shelf,” she shared. “And the fact that they’re not speaking about taking away the diversity aspect; it just puts a lot of, it puts a lot of brands at risk.”

Her remarks come just a week after Walmart scaled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, joining a growing number of major corporations retreating from such initiatives following pressure from conservative activists. The world’s largest retailer is scaling back on several initiatives, including ending its five-year commitment to a racial equity center established in 2020 after George Floyd’s killing, withdrawing from a prominent LGBTQ+ rights index, and discontinuing priority treatment for certain suppliers.

“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers, and suppliers, and to be a Walmart for everyone,” the company said in a statement.

Major corporations like Ford, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply, and Harley-Davidson have already scaled back DEI efforts, while Walmart, which employs 1.6 million workers in the U.S., became the largest company to do so.

RELATED CONTENT: Walmart To Hold Open Call Initiative

Martin Maria de Porres Ward
photo credit: wikkimedia
by Daniel Johnson

December 2, 2024

Martin Maria de Porres Ward Under Consideration To Become 7th Black Saint

Martin Maria de Porres Ward, a Black American priest who had to leave the United States to undertake his calling, is now being considered by the Catholic Church for beautification

Martin Maria de Porres Ward, an African American priest who had to leave the United States to undertake his calling, is now being considered by the Catholic Church for beatification or sainthood. If elevated to sainthood, he would become the seventh Black figure and most recent African American to receive the honor.

According to the National Catholic Register, Ward was born in 1918 as Matthias Dewitte Ward, the son of an interracial couple in Boston.

Ward grew up as a Methodist and moved to Washington D.C. alongside his 11 siblings, during his childhood. It was in Washington that he was introduced to Catholicism as a teenager.

After his introduction to the Catholic faith, Ward spent a lot of time at D.C.’s St. Augustine Church, considered the mother church of Black Catholics in the city, and converted to the faith as a 17-year-old.

Ward was confirmed at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in 1940, and just two years later, he answered a calling to the ministry and entered the Salvatorian Fathers’ seminary in St. Nazianz, Wisconsin.

However, upon being afflicted with an infectious lung condition, Ward withdrew from the seminary.

He later moved to Brooklyn, where he became the first Black person to attend the St. Francis Seminary located on Staten Island.

Ward made no effort to conceal his identity, going as far as to inform the seminary vocations director in a letter that he was a Black man.

“I received your application blanks, but before I have them filled out, Father, I wish to state that I am colored. I do not know if I mentioned this before, but you did not ask nationality. Now, kind Father Celestine, I would not want to cause an embarrassment on anyone’s part,” Ward wrote in part.

Upon his acceptance to St. Francis in 1945, Ward took on the religious name of Martin Maria de Porres as his own.

After his ordination in 1955 in Albany, New York, he volunteered to work at missions in Brazil, a common practice since many American dioceses practiced segregation at the time and wouldn’t allow Black bishops to serve.

Ward stayed in Brazil until his death from a heart attack at 81 years of age while he was conducting Mass in Rio de Janerio in 1999. He received consideration from The Vatican for beatification on the 25th anniversary of his death in June.

Ward is credited with two miracles based on his intercession, which are currently under investigation, and according to the Black Catholic Messenger, he is regarded as a uniquely holy figure in Brazil.

Ward’s candidacy was made official in 2020 when the Bishop of São João del Rei in Brazil opened his case after word of a local cult of devotion to Ward spawned reports of two miracles attributed to the post-humous intercession of Ward.

According to Douglas McMillan of the Order of Friars Minor Conventional, “As of July 1, we received notice, through the Brazilian Historical Commission, that we have official approval from the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints,” McMillan said. “We are now in the process [of] working on putting together the final copy of the position for the dicastery.”

If the petition for Ward’s sainthood is approved by The Vatican, Ward will join Pierre Toussaint, Mother Mary Lange, Henriette Delille, Friar Augustus Tolton, Julia Greeley, and Sister Thea Bowman as the only Black people to receive veneration from the Catholic Church.

RELATED CONTENT: Pope Francis Appoints The Country’s First Black Cardinal

Kappa Alpha Pasi, autistic, student
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 2, 2024

Mississippi Man Becomes First Autistic Member Of Local Kappa Alpha Psi Chapter

Weathers was officially initiated into the fraternity on Nov. 16, calling the moment a "big achievement" for his autism community.

Alex “Rooster” Weathers of Vicksburg, Mississippi, has become the first autistic member of the Natchez Alumni Chapter Of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Weathers was officially initiated into the fraternity on Nov. 16, with eight other line brothers in tow. Although the initiation makes him the inaugural neurodivergent member, he views the appointment as a “big achievement” for those like him.

“It’s still a humbling feeling and a dream come true,” Weathers said to Vicksburg News. “I believe this is a big achievement for the autistic community, and I’m happy to be a part of a true brotherhood.”

Weathers received his autism diagnosis at three years old, yet he never let this difference stunt his personal and professional goals. While born prematurely, he overcame speech challenges at a young age to strive in his academic journey. Having played football as a teenager, he became part of the coaching staff at his alma mater, Alcorn State University.

His interest in Black Greek Letter Organizations is relatively new. However, Weathers’ deep dive into politics made him look to the Divine Nine and further his reach. As for the Kappas specifically, he particularly liked how they took on political and social causes.

“I’ve always been big on civil rights and black history,” he added. “Some of the greatest men belong to fraternities, but when I researched it all, I liked how the Kappas carried themselves and represented their community.”

With his Greek letters now under his belt, Weathers continues his matriculation through graduate school. However, he is not only a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. The scholar is also a member of the Dean’s List and Phi Beta Gamma Honor Society.

His continued accolades and triumphs are paving the way for fellow Black and autistic men. His success hopes to prove that anyone on the spectrum can enact change in their diverse communities.

Weathers added, “Keep God first and know that we are change-makers in the world.”

RELATED CONTENT: Play Pits: Black-Owned Deodorant Brand Started In The Kitchen Is Now Sold In Target

Sesame Place, lawsuit, Indianapolis
Photo by Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 2, 2024

Trial Begins For Indianapolis Officers Involved In Herman Whitfield’s Death During Mental Health Crisis

Adam Ahmad and Steven Sanchez are on trial for allegedly killing 39-year-old Herman Whitfield III in 2022.

Two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officers are set to be tried for the killing of a Black man who was having a mental health crisis.

On April 25, 2022, police officers in Indianapolis were called by the parents of a man who was having a mental health crisis in their home. After the officers arrived, the man was tasered and killed by the police who arrived at the scene. After more than two years, the two police officers will go to trial on Dec. 2.

According to The Associated Press, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officers Adam Ahmad and Steven Sanchez, who were indicted by a grand jury a year after the incident took place, will stand trial in an Indianapolis courtroom. Both men have been charged with one felony count each of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, and battery resulting in moderate injury, and one misdemeanor battery charge.

They were charged after responding to a 911 call from the parents of 39-year-old Herman Whitfield III, who was having a mental health breakdown at their house. After making the call, Ahmad and Sanchez showed up and found Whitfield naked and pacing inside the home. The officers, who were wearing body cameras, were seen trying to convince Whitfield to put on some clothes so they could take him to a hospital. Whitfield did not get dressed and moved from room to room, avoiding contact with the officers. As he ran past a table in the dining room, Sanchez allegedly utilized his taser, shocking Whitfield. After the victim fell, Sanchez, Ahmad, and other police officers gathered to try to handcuff Whitfield as he was face down on the floor.

Whitfield allegedly told the police officers that he “can’t breathe” several times before he goes silent. He was unresponsive when officers rolled him over to place handcuffs on him. After being taken to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled that Whitfield’s death was a homicide. The autopsy states that the cause of death was “cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of law enforcement subdual, prone restraint, and conducted electrical weapon use.”

It took almost a year for the officers to be indicted after Whitfield’s family demanded that the police department release videos from the body cams the officers were wearing. They requested that the six officers involved be terminated.

An attorney for the police officers, John Kautzman, said, “The only thing I’ll say on record, which I’ve said before, is we believe these officers did not commit any criminal actions whatsoever and that they shouldn’t be standing trial for crimes.”

Ahmad and Sanchez are currently on administrative leave.

Whitfield’s family has sued the police department and is seeking unspecified damages. The civil case will begin in July 2025 in federal court in Indianapolis.

RELATED CONTENT: Justice Department: Police In Small Mississippi City Engaged In Systemic Discrimination Against Blacks

Ralph Yarl, Civil Lawsuit, Andrew Lester
(Photo: Ralph Yarl/GoFundMe)
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 2, 2024

Trial For White Man Who Shot Ralph Yarl To Start In February

After 86-year-old Andrew Lester underwent a mental evaluation in September, the judge announced that the trial would start as scheduled

The trial for a white man who shot 16-year-old Black teenager Ralph Yarl, who mistakenly went to his house to pick up his younger brothers, will start in February after he underwent a mental evaluation in September, the judge on the case announced.

Last year, on April 13, Yarl mistakenly went to the wrong house and was shot twice by a white homeowner, Andrew Lester, in Kansas City, Missouri. Several days later, Lester was arrested and charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action.

According to NBC News, the trial is scheduled to start on Feb. 18, after the completed mental evaluation was entered into the record on Nov. 15. The retired aircraft mechanic has pleaded not guilty to the charges after he was accused of shooting Yarl with a gun after he rang his doorbell. He erroneously appeared at Lester’s house when he went to pick up his younger twin brothers. He was supposed to go to Northeast 115th Terrace but ended up at Lester’s house at Northeast 115th Street.

After the shooting, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson stated that the shooting may have been racially motivated.

A written statement was given to KSHB 41 from Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe.

“The family of Ralph Yarl is grateful that the trial against Andrew Lester is moving forward. This case represents more than just accountability — it’s a step toward justice for the trauma Ralph and our family have endured simply because he rang the doorbell at the wrong home. We remain committed to seeking fairness and ensuring that no other family has to face such pain due to the color of their skin. Thank you to all who continue to support justice for Ralph and our eagerness to put this chapter behind us.”

A pretrial hearing was originally scheduled for last week but has been moved to Jan. 25. According to court documents, Lester’s defense attorneys asked for the continuance “for good cause shown.”

Lester is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison for the assault charge, while the armed criminal action charge could place him in prison for 3 to 15 years if found guilty.

In April, a year after the shooting, the family filed a lawsuit against Lester and the home association, Highland Acres Homes Association.

RELATED CONTENT: Cissy Houston, Grammy-Winning Mother Of Whitney Houston, Dies At 91

Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears
(Photo: virginia.gov/free domain)
by Daniel Johnson

December 2, 2024

Virginia Governor Race Poised To Create History, No Matter Who Wins

The race for Virginia's governorship set to take place in 2025

The race for Virginia’s governorship in 2025 is likely to involve two candidates who each possess an equal opportunity to make history.

According to The Hill, both the likely Democratic and Republican candidates, Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Winsom Earle-Sears, respectively, each bear claim to becoming Virginia’s first female governor, and if Earle-Sears is elected, she would become the state’s first Black female governor.

The field has cleared for the two women, which political analysts like Debbie Walsh, the Center for Women in Politics director at Rutgers University, noted is a rare occurrence.

“It is really significant that not only are there going to be two women running but that both parties seem to be kind of clearing the field for them, which we have not necessarily seen,” Walsh told The Hill.

Walsh continued, “It’s been a bit of a challenge overall for women to move into those positions,” Walsh said before saying that women in politics are working against a “notion that women work well collaboratively and in committees, which lends itself to legislatures but not so much to being chief executive.”

Walsh concluded, “Virginia is also interesting because Virginia was the state after Donald Trump was elected in 2016 that gave us our first indication of a big political mobilization of women in the legislative races there, where we saw record numbers of women running for the Legislature but also beating incumbents at a rate much higher than anyone would have expected, and it foretold the story of 2018.”

Women, particularly Black women, are naturally expected to play larger roles than normal in shaping this election. Walsh also noted that since Earle-Sears is a Republican, that does not mean that she will get the backing of Black women in Virginia.

“They (Black women) will be a powerful force in that race,” Walsh said. “We know that women in general are more likely to support the Democratic candidate, but there’s tremendous variation and the strongest group for Democratic candidates regardless of the gender of the candidate’s gender.

The task for Spanberger, conversely, will be making sure the voter apathy from non-presidential races doesn’t affect Democratic voters as much as it does Republicans.

According to Bob Holsworth, a veteran Virginia political analyst, Spanberger will also have to marshal support from Black voters, which is uncharted territory for her.

“Critically, she has to do well in the African American community, and she’s never had to do that before,” Holsworth told The Hill. “The Democrats have to turn out people in the African American community in larger numbers than they have, and there was some backsliding from ‘20 to ‘24.”

Holsworth concluded, “There’ll be a million less people who will vote in this election than did in the presidential election. In an election where a million people aren’t voting, Spanberger needs to ensure that 60 percent of them aren’t Democrats.”

RELATED CONTENT: Virginia’s First Black Female Lieutenant Governor Launches Gubernatorial Bid

tulsa, black Wall Street
(Photo: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
by Daniel Johnson

December 2, 2024

Bill To Establish Black Wall Street As A National Monument Advances

The Sierra Club called for Black Wall Street to become a national monument

On Nov. 19, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee voted unanimously to advance S.3543, a bill that would establish Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, otherwise known as Black Wall Street, as a national monument under the National Park System.

According to Congress.gov, S.3543 was introduced in December 2023 by Oklahoma’s Republican Sen. James Langford and was co-sponsored by Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ,) John Cornyn (R-TX), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

According to Tiffany Crutcher, the executive director of the Terrence Crutcher Foundation and the great-grandaughter of a former survivor of the massacre, Rebecca Brown Crutcher, who barely escaped the 1921 massacre, the passage of the bill presents a chance for the nation to honor those who died in the Tulsa Race Massacre and its few survivors.

“The successful Senate markup presents a profound opportunity for our nation to honor the legacy of the Tulsa Race Massacre while the remaining survivors are still here,” Crutcher told Fox 23.

“For the sake of these living witnesses to history and future generations, Congress and the President must act swiftly to ensure Greenwood’s story is enshrined and its lessons never forgotten.”

Along with Reuben Grant, the executive director of the John Hope Franklin Center, Crutcher is the leader of the Historic Greenwood-Black Wall Street Coalition, a collection of multiple activist groups in Tulsa that have been pushing for the recognition of Black Wall Street as a national monument for years.

Like Crutcher, Grant expressed hope that the bill’s advancement would lead to a reckoning with a dark chapter of American history.

“Today’s committee vote proves that Greenwood’s story resonates far beyond Tulsa. This is a moment of national reckoning with our history. The families who built Black Wall Street through ingenuity, hard work, and perseverance represented the best of America. By understanding how racist hatred and violence destroyed their rousing success story, we can emerge as a stronger, more connected nation on the other side,” Grant told the outlet.

In June, coinciding with celebrations of Juneteenth, The Sierra Club called for Black Wall Street to become a national monument and retold the story of Crutcher’s brother, Terrence, who was killed by the Tulsa Police Department in 2016, the same police department that had helped to create the Tulsa Race Massacre by deputizing Tulsa’s white citizens.

According to The Washington Post, some activists have called for President Joe Biden to use executive authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to establish the monument. That act protects cultural and natural resources of historical or scientific interest.

Crutcher told News On 6 that the story of what happened in Greenwood has been erased from the history books, even in the Greenwood area itself.

“It’s about preserving the story of Greenwood, a story that was erased from our history books,” Crutcher said. “I went to school on Greenwood and didn’t learn about what happened here during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma history.”

She continued, “Not only did they (the residents of Black Wall Street) build a beautiful community, but when it was burned to the ground, they were able to rebuild. So, this is about resilience, this is about strength, this is about honor and making sure that everyone knows that you can always move forward when truth is told and when tradition is extended.”

RELATED CONTENT: DOJ To Finally Review 1921 Bombing Of Tulsa Under Emmett Till Civil Rights Act

Solange, Tina Knowles,
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Gabrielle's Angel Foundation ) Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Geffen Records)
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 2, 2024

Tina Knowles Joins Daughter Solange In Holiday Campaign For Gucci

The wore Gucci as they connected with loved ones.

Family meets fashion for the Knowles household. Tina Knowles joined her daughter, Solange, in Gucci’s Gift campaign for the holidays.

The mother-daughter duo starred in the third chapter of Gucci’s holiday rollout, which showcases real-life families in its storytelling. The campaign intends to “portray the simple yet profound joys of being close to those we care about during the festive season.”

The commercial starring the mother and sister of Beyoncé was released on Nov. 26. It featured the women sitting down at a family dinner to kick off the holiday season.

Of course, the two wore Gucci as they connected with loved ones around the table. The short clip also featured Solange hugging her mother as the festivities continued.

Both women opted for a primarily Black dress ensemble. The mother of two wore a Black blouse and trousers, accompanied by a Gucci Marina Chain Necklace and Signoria Slingback heels.

As for the “Almeda” songstress, she rocked a leather jacket from the Italian fashion house with a GG Marmont belt adorning her jeans and a Horsbit 1955 handbag.

Solange spoke to Vogue about her collaboration with Gucci. She emphasized her long-time connection with the fashion house, referencing its iconography.

“I’m a big fan of iconography in design, especially iconography in logos and graphic design,” she told the publication. “Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve paid close attention to the way we communicate with symbols, and the House of Gucci has always been at the forefront of that conversation.”

The Knowles “matriarch” is also preparing for her words to reach audiences. The grandmother announced her memoir, “Matriarch,” will be released in March 2025.

All the women in the Knowles family appear to be busy this holiday season, with Beyoncé preparing for her NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show performance. However, these powerhouses remain a close-knit family as they take on new opportunities.

RELATED CONTENT: Tina Knowles Reveals Beyoncé Was Bullied As A Child Because ‘She Was Very Shy’

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