• Contributor Network

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

June 26, 2024

Ask Your Fairygodmentor®: Should I Follow My Coworkers On Social Media?

The FairyGodMentor advises whether or not you should take the risk.

---

Reader’s Question:

Hey There, FairyGodMentor,

What are your thoughts on following coworkers on social media?

Regards,

Am I Creepy or Cool

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Creepy or Cool,

First off, I would assume that your intentions are well-meaning to connect with your coworkers on social media, right?  So, let’s stop playing TLC’s “Creep” as the soundtrack in your head and nix the “creepy” moniker, OK?

I have more questions.

What’s your company’s culture? You may work in a place with strict policies against connecting with coworkers on social media. You could work in a place where connecting with coworkers outside of work is encouraged.  Do a bit of research before diving into virtually connecting with your coworkers.

How’s your current relationship with the coworkers you want to connect with? If you’re already friendly with your coworker and they’ve given you a green light to connect online, go for it.

Of course you want to respect your coworker’s privacy. Especially if their profiles are marked private—understand that you have been invited into this person’s private life. It’s understood that you wouldn’t use what’s shared on this person’s profile against them.

What’s your role? Think about your role at the organization that you work for. If you you’re a team leader, you may want to think twice about connecting with your direct reports on social media.  They may feel they have to edit or censor what they’re posting. OR they can simply change their profile viewing settings for specific people they work with to have a better sense of privacy. I remember blocking my executive level leaders on my team from seeing everything I posted because I wanted them to have access to some of my life, but not ALL of it.

Finally, you want to be mindful about sharing other’s content. Always ask permission before posting something that involves another coworker. If you’re sharing something controversial or anything that could create tension at work…think before posting. Remember this, when somebody’s business comes into the organization and that post disrupts up productivity- it becomes the organization’s business.

Again, it’s all about intention. If you want to stay connected outside of work, and keep in touch—go for it. It goes into creepy territory when your intentions aren’t on the up and up, you’re straight up nosey, or you have bad intentions.

You got this!

Sincerely,

Your Fairygodmentor®

Joyel Crawford is an award-winning career and leadership development professional and the founder of Crawford Leadership Strategies, a consultancy that develops empowered, results-driven leaders through engaging leadership development coaching, training, and facilitation.

Do you have a question about handling a micromanager? Are you having difficulty navigating spaces because of your hair? Is work stressing you out? Do you need support coaching poor performance, or are you wondering how to negotiate and get the job offer you desire effectively? Do you have any questions about career and leadership development?

Ask Your FairyGodMentor® here.

RELATED CONTENT: Ask Your FairyGodMentor®: How To Lead Your Team During Layoffs And Prevent Stress

• Education

by Courtney Connley

June 26, 2024

5 Musical Geniuses Whose Work Entered The Classroom

As more universities bridge music and academics, we rounded up today's hottest artists whose careers have been turned into college courses.

---

Originally Published Aug. 24, 2014.

From Grammy wins to world tours, clothing lines, sports ventures, and more, musical artists have long been expanding their brand beyond just the music. Each new career move evokes praise and criticism, making their longevity on the music charts and in business one to be examined, and college professors are taking notes.

Over the past few years, more and more universities across the nation have taken a closer look at some of today’s musical greats, with professors examining song lyrics and their messages with greater detail to combine academia and pop culture to educate the next generation.

From Beyoncé to Jay-Z, Nas, and more, we’ve rounded up some of today’s hottest musical geniuses whose creativity and unmatched talent have landed them a spot in a university classroom.

Beyoncé

Earlier this year, Rutgers University announced that it would bring the entertainer’s work and career to the classroom with a course called “Politicizing Beyoncé.”

“This isn’t a course about Beyoncé’s political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend,” class teacher Kevin Allred said, according to Rutgers Today.

The course will compare the singer’s music portfolio with important works from the Black feminist movement, including writings of Alice Walker and Sojourner Truth.

“It’s important to shift students away from simply being consumers of media toward thinking more critically about what they’re engaging on a regular basis,” Allred said.

Jay-Z

In 2011, Georgetown Professor Michael Eric Dyson brought Jay-Z’s life and career into his classroom for a course titled “Sociology of Hip Hop: Jay-Z.”

The course examined Jay-Z’s career and tied it to lessons on African American culture and business. Students had a midterm, final exam, and required readings, including the rapper’s book Decoded.

“I think he’s an icon of American excellence,” Dyson tells Fox News.

Nas

Nas may not have completed high school, but the message behind his music certainly provides content that’s worthy of being studied in the classroom.

Last year, Harvard University introduced the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship, which will help pay for visiting scholars’ research and hip-hop-related academic programs.

The rapper, who constantly pushes the envelope with his music, says music is a great resource for educating our youth.

“Hip-hop is important like computer science,” the rapper tells Rolling Stone. “The world is changing. If you want to understand the youth, listen to the music. This is what’s happening right underneath your nose.”

Jay-Z and Kanye West

In addition to Jay-Z’s career being studied at Georgetown University, students at the University of Missouri can now study his music and career alongside the career of his “Watch the Throne” partner, Kanye West.

Professor Andrew Hoberek first taught the course in fall 2013, and after the class filled up quickly, he decided to bring the course back for the fall 2014 semester.

According to the course description, the English course “looks at the career and work of Jay-Z and Kanye West from three perspectives: (1) Where do they fit within, and how do they change, the history of hip-hop music? (2) How is what they do similar to and different from what poets do? (3) How does their rise to both celebrity and corporate power alter what we understand as the American dream.”

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar’s debut album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” quieted down any critics who questioned the young Compton native’s talent. Now, with a college course inspired by the album, it’s safe to say that Lamar’s work has earned him a spot in the hip-hop history books.

Thanks to instructor Adam Diehl, students at Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Georgia, can now examine Lamar’s music portfolio with a closer eye, using the rapper’s debut album, James Joyce, James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks and the 1991 movie “Boyz in the Hood” as primary coursework materials.

“I decided to center the class on Good Kid, m.A.A.d City because I think Kendrick Lamar is the James Joyce of hip-hop—i.e., in the complexity of his storytelling, in his knowledge of the canon, and in his continuing focus on the city of his upbringing—Compton,” Diehl tells HipHopDX.

RELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé !? Kim Burrell Claims Jay-Z Called her After Beyoncé Listened to Her Music for 11 Hours During Relationship ‘Issues’

• News

by Shanique Yates

June 26, 2024

Here’s Why Experts Say You Should Set Your Thermostat To 80 Degrees If It’s 100 Degrees Outside

Are you following the 20-degree rule?

---

Summer is officially here, but one power company is advising against turning down your thermostats!

With temperatures on the rise, you may be tempted to turn the air up at home, but Alabama Power suggests that everyone should follow the 20-degree rule. That means that if it is 100 degrees outside, your thermoregulator should be set to 80 degrees, according to Atlanta News First.

This means that your thermostat should never be set for a temperature that is more than 20 degrees cooler than the air outside. 

While it may sound a bit crazy, a rep for the company, Anthony Cook, says your pockets will thank you when you’re able to avoid breaking the bank as the heat cranks up just in time for summertime. 

Moreover, Cook notes that the rule not only helps to keep money in your pockets during a season when electric bills scale higher than average, but it is “based on industry standards for the way most air conditioners are designed.”

Currently, the bulk of air conditioning systems are only equipped to handle a 20-degree difference between outside and inside air temperatures. For instance, if it is 80 degrees outside and you set your thermostat to 70, you’re in the clear. On the other hand, if the weather outside sits at 90 degrees or over, that same setting will cause your unit to run almost non-stop to get the inside air temperatures to even reach 70 degrees.

“What it’s going to do is it’s going to continue to run in order to try and reach the temperature of where you set it, but it really won’t get it beyond that 20-degree mark, and so you’re gonna be wasting energy, which in turn, wastes money,” said Cook.

With people demanding more electricity during the summer season, the higher prices are when it comes to supplying that electricity. You may be looking to combat the heat, but you’ll also be going toe to toe with your budget if you go a bit overboard.

RELATED CONTENT: These Elite Black-Owned Swimwear Brands Are Serving Summertime Fine

• Travel and Leisure

by Stacy Jackson

June 26, 2024

Taylor Casey Goes Missing During Yoga Trip To Bahamas, Family Wants Her Home

A family contingent, including Casey's mother, is traveling to the Bahamas to coordinate with local authorities in the search efforts.

---

A Chicago yoga enthusiast has mysteriously vanished while attending the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas, raising alarm among her family and authorities.

Taylor Casey, 41, was last spotted on Paradise Island on June 19, prompting the Royal Bahamas Police Force to issue a missing person alert two days later on June 21. According to a release posted on Facebook, Casey, a 15-year veteran of yoga practice, embarked on this journey to deepen her spiritual connection.

Her mother, Colette Seymore, expressed deep concern, stating, “I believe Taylor is in danger because she was eager to share her yoga retreat experience with others upon her return. Taylor would never disappear like this.” The family’s worry is compounded by the area’s proximity to Nassau, a city grappling with crimes. Earlier this year, BLACK ENTERPRISE noted that the U.S. government issued a level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas, citing an increase in homicides, particularly on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands. The U.S. Embassy attributed most of these incidents to “retaliatory gang violence.”

CBS News reported that the Bahamas retreat center confirmed that Casey’s absence became apparent last Thursday when she didn’t show up for the morning yoga sessions. Despite Paradise Island’s reputation as a tourist haven, its location near Nassau has raised safety concerns. A family contingent, including Casey’s mother, is en route to coordinate with local authorities in the search efforts.

The release describes Casey as a light-skinned Black woman, 5’10” and 145 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. She typically wears her natural hair covered by a durag.

As the search continues, Casey’s family remains hopeful for her safe return, and they are urging anyone with information to come forward. For more information, or those with potential leads are encouraged to contact the Royal Bahamas Police Force Criminal Investigations Department at 502-9991/2 or Crime stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477).

RELATED CONTENT: Tyler Perry Visits The Bahamas To Celebrate 50 Years of Independence

• Leadership

by Caroline Clarke

June 26, 2024

Bill Withers’ Music Career Offers Business Lessons To Lean On In Tough Times

---

Originally Published April 6, 2020. 

When songwriter and musician Bill Withers died on April 3, 2020, there was an outpouring of respect and admiration. And no wonder. Withers’ musical legacy is comprised of a number of hits that resonated across generations, races, religions, genres, and geographical borders, including 1972’s “Lean On Me,” which director Tyler Perry and others have made a clarion call for these difficult socially distanced days.

Far less known than Withers’ beautiful music is the story of his career, which afforded him a lifetime of financial freedom and the ability to live on his own terms until he died at 81.

Songs like “Lovely Day” and “Just the Two of Us” helped place Withers in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, the lessons from his career in the music business are just as timeless and relevant today as ever.

Fortune favors hard work, self-starters, and the self-taught

You don’t have to have access or the best education to get ahead. You have to be hungry and willing to work hard. Withers never had any formal musical training; he had natural talent, genuine passion, and a willingness to learn what he could, any way he could.

He grew up the youngest of six children in Slab Fork, West Virginia, a poor mining town marked by Jim Crow racism and local music, mostly country and gospel. He was born with a stutter that he painstakingly managed to rid himself of while in the Navy. While working in a California aircraft parts factory after returning from the Vietnam War, Withers bought a secondhand guitar from a pawnshop and taught himself to play. He started writing songs between shifts at the factory. The goal wasn’t fame, he told journalist Andy Greene in a 2015 profile in Rolling Stone. “It was all about survival.”

Rejection is part of the process. Just keep going.

In 1970, Withers scraped together enough of his hourly pay to self-fund a crude demo and shopped it to major labels with zero success. But a meeting with Clarence Avant, now known as the Black Godfather, changed everything. Avant signed Withers to his newly formed indie label, Sussex, teamed him with producer Booker T. Jones, and they completed his 1971 debut album, Just As I Am, in just a few days. It featured two hits that endure to this day – “Grandma’s Hands” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,“ covered by artists from Michael Jackson to Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the heavy metal band Black Label Society. The song even has its own Wikipedia page. “What few songs I wrote during my brief career, there ain’t a genre that somebody didn’t record them in,” he told Rolling Stone. “I’m not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with.”

Stay humble. And keep your day job.

The photo for Withers’ first album cover was taken on a lunch break from his job at Weber Aircraft. “Cause I didn’t want to take time off,” he explained in a 2015 interview with CBS This Morning. “So, I’m standing in the door with my actual lunch box!” Withers never quit that job. He was laid off just before the album’s release, and by the time the company tried to hire him back, he had also been invited to appear on The Tonight Show.

Reinvest in your business and long-term financial stability.

Withers took some of his earnings from Just As I Am and bought a piano. As he went about once again teaching himself a new instrument, he began tinkering with some simple chord progressions one day. They resulted in the hit song “Lean on Me,” which became the centerpiece of his second album, Still Bill, and remains a beloved anthem to friendship and unity in times of crisis worldwide.

Stay true to you!

In the early going, Withers always did his thing, his way. He never hired a manager, produced his own songs (music and lyrics), wrote his own liner notes, and designed his own album covers. At Sussex, he had complete creative control over his music, but after Avant’s company went bankrupt in 1975, Withers signed a 5-record deal with Columbia, and the experience soured him on the business.

“I met my A&R guy, and the first thing he said to me was, ‘I don’t like your music or any Black music, period,’” Withers recalled in the 2015 Rolling Stone article. “I am proud of myself because I did not hit him.” Once he completed his obligations to Columbia in 1985, he walked away from the business. And he could—because he made roughly half of every dollar his songs earned for the rest of his life.

Never stop growing—or knowing who to trust.

Withers’ first marriage to Denise Nicholas was notoriously unhappy and widely rumored to be abusive, but Withers went on to marry Marcia Johnson, whom he met in 1976 at a Gil Scott Heron concert. Married for 44 years until his death, Marcia Withers has run her husband’s publishing companies for years and has been instrumental in the lucrative placement of his songs in countless films, television programs, and other media. “We’re a mom-and-pop shop,” he told Rolling Stone. “She’s my only overseer. I’m lucky I married a woman with an M.B.A.”

RELATED CONTENT: NPR’s Tiny Desk Is Putting On For The Ladies For Black Music Month

• Career

by Kandia Johnson

June 26, 2024

There’s No Time Like Summertime For Self-Improvement 

Here is how you can develop yourself this summer.

---

Originally Published Aug. 4, 2017. 

Beyond enjoying backyard barbecues and waves at the beach, summer is the perfect time to take your skills to the next level. Here are four ways to develop yourself this summer.

Get uncomfortable and fit

Whether it’s preparing for a bodybuilding contest or taking a fitness and adventure travel vacation, professional development and self-care go hand in hand.

Join a challenge

Experts say it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a habit, so if you’ve wanted to reduce your spending, lose weight, or unclutter your mind with meditation, starting a 21- or even a 30-day challenge with friends is a great way to get a jump-start on achieving your goals.

Do one thing that scares you

You know that one thing you keep putting off because you’re concerned about what people might think? Or the one activity you dream about doing but you haven’t mustered the courage to take action yet?

Volunteer or get involved with a charity

Try lending your expertise to a function of a charitable organization (like social media management) or providing hands-on support to daily operations such as feeding the homeless.

RELATED CONTENT: These Elite Black-Owned Swimwear Brands Are Serving Summertime Fine

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 26, 2024

A$AP Rocky Debuts New Activism-Inspired Clothing Line At Paris Fashion Week

A$AP Rocky brought his "ghetto expressionism" to Paris Fashion Week with the debut of American Sabotage x AWGE.

---

A$AP Rocky brought his signature form of “ghetto expressionism” to Paris Fashion Week with the surprise debut of his American Sabotage x AWGE Men’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection.

Rihanna, Pusha T, Pharrell Williams, Loewe designer JW Anderson, and Rimowa president Alexandre Arnault sat front row at the secret, invite-only show, which took place at Hotel de Maison in France’s capital. An expansion of Rocky’s inaugural AWGE ready-to-wear collection, which he unveiled in April, the American Sabotage collection includes 30 pieces highlighting his way of intertwining art with activism through fashion, as noted by the Robb Report.

Made in collaboration with designers Bede Marchand, Joshua Jamal, and Coucou Bebehe, the oversized pieces are emblazoned with phrases like “Political Satire” and emblems of the bald eagle and the American flag. “Protestors” carried signs that read “Don’t be dumb,” with one model holding a giant clear garbage bag full of money. Songs from Rocky’s new unreleased album carried the runway show.

The Harlem native also hit the runway wearing a stylish bomber jacket plastered with his mugshot and a pair of giant Ray-Ban sunglasses. He waved and sent a kiss to Rihanna, who applauded her beau from from the sidelines. Rocky opted for a pair of Ray-Ban’s Mega Wayfarer shades, while the models wore exclusive Mega Baloramas and Optical Olympians to complement the activist-forward pieces.

“Expressing our individuality is great but sometimes expressing our unity and reliance on each other is a good thing to remember too… especially in the face of the peak intolerance we are experiencing in the world right now,” Rocky wrote in the show notes.

“We’re wrecking boundaries and making statements through every piece, reflecting the spirit and resilience of our communities. This is fashion with purpose, where art meets activism,” he later explained.

It was also the perfect opportunity for Rocky to cross-promote his Puma collaboration with models sporting the limited re-issue of the OG Inhale shoe, which the rapper handpicked from the Puma Archive. Models also wore the brand’s signature Puma Speedcats and Puma’s first fully 3-D-printed sneakers, the Mostro and Mostro 3.D. Among the yet-to-be-released kicks featured in the runway show include the black and white Mostro, which launches on July 13, and the Inhale and Mostro 3.D styles, which will be released this September.

After stealing the show at Paris Fashion Week, Rocky and Rihanna hit the town to pose for photos and show off their reign as one of Hollywood’s most fashionable couples. Fans swooned over the pair’s outfits and display of love on their night out and taking a break from raising their two boys, Rza and Riot.

“They look so good,” one fan wrote.

twitter.com/Deyvxxd_/status/1805485214560321943(opens in a new tab)

“Can’t lie, ASAP won,” added another.

RELATED CONTENT: Atlanta Photographer And Designer Goes Viral With Graduation-Themed Fashion Series

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 26, 2024

Walmart Sponsors 5th Annual Men Of Vision Juneteenth Weekend To Support Youth Program

Walmart served as an official corporate sponsor for the Men of Vision (MOV) Foundation's 5th Annual Juneteenth Weekend celebration.

---

Walmart served as an official corporate sponsor for the Men of Vision (MOV) Foundation’s 5th Annual Juneteenth Weekend celebration, which included the MOV 5K Run/3K Walk and block party.

Held in Fitzgerald, Georgia from June 14-16, MOV Juneteenth Weekend was full of family fun for all to enjoy. Free Jazz in the Park kicked off the festivities on Friday night ahead of the Juneteenth Block Party on Saturday, which was hosted by Grammy-winning singer and co-founding member of the multi-platinum group 112, Q Parker.

The Block Party is among the most popular events, with its day-long features and festivities like food trucks, shopping unique products from a variety of vendors, Black art that’s on display and for sale, guest speakers, live music and performances, and raffle prizes of desirable items. Other signature features include the Juneteenth Youth Essay Contest, MOV Honorees, FREE Workout Training, Kids Zone, and Gospel Fest, which closes out the weekend on Sunday.

Walmart’s corporate sponsorship included a $5,000 donation to support MOV’s youth programs.

“Walmart is proud to support the 5th Annual Men of Vision Juneteenth Weekend. This collaboration reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the African American community and fostering positive change nationwide,” Robert Hendry, Senior Manager of Community Affairs at Walmart said.

It was an honorable addition to the milestone 5th-anniversary event.

“Walmart has a long track record of supporting the African-American community. So we at MOV are extremely humbled for them to value our community efforts enough to support us”, Carlos Scott of the Men of Vision Foundation said.

MOV’s Juneteenth Weekend serves as the foundation’s largest annual fundraiser, with all proceeds from the weekend, except for the Run/Walk, going to support MOV programs and community initiatives throughout the year. Measures to aid the youth include mentoring, financial literacy, career readiness training, STEM incubators, and health and wellness resources. Additionally, MOV organizes youth enrichment trips like visits to HBCUs and important sites across the country.

Along with Walmart, other corporate sponsors included the city of Fitzgerald, WALB News 10, Coca-Cola UNITED, Hibbett Sports, Harvey’s, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, Georgia Department of Public Health, Marble Wines, and UPSCALE Magazine.

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 26, 2024

Chris Rock Reportedly Thinks Will Smith’s Oscars Slap Reference in ‘Bad Boys 4’ Is A ‘Cheap Stunt’

Chris Rock reportedly wasn't impressed with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence subtly referencing the Oscars slap in "Bad Boys 4."

---

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence appeared to subtly reference Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars slap in Bad Boys 4, which didn’t impress Chris Rock.

The scene takes place near the end of the new action film when Lawrence’s character Marcus repeatedly slapping Mike (played by Smith) to get him out of a daze after a serious showdown.

Many, as noted by TMZ, took it as Smith’s way of addressing the Oscars slap in his first major movie comeback since the controversial encounter. But sources say the scene only opened old wounds for Rock who was on the receiving end of Smith’s real-life slap.

“Chris thinks it’s a pretty cheap stunt and he’s telling people how lame he finds it,” a source told In Touch. “It’s a classic case of Will making light of a horrific situation. Will’s playing the victim. It was the lowest point of his career, but that’s no excuse.”

Rock, who has been maintaining a “low profile” since the viral moment “finds Will’s attention-seeking nauseating,” the insider added.

“It aggravates him that people keep bringing it up. He suffered as much as Will has and now Will has turned it into a funny scene in his movie. As far as Chris is concerned, it’s more proof that Will’s a total piece of work who deserves all the crap he’s gotten. Chris isn’t going to let it go. If there’s a way to get back at Will down the line, he’ll take it.”

Smith, 55, was issued a 10-year ban from attending the Academy Awards after he stepped on stage and slapped Rock, 59, during the 2022 ceremony following the comedian’s joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

“Jada, I love you,” Chris said. “G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.”

The joke made reference to Jada’s lack of hair, which the actress has openly admitted is a result of her battle with alopecia. The bit infuriated Smith, who got up out of his front tow seat to approach Rock and slap him on stage for all to see.

Once he returned to his seat, he shouted at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth.”

The shocking exchange occurred minutes before Smith accepted his Best Actor Oscar for King Richard, the first Academy Award in his career and one of the biggest awards of the night.

Smith eventually issued a formal apology to Rock in a YouTube video shared four months after the slap attack.

“Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk,” Smith said.

Rock followed up with a scathing bit aimed at Will and Jada in his 2023 comedy special Selective Outrage, which came one year after the Oscars slap. Rock said Smith’s anger was directed at him when it should have been aimed at his wife for her “entanglements.”

“His wife was f—ing her son’s friend…she hurt him way more than he hurt me,” Rock said. “Everybody called that man a b—-,” Rock added of Smith. “They called his wife a predator…And who’s he hit? Me! A n—- he knows he can beat [up].”

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 26, 2024

White Canadian Wore ‘Afro Wig And Mocha Shade Foundation’ During Research For Book On American Race Relations

Guess talking to Black people was out of the question, huh?

---

A white Canadian writer is facing backlash after donning blackface to write a book described as “the most important book on American race relations that has ever been written.”

Sam Forster, a writer with pieces in The National Post and The Spectator, has been under fire since tweeting and deleting promotion for his self-published book Seven Shoulders.

“Last summer, I disguised myself as a Black man and traveled throughout the United States to document how racism persists in American society,” he wrote in the since-deleted tweet. After calling the research “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Forster included a link to his book.

In the book, readers learn how Forster disguised himself in blackface in September 2023 using a “synthetic Afro wig, colored contact lenses” and covering his skin in Maybelline foundation’s “Mocha” shade, The Independent reports.

Forster hitchhikes across the country, stopping in Nashville, Birmingham, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Detroit.

Drivers reportedly passed him by while he was in disguise, which he details and intertwines with the history of race and racism in America. The book does includes interviews with Black leaders, including a “sitting US congressman” and the “mayor of a major American city.” However, their names were redacted, and Forster admitted they had no idea about the blackface element of the project.

After promoting the book on X/Twitter, the writer faced scrutiny from Black journalists and authors who bashed his method of research.

“Option A: Talk to actual Black people,” The Nation’s legal correspondent Elie Mystal wrote on X. “Option B: [whatever in the Tropic Thunder F*** this is].”

“No comment,” added Nikole Hannah Jones.

New York Times political reporter Astead Herndon asked Forster to share a photo of his blackface disguise.

“Drop the pic, Samuel,” he wrote. “I’m trying to see something.”

Following the backlash, Forster deleted the promotional tweet and followed up days later with a lengthy message explaining his reasoning for the book and clearing up any misconceptions about his intent.

“Some people have suggested that my intention in writing Seven Shoulders was to ‘understand’ what it’s like to be someone of a different race. That is not true. I wasn’t trying to ‘understand’ the experience of being a different race; I was demonstrating how a person’s perceived race may result in differential treatment,” he explained.

While offering no formal apology to those in the Black community he might’ve offended, Forster went on to call out the “contradicting” criticism of his book: “For every person claiming that I should have only featured Black voices, there is someone else who is lamenting how few people take Black voices seriously.”

He concluded by noting how his form of “writing isn’t for everyone,” and admitting to using a “brash marketing” tactic “to attract attention.” Forster has since wiped his Twitter account clean of all promotion of his book that is currently rated a two out of five on Amazon.