Research Shows Wider Support For Black Nationalism
The study revealed a growing sentiment toward Black nationalism.
Sociologists at Rice University have revealed a more comprehensive support for Black nationalism across the Black community. The research detailed in a new study shows sentiments toward the belief system have eased throughout the years.
Black nationalism is a sociopolitical ideology that promotes Black unity and upliftment to achieve racial equality. Supporters also believe that integration with white people will not offer betterment, preferring a separate society where Black people can create their own institutions.
The study, titled “Wakanda Forever! Consistency in Correlates of Black Nationalist Tendencies,” used data from Black participants in the 2012 Life on Outlook surveys to determine its new findings. The study’s namesake references Marvel’s 2018 film Black Panther, set in the fictional nation of Wakanda, an embodiment of Black excellence that many nationalists view as a model society.
According to Tony Brown, the study’s lead researcher, the factors previously attributed to support Black nationalism, such as income, education, age, and gender, are less significant than initially thought.
“Past studies typically found that young Black people wanted to be separate from whites, Black men wanted their own sovereign nation and people with high levels of income and education did not support Black nationalism as they had success in the current system,” explained Brown. “Our findings show that age wasn’t a predictor; men and women were the same, and there were no effects on income or education.”
He added, “The profile of who is a Black nationalist or a supporter is less clear than in past years. It’s more generally and widely accepted in various circles.”
Instead, Brown asserts that antipathy toward white people, as well as a sense of Black solidarity, promotes alignment with Black nationalism. Moreover, political movements toward anti-Black legislation and policy, such as mass incarceration and, more recently, anti-DEI efforts, contribute to this shift in its favor.
“All these things show how white supremacy endures, and it’s at a moment when I think many Black people thought real racial progress had been made,” Brown said. “They’re now realizing that some things haven’t changed as much as we thought they had changed.”
Brown’s aims for the study are to enlighten readers to prioritize Black people’s needs and voices when reconfiguring society to a more equitable world,
“Far too often those championing racial equality, or supposedly doing research that matters, ignore the views of Blacks themselves, assuming they can address white supremacy and its legacies without including the Black community in the problem-solving process.”
The entire study is now available to read online, with future publishing in the Social Science Quarterly.
White Man, 42, Accused of Assaulting 11-Year-Old Black Child In Washington State
Officers who investigated the incident said they have never witnessed anything like this before
Paul Bittner, 42, was charged with a hate crime and assault after police said he struck a Black 11-year-old child in the face during a field trip in Washington state.
A group of students from Whatcom Middle School were walking back to campus when the white man approached the boy and punched him in his face, chipping his tooth in the process, police said, according to KOMO News.
“These set of circumstances is extremely rare, in fact in my 20 years of doing this job, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Bellingham Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig. “It’s not conducive to our community, it’s absolutely disgusting, and we don’t see that very often at all.”
According to the police report, the man also pushed the child and made a statement that amounted to “Are you gonna talk to a white man like that?”
Court documents state that it is currently unknown whether the man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The incident was captured by surveillance video and a teacher followed the man until officers arrived on the scene. Those officers, according to KOMO News, heard the man continue to use racial epithets as he was arrested.
Bellingham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Greg Baker released a statement condemning the racism involved in the attack.
“Bellingham Public Schools is absolutely opposed to anti-Black racism, and racism in all forms,” Baker said. “Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just a statement but a promise to all students. We recognize that racism is deeply rooted and affects our systems and the lives of many individuals and families in profound ways. It is a collective responsibility to address and dismantle these injustices.”
The community rallied behind the family of the victim at Bittner’s bail hearing. The father of the victim was supported by over 30 community members, including Kristina Michele Martens, the co-founder of the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission.
“We have all been through it, we know what they’re going through,” Martens said. “At its heart, we just want it to stop, I think that showing up and letting other people know, when you pick on one, you pick on all.”
Lewis Latimer House Museum Reopens In Juneteenth Celebration
The museum will extend its hours as it marks it grand reopening.
The Lewis Latimer House Museum has officially reopened. The New York-based museum marked its new era with a Juneteenth celebration.
The museum honors the life and legacy of Lewis Latimer, a Black inventor, writer, and artist whose contributions helped develop the lightbulb and telephone. In 1995, New York City designated his residence, located in Queens, as a landmark. After years of restoring the home to Latimer’s original layout and work studio, it has officially reopened to the public.
Its grand opening on June 15 featured a drum circle, art therapy, and a live reading by Fresh Prince actress and author Karyn Parsons. The museum’s executive director spoke to guests about how the new upgrades will provide an innovative experience for future generations.
“We’re grateful that New Yorkers came together to honor African American freedom, innovation, and resilience just days before Juneteenth,” shared Executive Director Ran Yan. “The museum’s newest offerings reflect Latimer’s commitment to collaboration and how embracing diversity can propel society forward.”
Born in 1848, Latimer lived in the house until he died in 1928. Latimer had no formal education when he began his career. He worked alongside American inventors such as Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison to evolve society, despite this. His own creations included an evaporative air conditioner and the railroad car bathroom. Today, he remains celebrated as a self-taught patent expert and pioneering Black inventor.
The cultural institution will now offer a new exhibit with five galleries that engage visitors in Latimer’s life and journey. The immersive space will also extend its summer hours for all the voyages into the esteemed inventor’s world.
“The museum has been completely reimagined and reinvented,” incoming Board Chair Hugh Price explained. “In the spirit of Lewis Latimer’s penchant for technology and thirst for discovery, LLHM has been transformed into a dynamic, highly interactive, tech-forward experience which community members of all ages can enjoy.”
As Juneteenth celebrates the plight and freedom of the Black community, the Lewis Latimer House museum offers a unique learning experience for its namesake and other Black creators.
Black Streaming: Peep These Options And What They Cost
As the saying goes, Blackness and Black people are not a monolith, and so it is with streaming services that aim to cater to the viewing tastes of Black people.
The result is more variety for Black subscribers who would rather directly support Black creatives or apps focused on Black viewers than assist in inflating Amazon or Disney’s bottom lines.
In February, Whoopi Goldberg was revealed as an equity investor and a creative force behind Larry Adams’s Blkfam streaming service. As Adams told The Hollywood Reporter, the idea for a streaming service focused on Black family content came to him when scrolling another network’s Black Voices section, and he found it wanting inaccuratee representation.
“When I was developing the HBO Max go-to-market strategy, we identified that families are—from a business perspective—they are the ones that are on multiple streaming services. Most people are gonna have one or two, but families are gonna have up to eight, especially as we move to an unbundled world. You’re gonna need a lot of different types of content sources for folks and I realize, no one’s addressing Black family streamers. We need content that is curated, and that is OK to watch alone but certainly able to watch together.”
Blkfam is ad-supported, which means that, like other platforms such as Tubi and Amazon’s Freevee, subscribers do not have to pay for the service. It is currently available on iOS, Android, Prime Video Channels, Roku, YouTube TV, Vizio, LG, Samsung, and Fire TV devices. Adams is also looking for ways to integrate brands as co-producers of content, a way for the platform to generate additional funding.
Adams described the synergistic relationship he and Goldberg would aim to cultivate to The Hollywood Reporter, saying, “Tactically what she brings to the table is a deep understanding of how great content gets done, but more so she has actual IP that she’s been working on. She’s got a book series that we will bring to life; she’s got show ideas—she’s also, to me, a great arbiter of taste on what should be showing up on the platform. So she’s really bringing her expertise entertainment across multiple kinds of categories.”
BET+, the streaming service launched by Black Entertainment Television in 2019 in partnership with Tyler Perry, who ended a partnership with Oprah’s OWN network to do so, contains approximately 2,000 hours of Black content. It is billed as a premium content service and costs $9.99 monthly to subscribe to the content.
Something really fun I did recently was making a cameo on the @betplus series Diarra From Detroit, a compelling, comedic mystery that will keep you guessing. Even better, I got to hang out with creator and star of the series @DiarraOni in our city, talking about all things… pic.twitter.com/Deikkr7y6w
On the opposite end of the spectrum from BET+ sits KweliTV. In 2017, a Medium post from the platform announced its official launch out of its beta phase and declared its intention to share the African diaspora “through undiscovered documentaries, films, web shows, children’s programming, news and more.”
The post continued, “Kweli means truth in Swahili, so the mission is to curate content that is a true reflection of the Black experience.”
Since that time, KweliTV has expanded its reach. In April, founder and CEO DeShuna Spencer announced the creation of kweliFUND, the network’s crowdfunding platform, which has been designed to support its storytellers and creators.
KweliTV is available on the same platforms as Blkfam, except for Prime Video Channels (the website says support is coming soon). It also has several membership plans ranging from a $2.99 ad-supported version all the way up to a yearly ad-free plan for $49.99. The annual subscription tier and the premium monthly tier come with a variety of benefits like discounts to Black-owned brands, free giveaways and KweliTV merchandise, and a member-only loyalty program.
ALLBLK is notable for its position as the first streaming service created to host Black TV and film. Launched as The Urban Movie Channel (UMC) by former BET owner Robert Johnson in 2014, ALLBLK bills itself as an inclusive but unapologetically Black streaming experience. Although its offerings seem to mostly consist of its content and programming from independent creators, some content, such as Love After Lockup, is pulled from other sources.
Notably, the service hosts the critically acclaimed Black horror documentary from Shudder, Horror Noire. The service offers a free seven-day trial. Once the trial period expires, it’s $5.99 a month.
As PCMag’s Jordan Minor described the service in his review, “As the revamped version of the Urban Movie Channel, Allblk retains that focus on modern, Black films. Think of it as the inverse of Brown Sugar’s classic Blaxploitation catalog or a more modest alternative to the mainstream selection of BET+.”
According to its listing on the Apple app store, Brown Sugar is a streaming service that focuses on classic Black cinema, and the language in its listing also emphasizes its promotion of Blaxploitation era films, even calling its prospective subscribers “cool cats.” In addition to Apple, the service is available on the same services as Blkfam, and although the service is ad-free, it comes at a relatively accessible $3.99 monthly price point.
The low price makes those who subscribe to the service fairly forgiving of its occasional hiccups. A subsidiary of Bounce TV, the service also contains original programming from its line-up.
Brown Sugar, a nod to the Pam Grier Blaxploitation flick of the same name, updates its titles like any other streaming service, which also results in some confusing omissions from the service. Although the service somewhat modernizes the films that it primarily focuses on by digitally preserving the film’s original posters, its interface is limited. For example, you cannot fast forward or rewind by 15 seconds, but the service has useful subtitles, considering the film’s spotty audio quality.
As Minor wrote in his review of the service for PC Mag, “With so many streaming services out there, dominating a niche seems like the only way to stand out from the pack. Even as its library fluctuates, Brown Sugar’s focus on classic Blaxploitation movies is one of the more exciting and worthwhile film history niches we can think of, especially at its price.”
Like the saying goes, Blackness and Black people are not a monolith, and so it is streaming services that aim to cater to the viewing tastes of Black people.
Some will enjoy the shows being developed and lauded by audiences on BET+. Some will enjoy the nostalgia of Brown Sugar. Others will appreciate the focus on telling and amplifying the stories from KweliTV. Regardless of your personal viewing appetite, there is something that will sate your desires if you want to look for it.
Kai Cenat Responds To Criticism For Attending North West’s 11th Birthday Party: ‘That’s The Weirdest Thing Ever’
Kai Cenat clapped back at the 'weird' critics who took issue with him attending North West's 11th birthday party.
Kai Cenat is clapping back at critics who took issue with him attending North West’s 11th birthday party.
Ye and Kim Kardashian’s eldest child celebrated her 11th birthday on Saturday, June 15, at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and the popular online streamer was invited to enjoy the festivities.
The reality star and entrepreneur shared a video showing Cenat riding mechanical animals around the second-largest mall in the country, which Kardashian rented out for North’s birthday.
The mall includes an indoor theme park with amusement rides, ski slopes, and a water park, which North and friends enjoyed for the day, Us Weekly reports.
Kim Kardashian posted a IG story of her chilling with Kai Cenat and Ray at North West’s birthday party 🔥 pic.twitter.com/C76jVMEGMd
Cenat was among the famous faces who attended the party along with Kardashian’s close friend LaLa Anthony. Cenat shared a photo smiling alongside North at the party.
But once the photo made its rounds across social media, Cenat, 22, faced criticism from some who found it “weird” that he attended the kid’s party.
“That’s the weird sh*t Kanye was talking bout,” one critic wrote.
“I thought Kai wasn’t for kids, tho?” asked another user, referring to one of Cenat’s old videos where he claimed his online content wasn’t for children.
But after catching wind of the shady comments, Cenat shared a video response where he called out the “weird” naysayers who took issue with him supporting one of his fans.
“Everybody who literally made yesterday weird, you’re being so weird, bro,” he said. “Not gonna lie, everybody who made yesterday a weird thing.
“First thing’s first, bro, I’m North’s favorite streamer, bro. So yesterday, all she wanted to do was meet me. That was it, literally! So, anybody who’s making it weird, like, that’s the weirdest thing ever,” he continued.
Cenat went on to share how “great” the experience was, which included the streamer having North join him for a vlog session near Central Park.
“We had a great time yesterday,” he added. “I met Kim Kardashian! I met North, she’s great, bro. She has a good group of friends around her. Everything was great, bro. The vlog drops tomorrow. It’s going to be 30 minutes plus, so if y’all wanna see how the day went yesterday, it was epic.”
By Tuesday, June 18, clips from Cenat’s vlog with North began surfacing online. The 11-year-old interviewed random people on the street and asked if they wanted to meet the popular streamer. Cenat even got Kardashian and Mariah Carey to play a game of ding dong ditch with North.
At one point, Cenat FaceTimed singer Tyla for North and her friends, who were young girls, and told the South African Afrobeats star how much they admired her. North appeared to try to help Cenat snag a date with Tyla by telling the singer, “Kai likes you,” before he snatched up the phone.
From the looks of the vlog content, Cenat enjoyed a wholesome, mom-approved day with North. It certainly goes against the public criticism North’s dad, Ye, gave to Cenat months back after the streamer expressed his disappointment with the Yeezy sweatpants he received.
“Bro, this sh*t is not fitting me, bro!” Cenat said. “Bro, you supposed to send a extra extra small…. not an extra extra large! The fu*k am I supposed to do with this sh*t?”
After posting the video, Ye responded with a direct message, warningCenat not to “play” with the rap/fashion mogul by making “jokes” about his fashion line.
“Don’t make no jokes about my clothes…When you ain’t saying nothing about what Adidas is doing…When Vultures song came out you ain’t play my verse…You controlled,” Ye wrote on Instagram. “Don’t play with me.”
Several people contacted WRAL in Raleigh after a man named Harlan Frye with a Greensboro address was arrested in Long Beach, California, facing felony charges of “Arranging a Meeting with a Child for Lewd Purposes.” That person was booked on June 9 and released on June 13.
According to records, the agency confirmed Frye, 62, held the position of HR Director from April 2022 up until he was fired on June 10, the day after the man’s arrest. It has not been confirmed if the director was the one arrested.
Long Beach Police responded to a report of a man who arranged to meet a minor at approximately 7:30 p.m. on June 9. Frye assumed he was meeting with a minor, but met a “cyber vigilante,” pretending to be a minor online. Law enforcement was called as soon as the meeting was arranged and Frye was arrested.
Several reports have come in regarding state and federal officials being accused of engaging in lewd actions with a child or trafficking.
According to WSB-TV, in November 2023, a U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) official was named as one of the detainees arrested during a human trafficking operation in Coweta County, Georgia. Stephen Hovanic, who was the Chief of Staff for the DoDEA Americas since 2010, was arrested and faces charges including prostitution, pandering, pimping and drug charges.
DoDEA is one of two federally operated school districts, overseeing education from Pre-K to 12th grade for the Department of Defense. As the agency operates 160 schools in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, Hovanic served schools located in the Americas.
After the arrest, DoDEA released a statement that it was “aware of an alleged incident” and declined to comment further.
Baseball's "Say Hey Kid" was a legend in both the Negro Leagues and MLB.
Willie Mays, arguably the greatest player in baseball history, died June 18. He was 93. The cultural icon, known both literally and figuratively as a Giant, leaves behind an indelible legacy.
“My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones,” said his son, Michael Mays, in a statement released by the San Francisco Giants. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life’s blood.”
Mays began his professional baseball career at age 17 in the Negro Leagues, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons while still in high school. He played with the club on weekends and traveled with the team during school breaks. In 1948, he helped lead his team to the Negro League World Series.
Despite excelling in other sports like football and basketball, Mays’ heart was always with baseball. At age 20, he became the 10th Black player in MLB history when the New York Giants purchased his contract from the Barons in 1950. He spent most of his career with the Giants, both in New York and San Francisco, except for a stint with the New York Mets after being traded for pitcher Charlie Williams and $50,000 in May 1972.
Mays went hitless in his first three major league games, but his first career hit was a home run off Hall of Famer Warren Spahn in 1951, proving his potential.
During the 1954 World Series, Mays solidified his legacy with “The Catch” during the first game, a play now regarded as “one of the most famous plays in baseball history.” Despite some calling it luck, Mays clarified that “it wasn’t no lucky catch.”
Known as the “Say Hey Kid,” Mays ranks sixth all-time in home runs with 660. He was the second player to reach 600 career home runs, a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, a 24-time All-Star, and a 12-time Gold Glove.
After retiring in 1973, Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979. In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded him the Medal of Freedom.
“Willie Mays wasn’t just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, skill, and power,” wrote the former president on X. “He was also a wonderfully warm and generous person – and an inspiration to an entire generation.”
Recently, Major League Baseball began working with the city of Birmingham and the Friends of Rickwood nonprofit group to renovate Rickwood Field, where Mays started his career. At 114 years old, it is the oldest professional ballpark in the nation.
Mays’ death comes just two days before the Giants play the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in a game meant to honor both Mays and the Negro Leagues.
“Thursday’s game at historic Rickwood Field was designed to be a celebration of Willie Mays and his peers,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. “With sadness in our hearts, it will now also serve as a national remembrance of an American who will forever remain on the short list of the most impactful individuals our great game has ever known.”
Throughout his career, Mays wore No. 24, except in 1951 when he wore No. 41. His legacy is still celebrated across the National League, particularly on May 24, recognized as Willie Mays Day in San Francisco.
Goldman Sachs Continues Support Of Black Women As Anti-DEI Efforts Rage On
Goldman intends to expand its One Million Black Women initiative as anti-DEI legislation grows.
Despite anti-DEI efforts spreading throughout Wall Street, Goldman Sachs remains firm in the expansion of its One Million Black Women initiative.
The nonprofit arm of Goldman launched in 2021 as a response to the Black Lives Matter protests sparked a year prior. The Guardian reported that Goldman will invest $10 billion through the decade to champion Black women-focused efforts in addition to “$100 [million] in philanthropic spending to address racial and gender inequality over the course of 10 years.”
One of its endeavors, the Black in Business no-cost education program, is doubling the number of participants. The program focuses on small-scale business owners with no employees as they grow in their entrepreneurial journeys. At the end of the program, over 60% of participants noted an increase in their businesses’ revenue.
Since its establishment, the company has allocated over $2.3 billion toward investments through the initiative. According to the global head of corporate engagement, Asahi Pompey, the work has just begun.
“And we are very focused on achieving the objectives of our program,” she said. “Of course, we do that in operation and in compliance with laws, but our commitment to One Million Black Women is strong.”
Goldman emphasized the additional benefits of supporting Black women and their career ambitions. Pompey noted the demographic’s impact in bettering the economy as well.
“Reducing the earnings gap for Black women has the potential to create 1.2 to 1.7 million jobs in the U.S. and increase annual U.S. GDP by $300 billion to $400 billion,” she explained. “It says when Black women rise, America rises, because she’s creating jobs, she’s increasing revenue, she’s making her community better.”
While Goldman intends to keep its commitment, other corporations are shying away from diversity initiatives. Legal troubles surrounding the explicit upliftment of Black women entrepreneurs through the Fearless Fund have fueled hesitation toward DEI efforts. As court filings threaten the rollout of the grant program, Goldman’s mission remains as crucial as ever.
50 Cent Squashes Beef With Cam’ron, Brings Him Onstage At Las Vegas Show
'We good now, too,' Cam'ron says.
A performance in Las Vegas proves that rivals can become friends. Rapper 50 Cent performed at Drai’s Nightclub and brought out former nemesis Cam’ron as a special guest.
50 Cent allowed the Harlem rapper and current podcaster to do two of his songs while onstage. The Dipset affiliate performed “Touch It or Not” and “I Really Mean It” in front of the surprised crowd.
Cam’ron is now a Vegas resident and tapes his podcast, It Is What It Is, there.
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) June 16, 2024
Cam’ron did discuss the root of the beef that took place many years ago. It apparently started when 50, notorious for his trolling and straight disrespect toward other artists, threw a jab at fellow Dipset member Jim Jones after he signed with the independent label Koch.
50 stated that the label was a “graveyard” for rappers who didn’t have a deal with a major label. Since Jones was part of his crew, Cam felt he was a part of the beef and had to share it with his childhood friend, according to HipHopDX.
“When me and 50 Cent was going on, that sh*”t was fun. Shout out to my n**ga 50, we good now, too. But when 50 dissed me, it started when 50 said Koch [Entertainment] is the graveyard for a lot of rappers.
“At the time, Jim Jones had just gone to Koch, and Jim Jones is Dipset, so we got into a whole argument on the phone. All that sh** to me was just music.
“Even when 50 and me spoke, he was like, ‘Let’s get to this money.’ When we spoke, we laughed about that sh**. At the time, I went at 50 because he had done a diss track. 50 was putting n**gas out of business with his diss songs.”
Angel Reese Only WNBA Rookie Averaging Double-Double Per Game
Angel Reese is proving she belongs in the WNBA.
Angel Reese proved that she was that girl during her days at Louisiana State University and is doing the same as a rookie with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.
With 13 games under her belt as a rookie, Reese is the only athlete from the 2024 WNBA Draft class averaging a double-double. Currently, the Baltimore native is shooting 37.1% from the floor and averaging 12.1 points as well as 10.2 rebounds per game.
While averaging a double-double is not an easy task due to the league’s physical play, Reese has made it look easy, securing double-double performances in her last six games, tying a league record. She’s also averaging 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals a game.
When she decided to enter the 2024 draft, Reese shared her desire to work her way up to the top, and she is doing just that. With a rookie class that features household names like fellow teammate Kamila Cardoso, Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks, Dallas Wings’ Jacy Sheldon, and her rival Caitlin Clark, Reese is emerging as a bonafide star.
“I wanted more for myself. I wanted to start over,” said Reese when asked about why she chose to go to the WNBA versus staying at LSU for another season.
“I feel like I had been at a high since the national championship and I want to hit rock bottom. I want to be a rookie again. I want to be knocked down by vets, and I want to be able to get up and grow and be a sponge.”
Reese may be getting knocked down given her team’s current 4-9 record, but that does not mean she’s the cause of that. Averaging a double-doubles is proof of her value—and what her future holds.
