by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
October 27, 2024
Alabama Pastor Allegedly Shot Dead By Daughter
The daughter's allegedly acted out against other family members as well.
A beloved Mobile, Alabama, pastor was allegedly shot dead by his daughter, WKRG reports.
Pastor Robert Matthews of Joy Tabernacle Full Gospel Church died after Charity Matthews allegedly shot her father on the evening of Oct. 20 at the Matthews’ residence in Mobile.
Matthews’ wife, Twinetta, was injured from gunshot windows and was expected to survive.
Charity Matthews, 36, was arrested at the scene. Her charges include two counts of attempted murder, one count of murder, and one count of reckless endangerment as her two young children were in the household at the time. Charity Matthews’ mental health evaluation will determine if she is eligible for the death penalty.
“We’ve already started the process of having her mentally evaluated to make sure that she is competent to face these charges and then her competency at the time of the offense will be evaluated later,” explained Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood. “Going and doing this to family members and people that she knew. It’s a very terrible thing. We’re going to hold her accountable for that.”
The day prior to reportedly shooting her parents, officials revealed that Charity Matthews shot at her brother’s car. Later that day, she also shot at the father of one of her two children.
She remains detained due to Aniah’s Law, which allows judges to deny bonds for those charged with violent crimes. The law takes its name from Aniah Blanchard, an Alabama co-ed who was kidnapped and killed, allegedly by a man with a violent criminal history.
“When I found out it was the Matthews family there really are no words,” explained close friend Shavon Buchanan to Fox 10. “Something that you would never expect. It’s almost like living in a nightmare only because they are such a good family.”
Buchanan remembered Charity Matthews as a “loving person” who struggled.
If Charity Matthews charges are upgraded to capital murder, she could face the death penalty if found guilty for the killing.
RELATED CONTENT: Pastor Killed After Allowing Parishioner To Live At Church
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
October 27, 2024
Martin Luther King III: Black Men Should Not Be Blamed For Results Of 2024 Presidential Election
His thoughts come as concerns over Black men not voting for Kamala Harris become an issue for the Democratic Party.
Martin Luther King III is urging the public not to blame Black men for what happens in the 2024 presidential election.
The son of the civil rights icon believes the election outcome does not rest on the backs of Black male voters. However, he does believe that many are starting to point fingers at the demographic and will continue to do so if Vice President Kamala Harris loses.
“This election is not going to be won or lost by the number of Black men that support or do not support (Harris), even though it’s going to be probably razor-thin,” King told USA Today. “You can’t go and say, ‘Well, it’s Black men’s fault’…That’s where it seems like it’s trying to go.”
His words come as concerns over Black men voting for Harris becomes an issue for the Democratic Party. According to the New York Times/Siena College October survey, 70 percent of Black men intend to vote Democrat this election. This number is significantly lower than President Joe Biden’s support from the identity group, which was 87% in 2020, per the Pew Research Center.
“To win this election, it takes a coalition of women, of men, of Black men, of white men, of everyone, Latino and Hispanic people, in some cases Native American people,” King said.
Democratic heavyweights such as former President Barack Obama have leaned into the fears of Black men slipping away from the party. During his speech at Harris’ campaign office in Pittsburgh, Obama directed his thoughts to the group. In his criticized message, he suggested that their hesitation stems from issues with a woman as president.
“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses; I’ve got a problem with that,” the former president said. “Because part of it makes me think—and I’m speaking to men directly—part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”
Despite the intensifying backlash toward Black men, King’s wife, Arndrea Waters King, doubts that the efforts of Black men at the polls would garner recognition even if it resulted in a Harris win. “I think that it’s like, as [King III] said, it seems the narrative is more skewed to blaming.”
Furthermore, how the Democratic Party treats Black voters, through policy and outreach, remains a concern for many across the electorate.
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
October 27, 2024
Amber Rose Claims Beyoncé Stole Her Speech For Kamala Harris Rally In Houston
Amber claims Beyoncé's words on motherhood took inspiration from her own speech at the Republican National Convention.
Amber Rose claims that Beyoncé stole her speech while appearing at Kamala Harris’ rally in Houston. The newfound Trump supporter posted a shady comment regarding the singer’s words.
After Beyoncé made headlines for appearing at the Oct. 25 rally, Rose found the “Cuff It” singer’s speech too familiar. MAGA supporter Rose, who spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, suggested that Beyoncé’s talk about motherhood took inspiration from her thoughts. She wrote her hard feelings under the Shade Room’s Instagram post, which the tabloid quickly caught on to.
“She wanna be me so bad. Literally took my whole speech,” commented Rose, referencing her speaking engagement at the Republican National Convention.
While at the rally in her hometown, Beyoncé told the audience how her concerns as a mother pushes her political action. Beyoncé shares three children with her husband and fellow entertainer, Jay-Z.
“I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician…I’m here as a mother,” urged the multi-Grammy winner. “A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. A world where we’re not divided.”
According to Rose, the comparison stems from her reference to motherhood. During her own speech, she also mentioned her children and how she wants a better world for them.
“Most importantly, I’m a mother. My whole world revolves around my children, keeping them safe and giving them an opportunity for a better life. That’s something that unites all American parents,” expressed the 41-year-old.
While the two speeches share the theme of motherhood, the two women’s political views remain starkly different. Beyoncé has consistently supported Harris throughout her campaign, even clearing her song “Freedom” for the vice president’s use. Rose, who formerly spoke out against “slut shaming” and promoted female sexual empowerment on her “The Amber Rose Show,” surprised some with her endorsement of Trump.
RELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé Reportedly Set To Endorse Kamala Harris At Houston Rally Appearance
by Mary Spiller
October 27, 2024
Florida State University NAACP Chapter Calls For Action Against Student Who Called Black Students ‘Chimps’
Student Owen Howard has since apologized for his actions and called it a "joke."
The Florida State University chapter of the NAACP has stepped in and gotten involved in pushing the university to investigate a social media post including hate speech from a student on Oct. 23. The FSU junior and honors student named Owen Howard posted on Snapchat, the “Chimps are going to chimp out” ahead of a photo of a Fraternity and Sorority Life table weekly event where vendors were selling products from student groups, including Black Greek-letter organizations.
The Tallahassee Democrat reports that the NAACP FSU chapter said in an official statement, “This type of rhetoric, disguised as casual language, is profoundly damaging to the well-being of Black students at FSU. It contributes to a hostile environment where students feel unsafe, unwelcome, and devalued.”
In the statement, the NAACP FSU chapter continued to explain how the term “chimp” is offensive when it’s used toward people of color. They explained that there’s a “long history of being used to equate Black people to apes or other primates,” and they linked the word back to being used to justify slavery by defining Black people as inferior to their white counterparts. Florida State University issued a statement addressing the social media post after the NAACP got involved.
The school stressed it doesn’t approve of racism and hate, despite the NAACP claiming that the school hasn’t done enough to address the student who made the offensive post. “It is especially disturbing when students express beliefs that are reprehensible and contrary to the values of our university,” the university responded.
“Together, as members of our campus community, we must recognize that the views of one person do not reflect our collective values, nor do they reflect the values of Florida State University. We must continue to strive for an environment where individuals from all backgrounds are accepted, valued, and respected.” The NAACP called for the FSU to show the commitment they claimed to have by taking action against Owen Howard. They said that they “must protect its Black students and uphold the values of equity and justice.”
Howard has responded to the backlash against his Snapchat post, as well as the screenshots of some previous racist posts he made before his X account was deleted on Oct. 24.
The honors student majoring in computational biology apologized for his behavior online. He said he meant the Snapchat post “as a joke” and added, “I’m sorry y’all didn’t get it.”
“I meant the post as a joke to raise awareness for the decay of society with trashy music and behavior,” Howard stated.
“I posted something there in horrible taste that does not in any way reflect what I believe. I am deeply sorry to all those whom I have hurt, and I wish to learn from this mistake,” he expressed. Despite his apology, students still demand retaliation against Howard in the form of an investigation and disciplinary measures being taken against the student by FSU’s Code of Conduct.
RELATED CONTENT: Ole Miss Chancellor Opens Investigation Into Reported Racist Gestures At Campus Protest
by Daniel Johnson
October 27, 2024
Groundbreaking Study To Examine Structural Racism In America
Researchers at Michigan State University and Rutgers University will lead a nationally funded study that will examine the effects of structural racism on housing, aging, and health.
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at Michigan State University and Rutgers University will lead a nationally funded study that will inspect the effects of structural racism on housing, aging, and health.
According to ABC News, the funding for the project will come from an expected $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging. It will look into the impact of “racist and discriminatory” policies of the past 100 years and their effects on 800 Black and white adults in Baltimore.
As Dick Sadler, a Michigan State University College of Human Medicine associate professor and a researcher on the project, told the outlet, the project differs from past research. According to Sadler, most previous research has had an “almost singular focus” on residential segregation or redlining.
Sadler indicated that the report would examine how redlining, gentrification, predatory lending, urban renewal, freeway construction, and segregation, among other things, have had an impact on the neighborhoods, homes, schools, and stores that Black people have had the most contact with and how those markers have resulted in racial inequality.
Sadler and Danielle Beaty Moody, an associate professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work, indicated in the announcement that a need exists to catalog how Black Americans consistently receive the short end of the stick in American life.
“Collectively, our work seeks to call out and disentangle the vast array of tools used to entrench structural racism in the neighborhood environment –- past, present, and future. One drum we have been beating is that ‘it’s not just redlining, and it’s not just segregation.’ The patterns of racist discriminatory practices in the landscape go far deeper and are more insidious than these singular practices,” the pair stated.
The professors continued, “We need to comprehensively document what the full constellation of tools, tactics, and strategies look like in our urban landscapes to better contextualize why racial inequities emerge and persist across numerous health endpoints, for which all Americans ultimately suffer but for which Black Americans consistently take the largest hits.”
Per the Rutgers University School of Social Health, the individuals participating in the study have been tracked by a larger, ongoing study, Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity, across the lifespan.
The study will access this dataset, allowing for a detailed analysis of “cumulative lifetime exposure to historical, enduring, and contemporary markers of structural racism across Baltimore neighborhoods through the development of lifetime residential histories and contemporary activity spaces.”
According to a 2022 study examining the structural racism in historical and modern United States healthcare policy, “Lack of equitable access to high-quality healthcare is in large part a result of structural racism in U.S. healthcare policy, which structures the healthcare system to advantage the white population and (to) disadvantage racial and ethnic minority populations.”
The study continued, “Although there are other aspects of U.S. healthcare policy that contribute to an inequitable system of care, in this article we provide a comprehensive review of how structural racism, embedded in healthcare policy, results in inequitable access to high-quality care. We first examine how racism shaped early policy decisions that allowed local governments and private employers to provide inequitable access to healthcare and health insurance. We then discuss structural racism’s continued impact on modern healthcare policy in the areas of healthcare coverage, finance, and quality.”
RELATED CONTENT: Justice Department, North Carolina Reach $13.5M Settlement With Bank Over Redlining Claims
by Mary Spiller
October 27, 2024
Shark Tank’s Daymond John Launches $100K Grant Program To Empower Black Entrepreneurs
Grant awardees will be announced at this year's Black Entrepreneurs Day.
Shark Tank investor Daymond John is leading the fifth annual Black Entrepreneurs Day this year and has committed to supporting small businesses with $100,000 in grants.
John first began running Black Entrepreneurs Day at the height of the racial justice movement following George Floyd’s death. This year, the grants will be awarded to Black-owned businesses, and they will not require any sacrifice in equity. Inc. reports that the grants will focus on giving financial support with “no strings attached. “
The application for the grants will be open through Nov. 1, and John opened up to Inc. about what they’re looking for in an ideal applicant. He specified that the biggest thing they’re looking for is someone who has a clear vision of what they want.
“If you can articulate that vision,” he told the outlet, “whom you’re solving a problem for, why you’re the one to solve the problem, and why you, if you get these funds, they will be put to good use and help you, I think that’s all you need.”
Black Entrepreneurs Day will be held on Nov. 22 in Atlanta at the Fox Theater. The event, a celebration of Black businesses, will be free. Big names are expected to make an appearance, such as Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, media personality Charlamagne tha God, and rappers Flavor Flav and 2Chainz.
John explained, “We don’t come from legacy wealth. We’re not getting as much education as I think we need … We pay more interest on various things. We are always the last to hire and the first to fire. I think it puts us behind, in a very bad position—and being an entrepreneur is hard enough as it is.”
He continued, “With social media and technology, things are getting democratized. There is information out there on what works and what doesn’t work. … You add that with funding, with inspiration, [and] I think we have a better shot now than ever before.”
The Shark Tank investor started working to shift the public business mentality “from watching communities ‘burn businesses’ to empowering them to build.”
John spent some time giving praise to the organizations and businesses that support their cause.
John said, “A lot of the large corporations and organizations that felt that it was the thing to do back then no longer believe it’s the thing to do now. And I’m not slighting them for it. I love to talk about the organizations that are supporting us, that feel that it still is a very positive thing to do, and well-needed, even when the spotlight is down.”
RELATED CONTENT: Daymond John Reveals His Biggest Financial Mistake
by Daniel Johnson
October 27, 2024
Project 2025 Expected To Upend The Lives Of Black People
Project 2025 is predicted to have an outsized impact on Black Americans, found an analysis from the Legal Defense Fund
Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s handbook that Republican Party candidate Donald Trump is expected to implement if elected, is predicted to have an outsized impact on Black Americans per legal analysis from the Legal Defense Fund.
As Karla McKanders, the director of the Legal Defense Fund’s Thurgood Marshall Institute, told The Guardian, the report was produced because the LDF wanted to bring attention to the “larger impact that Project 2025 will have on our democracy and undermining our democracy.”
McKanders continued, “The most important part of the report is how Project 2025 will have an impact on individual lives and how those individual lives will be upended through the policy proposals. We look at the proposals for dismantling the Department of Education, [which] might be an abstract concept that people hear, but we bring it to a more concrete level in terms of how it will impact individual lives.”
McKanders added, “If we look at pre-K, Project 2025 proposes to dismantle the Head Start program for pre-K. In the report, we have statistics that show that 28% of the enrollees in Head Start are Black children. While it will undermine education efforts for all children, in particular, it will disproportionately impact and widen achievement gaps for Black and Latinx students.”
According to LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson, “Our democracy stands at a crossroads: a path of infinite promise towards a more inclusive, equitable, and durable democracy on the one hand, and one of immeasurable and, potentially, irretrievable demise on the other. The assault on Black communities envisioned by Project 2025 will almost certainly condemn us to demise.”
According to the report, Project 2025 is considered a threat to Black communities across multiple areas. It presents risks to civil rights protections and equal opportunity, Black students and their rights to a safe, inclusive, and quality education, voting rights, democracy and Black political power, public safety, equal access to housing, healthcare, and access to safe climates.
RELATED CONTENT: Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley On the ‘Stop Project 2025’ Task Force and the Danger of a Trump Presidency
by Daniel Johnson
October 26, 2024
Washington Post, LA Times Kill Endorsements Of Kamala Harris, Stoking Staff Resignations
Their decisions rankled not only the public, but their own employees.
In recent developments, billionaire media owners Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong reportedly halted planned endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris at their respective newspapers, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.
Their decisions rankled not only the public but their own employees.
According to The Washington Post, Robert Kagan, a longtime columnist and editor-at-large of the paper’s opinion department, resigned in protest, and 11 other columnists wrote a letter critical of the paper’s decision.
Meanwhile, the Post’s publisher and CEO, William Lewis, said in his column published on Oct. 25 that the choice not to endorse Harris is a return to the paper’s roots of not endorsing a particular candidate.
“We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility,” Lewis wrote. “That is inevitable. We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for.”
Indeed, according to Jarvis DeBerry, the Opinion Editor at MSNBC, the choices made by Lewis, Bezos, and Soon-Shiong stand as “an argument against billionaires buying newspapers.”
Like Kagan at the Post, Mariel Garza, the editorials editor at The Los Angeles Times, resigned in protest. Garza later told the Colombia Journalism Review, “I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silenced. In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up.”
In addition to Garza, two more opinion editors at The LA Times resigned over the decision to kill Harris’s endorsement.
Marty Baron, a former executive editor at The Washington Post, issued a scathing response to Lewis’ statement on Twitter. “This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty,” Baron wrote.
Baron indicated that Trump “will see this as an invitation to further intimidate” Bezos and characterized the choice to pull the endorsement as “Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”
DeBerry closed his commentary by indicting the ultra-wealthy owners of both papers.
“Yes, there may have been hell to pay if the paper had endorsed Harris and Trump won and then turned against the press as he has promised to do,” DeBerry wrote.
He continued, “But hell will be visited on more vulnerable people to a much greater degree. It is unforgivable that the ultra-wealthy who have purchased these huge and influential platforms appear to be more concerned with their own interests than the interests of the readers they serve.”
In addition to Baron, the Washington Post Guild, the union representing Post journalists, issued a press release concerning Lewis’ comments.
“We are deeply concerned that The Washington Post—an American news institution in the nation’s capital—would make the decision to no longer endorse presidential candidates, especially a mere 11 days ahead of an immensely consequential election. The role of an Editorial Board is to do just this: to share opinions on the news impacting our society and culture and endorse candidates to help guide readers,” the guild wrote.
“The message from our chief executive, Will Lewis, not from the Editorial Board itself — makes us concerned that management interfered with the work of our members in Editorial. According to our own reporters and Guild members, an endorsement for Harris was already drafted, and the decision to not to publish was made by The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos. We are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers. This decision undercuts the work of our members at a time when we should be building our readers’ trust, not losing it.”
RELATED CONTENT: Layoffs At Los Angeles Times Spark Industry Alarm: Journalism In Crisis
by Mary Spiller
October 26, 2024
X’s ‘Black Insurrectionist’ Actually A White Man From Upstate New York, Report
The Black Insurrectionist's i a white man whose real name is Jason Palmer, according to an Associated Press investigation.
An investigation by the Associated Press has revealed that the individual behind the “Black Insurrectionist” account on X—which has been spreading baseless conspiracy theories targeting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ahead of the November election—is Jason Palmer, a white man from upstate New York with a long history of fraud.
The “Black Insurrectionist” account has a profile picture of a Black army soldier, and the tagline reads, “I FOLLOW BACK TRUE PATRIOTS.” Before the account was deleted last week, it had over 300,000 followers -— built from making shocking and disparaging allegations about Harris and Walz. Some accusations were even endorsed by Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Just last month, the account posted a document claiming Harris was given the questions ahead of her ABC-hosted debate against Donald Trump. ABC News employees condemned the claims as false, but Trump stated of the Black Insurrectionist, “I love the person,” AP reported.
The Associated Press used public records to identify the owner of the “Black Insurrectionist” X account as Jason G. Palmer, a white man from upstate New York. Interviews with people who know Palmer revealed a history of fraud accusations involving business partners, struggles with drug addiction, and nearly $7 million in unpaid taxes. According to Kathleen Albano, widow of one of Palmer’s former business partners, the 53-year-old man behind the account is “far from African American.”
She continued to tell AP, “He owes me a ton of money. He has a way of roping people in. I always had his number. I knew exactly who he was. But unfortunately, my husband got caught up in a lot of those dealings.”
A Wells Fargo attorney named Maureen Bass stated that she is not surprised that Palmer would run an account like the Black Insurrectionist. When her client was engaged in a foreclosure case against Palmer, she recalled that he once emailed her law firm what she describes as a “rambling” manifesto. In it, he claimed that government officials were conspiring against him, that he had been a victim of the “Axis of Evil,” and that politicians had taken his assets.
So this [X account] doesn’t surprise me,” Bass said. When the Associated Press reached out to Palmer about his account, Palmer initially said he was involved with running it but did not create it. He continued to claim that he later sold the account in May.
Palmer wrote in an email to AP, “I do not know what is going on with this account.” However, later, he stated that he was involved in making the posts about Tim Walz, which contradicted his previous statement.
Ultimately, he claimed that his Black friend mostly ran the account.
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