The LEAD Center for Youth

The LEAD Center For Youth Aims To Combat Crime, Poverty, And Racism While Empowering Atlanta’s Underserved Youth

The LEAD Center for Youth uses sports to combat crime, poverty, and racism while empowering underserved Atlanta kids with essential life skills.


An Atlanta staple has provided underserved youth with opportunities to thrive and shine through sports for 17 years. Those founding principles continue to empower young people through play while helping them gain necessary life skills.

The LEAD Center for Youth participants walk away with life skills like showing up for school, one another, and, most importantly, how to show up for themselves. Thousands of children have benefited from the program for nearly two decades, Atlanta News First reports.

“We use the sport of baseball for boys and tennis for girls to help them overcome crime, poverty, and racism,” CJ Stewart, founder of the LEAD Center for Youth, told the outlet.

For Stewart, baseball became an outlet for him, allowing him to build a life despite some of his struggles growing up. Ultimately, he would go on to play professionally. Today, he’s providing children who look like him in the community with the resources to have the same opportunities.

“Everybody experiences stress. When that stress is not buffered, it becomes trauma. It changes the way you think,” said Stewart. “It changes the way you act. To be able to have access to healthy buffers, that is expensive.”

He added, “Sports are a proven antidote to relieving stress. A lot of the kids we are serving live in communities where that is not feasible.”

The LEAD Center works alongside students in the Atlanta Public School System living at or below the poverty line. Children in the program must maintain good behavior, grades, and attendance to stay in. The organization also provides transportation so students can get to and from practice. In addition to sports training, the LEAD Center offers mentoring and academic support.

The commitment of the LEAD Center to the youth of Atlanta is evident in its long-term impact. Many alumni of the program have gone on to achieve personal and professional success, and attribute their growth to the skills and support they received there.

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Mike Tomlin, coach, Pittsburgh, steelers, Lombardi trophy, youngest coach

Mike Tomlin Signs 3-Year Contract Extension With Pittsburgh Steelers

'I am appreciative for this contract extension and thankful for Art Rooney II for his support during my first 17 years in Pittsburgh.'


Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin marked 17 straight years with a non-losing season since starting his coaching career. Now, he is able to extend that streak after the team gave him a three-year contract extension.

The NFL team announced that Tomlin’s leadership will continue through at least the 2027 season.

“I am appreciative for this contract extension and thankful for Art Rooney II for his support during my first 17 years in Pittsburgh,” said Tomlin in a written statement. “We are continuing to work diligently to get back to where we belong—sustained playoff success with the ultimate goal of winning the franchise’s seventh Lombardi Trophy.

“I am very excited to get the 2024 season underway and provide our fans with a memorable year.”

Tomlin has the distinction of being the league’s longest-tenured head coach.

The Steelers coach is heading into his 18th season and has never had a losing season. In December 2023, he became the only head coach in NFL history to start a head coaching career with at least 17 consecutive non-losing seasons. Although he is the first to achieve this feat, he needs two more non-losing seasons to match former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who has 19 non-losing seasons. If he matches that, two additional seasons after having a record of .500 or better will tie him with Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys), who had 21.

“Mike Tomlin’s leadership and commitment to the Steelers have been pivotal to our success during his first 17 years as head coach,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “Extending his contract for three more years reflects our confidence in his ability to guide the team back to winning playoff games and championships while continuing our tradition of success.”

As the Steelers head coach, Tomlin has led the team to seven AFC North titles, 11 playoff berths, and two Super Bowl (XLIII and XLV) appearances. The team won Super Bowl XLIII when it beat the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23. Tomlin has a 173-100-2 (.633) regular season record.

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Jay-Z, lawsuit, dropped

Jay-Z School Voucher Campaign Criticized For Allegedly Taking Money Away From Public Schools

Jay-Z is under fire for his newly proposed program aimed at getting underprivileged youth in Philadelphia into private schools.


Jay-Z is under fire for his newly proposed program to help underprivileged youth in Philadelphia secure scholarships to private schools.

Last week, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation unveiled the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS), a new educational campaign that would allocate $300 million in private school scholarships to K-12 students from low-income households. However, no sooner than the campaign was announced did Jay-Z face backlash from critics who accused the hip-hop mogul of pushing a Republican-backed Senate bill that would take tax dollars away from underperforming public schools and give them to private schools, HuffPost reports.

While initial reports claimed the $300 million in scholarships would be funded by Roc Nation, it would be backed by taxpayer dollars as part of Senate Bill 757 or PASS. As part of the campaign, Roc Nation is hosting a series of events across the greater Philadelphia region from June 10-21 to educate the public about PASS, which Republican-led legislation claims is “aimed at increasing education opportunities for underprivileged youth attending the state’s lowest-performing public schools.”

As a result, critics are speaking out against the campaign, complaining about where the funding would come from and how it will hurt thousands of students in public schools.

“This ain’t it. The answer to the inequity plaguing our PA public schools is not a celebrity campaign for a GOP proposal to take public dollars to send a few “lucky” kids to private schools,” Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee tweeted in response. “The answer is to make sure our public schools are actually properly funded.”

“I don’t think people realize that private schools aren’t inherently better,” another critic added. “Also how this further hurts those underprivileged schools because they’re getting funding relative to attendance smh. Not all help is good help.”

The American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania also shared their take by posting a photo of Jay-Z and billionaire Jeffrey Yass, the richest man in Pennsylvania, who’s known for donating millions to Republicans and conservative-led causes.

“Here’s a still of @sc and Jeffrey Yass, PA’s richest man, potential Trump Treasury Secretary, and the force behind the voucher push in PA,” they wrote.

The PASS program claims it won’t take money from public schools but would allocate “government funds from a separate line item,” the website states. However, critics say otherwise, as public school funding is based on the number of students in attendance.

Meanwhile, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez says the company “is not backing any particular bill or any political party. What we are backing is education.”

“We’re not forcing people to sign anything. We’re just educating them, which I would think everyone wants people to make informed decisions,” Perez said.

“We care about our people,” she explained. “We care about the children. And the only thing that I don’t see anywhere is anyone talking about the kids. People are talking about the public school system and how important it is, which I agree. I hear all about the budget, government, parties, and bills, but no one’s talking about the children.”

A 2023 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment found that almost 75% of eighth-grade students are at grade level in mathematics, and 34% of third through eighth graders were proficient or higher in English scores. As a result, Perez says Roc Nation’s goal is to focus on the students’ needs.

“The kids in these zip codes are suffering right now,” she said. “If you have a better solution, aside from making [students] wait until the public school system can get it together with the funding they are receiving, I am all ears.”

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Brittany Chrishawn

Brittany Chrishawn Moore Documentary ‘Unbroken Smile’ To Detail Physical Encounter With Police That Left Her Teeth Broken

The documentary will feature special appearances from rapper T.I., Florida Rep. Angela Nixon, and music executive Jason Flom.


Activist Brittany Chrishawn Moore is bringing her harrowing story to the screen in a gripping new documentary, Unbroken Smile.

The expository film will lay bare Moore’s struggle for justice after she was subjected to a horrific encounter with law enforcement officers who broke her teeth and allegedly attempted to frame her. The documentary interweaves footage from the production of Moore’s previous film “Illville,” with raw bodycam footage capturing the real-life incident involving the police. Woven throughout are interviews, news broadcasts, courtroom audio, visuals from protest actions, and intimate home videos, including art therapy sessions with Moore herself.

To bring this project across the finish line, Moore has initiated a Kickstarter campaign. According to its campaign page, Unbroken Smile will not only shine a light on Moore’s experience but will serve as an educational resource for the public on navigating a justice system rife with inequities. As the courageous woman whose actions led to the exposure of sexual misconduct by police officers, including the arrest of one cop for soliciting minors, Moore aims to provide guidance to others facing comparable miscarriages of justice, such as how to properly obtain bodycam footage.

The documentary promises an unflinching portrayal of the May 2020 incident that nearly saw Moore imprisoned for up to 10 years on a trumped-up felony charge of battery against an officer. Despite suffering permanent nerve damage from the violent arrest, her perseverance paid off as footage circulated showing the egregious abuses she endured after simply asking an officer to leave her property.

“This documentary…tells the story of a young woman who defeated the corrupt cops that broke her teeth and tried to frame her,” the Kickstarter campaign states. “Her fight for justice uncovered dirty police secrets, and one of the cops was later arrested for sexually soliciting children online. This is the “Brittany Chrishawn Story.”

Offering perspective alongside Moore’s first-hand account will be an array of prominent voices, including rapper T.I., Florida Rep. Angela Nixon, and music executive Jason Flom.

With principal filming complete, the Kickstarter funds will enable the crucial post-production work of editing and finalizing “Unbroken Smile.”

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Black Americans, Government Institutions, Distrust

New Pew Study Explores Why Black Americans Distrust Government Institutions

A Pew Research Center study reveals deep-seated mistrust among Black Americans towards U.S. institutions, citing historical racism and discrimination as key factors.


Why do some Black Americans seemingly mistrust the government so much? A new study conducted by the Pew Research Center takes a deep dive into why Black people view various U.S. institutions such as policing, media, and the political system as forces working against them.

The research surveyed 4,736 Black, multiracial Black and non-Hispanic, and Black and Hispanic respondents from across the country last September. It also honed in on the community’s take on conspiracy theories and what their ideas of success and failure look like compared to their white counterparts, AP News reports.

According to the study, conspiracy theories are defined as “ideas that Black Americans might have about the ‘actions of U.S. institutions’ that aren’t necessarily the stated goals of the institution.” Moreover, the study believes that these claims by Black Americans are a result of the documented record of racist policies that largely affect Black communities in this nation.

Pew researchers also studied conspiratorial beliefs about how pivotal institutions discriminate against Black Americans, as well as focusing on their support of generational concepts like “you have to work twice as hard” to advance in comparison to white Americans.

“There are anecdotal conversations among Black people about the system, the Man, the invisible hand, the agenda that is set out to create a situation where Black people can’t advance,” said senior Pew researcher and study author Kiana Cox. “So, we wanted to explore that,” Cox said. “We also wanted to figure out how many Black people are familiar with these narratives about the system being designed for their failure and how many Black people believe them.”

Particularly, the study found that more than 8 in 10 Black Americans in the survey support the statement that “Black people are more likely to be incarcerated because prisons want to make money on the backs of Black people.” In another group surveyed, more than 6 in 10 Black adults agree that institutions like policing, the criminal justice system, and America’s economic system are designed to hold Black people back.

While the research focused on conspiracy theories, sadly, the reality of some of the beliefs rings true in America. In 2022, Black people made up 32% of sentenced state and federal prisoners despite only making up just 12% of the overall U.S. population. In contrast, white people were underrepresented at 31%, and Hispanics represent 23% of that population, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

“When you have a history of American institutions actually conspiring against Black people, it’s not so hard to believe that anything else would also be true,” said Tasha Philpot, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at Austin, who studies political psychology among Black Americans.

She added, “Especially in the last few years where race has been pretty salient, it doesn’t surprise me that people would say they are experiencing racial discrimination.”

Among the Black adults who reported having experienced discrimination in America, three-quarters said it made them “feel as though the system as a whole was designed to keep them down.” The emotions of those Black Americans who have experienced discrimination vary, with 76% feeling angry overall, 53% reporting feelings of worry around their safety, and 41% revealing feelings of depression.

Philpot used the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and the exclusion of Black Americans in New Deal policies that benefited white Americans as documented examples of why Black Americans believe in certain racial conspiracy theories about politics. She also said, “It’s not really a conspiracy theory if it’s true.”

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Young Thug's Attorney, Jail

Judge Throws Young Thug’s Attorney In Jail For Contempt Of Court

Brian Steel revealed he found out about a conversation between Judge Glanville, prosecutors, and one of the witnesses who was allegedly told if he did not cooperate, he could be jailed for up to two years.


The Young Thug RICO trial took an unexpected turn on June 10 when the judge threw the recording artist’s attorney in jail on contempt charges.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Judge Ural Glanville ordered Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel to be thrown in jail after a confrontation in court. Steel found out about a conversation between the judge, prosecutors, and one of the witnesses who is testifying where the witness was allegedly told that if he did not cooperate, he could be jailed for up to two years.

Glanville told Steel that he had been given information he should not have been privy to and wanted to know how he discovered what was said.

“You got some information you shouldn’t have gotten,” Glanville said from the bench.

Steel admonished the judge because the defense attorney wasn’t included in the conversation.

“You’re not supposed to have communication with a witness who’s been sworn,” Steel told Glanville.

The reluctant witness, Kenneth Copeland, refused to answer questions at trial last week and spent the weekend in jail after not giving testimony on June 7. He was previously given immunity based on the testimony he was going to give. After spending the weekend in jail, he was brought to the witness stand on June 10.

“How about the witness? How about Mr. Copeland, who supposedly announced that he’s not testifying and he’ll sit for two years and, supposedly this honorable court, or let me rephrase that, this court, said I can hold you until the end of this trial,” Steel stated at trial. He then said he had heard that one of the prosecutors, Simone Hylton, told Copeland that he could be imprisoned until all 26 defendants have been placed on trial.

“If that’s true, what this is is coercion, witness intimidation, and ex parte communications that we have a constitutional right to be present for,” Steel told Glanville.

During a contentious exchange, Glanville demanded Steel reveal how he found out about the discussion. Steel expressed that he should have been present for the conversation, but refused to tell the judge how he found out about what took place. After going back and forth, the judge threatened to throw him in jail for contempt. Steel did not back down and was arrested and taken from court.

Glanville sentenced the attorney to 20 days in jail, and he is slated to spend the next 10 weekends at the Fulton County Jail. Since Steel will be in jail, he requested to spend that time with Young Thug so they can work on the case together. The judge granted Steel that request.

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Brittney Griner, Cherelle Griner, maternity, hotshot, shirtless, topless, pregnant, WNBA, player

Brittney Griner Goes Topless For Maternity Photoshoot With Wife

Brittney Griner opted for a shirtless look for the maternity shoot she and her wife shared on social media.


Brittney Griner opted for a shirtless look for the maternity shoot she and her wife shared on social media.

The WNBA star, who’s set to compete in the Paris Olympics as part of Team USA, posed alongside her attorney wife Cherelle Griner for their maternity photoshoot shared on Instagram Monday, June 10.

“THREE … 🫶🏽,” Cherelle captioned the photo.

Cherelle smiled in a nude bra and panty set paired with a matching tulle robe. Brittney held her wife’s growing baby bump while allowing the camera to get a shot of her back tattoos. The pro athlete wore denim jeans and Calvin Klein underwear.

The photo was the third of a series of photos the happily married couple shared on Instagram from their maternity shoot. Using the captions “one,” two,” and “three,” Cherelle debuted three photos with two showing her wearing a white gown and Brittney wearing a white t-shirt with maroon pants.

In April, Cherelle and Brittney announced their pregnancy three months ahead of their expected due date.

“Can’t believe we’re less than three months away from meeting our favorite human being,” they captioned an image of a sonogram. In May, they followed up with an inside look into their baby shower where they revealed they were having a boy they plan to name Bash, CBS News reports.

It’ll be a busy summer for Brittney, particularly an eventful July as she welcomes her first child and embarks on Paris, France to compete for her country in the 2024 Olympics. Her Olympic run comes a year and a half after she was released from Russian custody in a prisoner exchange.

The U.S. agreed to swap the WNBA star for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Brittney spent most of 2022 in Russian prison after she was arrested following a search of her luggage at a Moscow Airport where authorities found vape cartridges.

Brittney pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison. After 10 months of being detained, Brittney was released in December 2022.

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Manipulated News, New York Times, open AI, lawsuit, claims, information, articles, fair use, content

Fake News! New Poll Reveals Concerns About Manipulated News And Information

In May, Wired announced that it would be tracking the rise of artificial intelligence in elections worldwide and they cautioned that the propensity of tech platforms, like Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.


According to a poll from a media watchdog organization, 79% of Americans are concerned that news they read online contains manipulated or fake information designed to confuse people. In addition to this, 76% of people surveyed expressed concern that they are being fed news about the November presidential election that cannot be trusted. 

As the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, a survey from Free Press, in conjunction with efforts from the African American Research Collaborative and BSP Research, polled 3,000 Americans concerning their confidence in news gathered from online sources. According to the polling data, most Americans, but especially Black Americans, get their news from Facebook and YouTube, two sources that do not necessarily vet information before it is posted on their sites. 

According to Marc Temple, the executive director of the Philadelphia chapter of Concerned Black Men, a mentorship non-profit focused on Black youth, Black people need to be vigilant about potentially spreading fake news. “Folks are using social media as research, but they’re not then going on to research the research,” Temple said. “And now, with artificial intelligence out there with all that false information, you can get egg on your face if you only read Facebook and don’t do your homework.”

Likewise, Timothy Welbeck, the director of Temple University’s Center for Anti-Racism and a professor of African American Studies, told the outlet that Facebook is a popular platform for Black people because it encourages the building of community bonds. “People who are marginalized in everyday life find like-minded communities on social media. Black people understand that disinformation is a tool to disrupt social progress,” Welbeck added. “It’s been used against them to disrupt access to voting or to encourage apathy about voting.”

As BLACK ENTERPRISE reported in March, Trump supporters used artificial intelligence to fake photos of the former President with groups of Black people. These photos were disseminated online and managed to convince some Black people that Black support for the now-felon was increasing. 

In May, Wired announced that it would be tracking the rise of artificial intelligence in elections worldwide, and they cautioned that the propensity of tech platforms, like Facebook, Twitter/X, and YouTube to disseminate misinformation and disinformation, scams, and hateful content made them a veritable breeding ground for the amplification of those issues. 

According to their tracker, In the United States, in addition to the fake photos of Black Americans generated by AI, there have been several other instances of artificial intelligence in the political sphere: A fake robocall featuring the voice of President Joe Biden encouraging voters to stay at home, a deep fake pornographic video of New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, AI-generated pictures of President Joe Biden in army fatigues, a deep fake video featuring Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, a deep fake video of Joe Biden saying that Russia has occupied Kyiv for a decade, and a Democratic candidate for Congress using AI in political advertising campaigns. 

Wired reporter Vittoria Elliott, who pitched the AI in elections project, described her concerns about artificial intelligence in the 2024 election on an episode of Wired Politics Lab, “Social media companies have been struggling for years with how to deal with the sticky issues of elections and politics, particularly around mis- and disinformation. Now, we’re adding a new layer on top of that, which is generative AI. It’s really tough right now because deepfakes, video fakes, things like that are really obvious sometimes. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. That’s just the stuff that is all more evident to us.”

Elliott continued, “Well, more legitimate companies like Midjourney and ChatGPT, OpenAI, Google, et cetera, they’ve said, ‘We’re going to put guardrails on. We’re not going to allow generating political images.’ ChatGPT, which is text-based, they’ve said, ‘It’s not cool to use our tool to generate political stuff for campaigns,’ or whatever, ‘You can’t run a chatbot on top of our interface,’ basically. But they’re not doing great at enforcing it.”

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Princess Tiana, Bayou Adventure, Disney

New ‘Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’ Ride Officially Replaces Disney’s Splash Mountain; Opening This Month

Disney invites guests at Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California to explore New Orleans with Princess Tiana.


Prepare to embark on an enchanting new adventure as Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California unveil their highly anticipated attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, on June 28.

This innovative ride replaces the former Splash Mountain, based on a movie containing racist undertones, and introduces Tiana, Disney’s first Black princess, as the star. ABC News reported that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure seamlessly blends the beloved log-flume ride experience of Splash Mountain with an updated storyline from the 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog.” Guests can expect to be transported to the vibrant 1920s New Orleans, immersed in captivating music, breathtaking scenery, and lifelike animatronic characters inspired by the film. By refurbishing the existing ride structure, Disney has adeptly severed the connection to the controversial “Song of the South” while preserving the essence of the beloved attraction.

The Imagineers, the creative minds behind Disney’s rides, are committed to ensuring their attractions resonate with diverse audiences. “We never want to perpetuate stereotypes or misconceptions,” affirmed Carmen Smith, a senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering’s creative development team. “Our intention is to tell great stories.”

Charita Carter, an executive creative producer assigned to oversee the attraction’s development, echoed this sentiment, stating, “Society does change, and we develop different sensibilities…We focus our stories differently depending on what our society needs.”

As previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Disney’s initial decision to reimagine Splash Mountain as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was announced in 2020 following widespread criticism and a petition signed by over 20,000 individuals, calling for the company to address the ride’s outdated and offensive themes. The team conducted extensive research trips to New Orleans to authentically capture the city’s essence.

Disney Parks invites guests to “join Princess Tiana and jazz-loving alligator Louis on their journey through a shimmering bayou as they prepare for a spirited celebration during Mardi Gras season.” Check out the full POV of the ride from the Disney Parks YouTube channel.

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watermelon and redbirds, Juneteenth, cooking, Nicole Taylor

‘Watermelon And Red Birds’: A Juneteenth Guide To Cooking And Culture

James Beard Award-nominated writer and producer Nicole A. Taylor finally brings her vision for a Juneteenth-inspired cookbook to life.


Originally Published June 2, 2022.

James Beard Award-nominated writer and producer Nicole A. Taylor finally brings her vision for a Juneteenth-inspired cookbook to life.

Taylor had plans to write the book for years. But, after the killing of George Floyd ignited racial and political unrest. Taylor knew it was time to make the book a reality.

Her new book, Watermelon & Red Birds, was published just in time for the Juneteenth holiday. This year’s celebration marks one year since the day became an official national holiday.

Now that the country is on board with recognizing the day formerly enslaved people learned of their freedom, Taylor is helping to guide readers into the significance of the holiday and culture with the addition of delicious recipes.

“The word celebration doesn’t mean “every day,” so I wanted to make sure that readers have this canon of celebration food that the African American community will always have at the table,” Taylor told Civil Eats.

The book’s title nods to the native African fruit that became a signature in American culture while paying homage to Black and Indigenous proverbs associating red birds with ancestral guidance. It is divided into multiple parts, including a list of kitchen essentials featuring a collection of BIPOC-owned brands and drink and food recipes to get groups through the summer.

Taylor also included an “Everyday Juneteenth” section where she shares dishes and drinks celebrating Black American culinary history.

“We are not a monolith. And I think I wanted to say that in the book,” Taylor said. “I wanted the recipes to say everyone does not have fried chicken at every single celebration.”

“Yes, that is a part of our tradition, but there’s always this person who’s gonna do their potato salad just a little different, and people still love it.”

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