LeVar Burton, Missy Elliott, Spike Lee, And Queen Latifah Receive National Honors
Black Excellence was on full display at the White House.
The National Endowment for Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts celebrated their 2022 and 2023 honorees, including LeVar Burton, Queen Latifah, and Spike Lee, at a White House ceremony on Oct. 22.
Burton, consistent advocate of literacy for 40 years, is known for hosting the classic children’s TV Show, Reading Rainbow.
“I like to say, ‘If you can read in at least one language, you are free.’ Frederick Douglass said that, and I believe him and agree with him,” Burton told U.S News and World Report in 2023. “Because if you can read in at least one language, you can self-educate. As we used to say on “Reading Rainbow,” “You can pick up a book and take a look.” No one can hold sway over your heart or your mind because you have the wherewithal to discover and discern the truth for yourself. That’s freedom.”
Elliott, a multi-hyphenate talent, has done the work to receive such a National Medal of Arts. She is the first woman rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL! Crying Tears of JOY! Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER I kept going..I’m SO THANKFUL,” she tweeted.
The Black Excellence did not stop with Elliott. Queen Latifah currently stars in and executive produces TheEqualizer. The Emmy and Grammy winner was also nominated for an Oscar for her work in 2002’s Chicago.
Rounding out the list is director and screenwriter Lee, a film legend thanks to such classics as Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and Black KkKlansman. He has also amassed critical acclaim for his documentaries, receiving two Emmys for his work on Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, and the Peabody Award for A Huey P. Newton Story.
The quartet’s decades-long commitment to creating work that enriches humanity is impressive and should be celebrated.
Spike Lee, Sherrilyn Ifill, And Xernona Clayton Drop Gems As They Accept The National Civil Rights Freedom Award
The National Civil Rights Museum rolled out the red carpet for the 33rd Annual Freedom Awards at downtown Memphis’ on Oct. 17. The evening runneth over with Black pride, Black joy, and most notably, Black excellence, particularly as the tribute relates to its host, the incomparable MC Lyte, Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson, its 2024 honorees: Xernona Clayton, Sherrilyn Ifill, and Spike Lee, and entertainment: Debra Cox, Brothers And Sisters dance troupe, and Gary Goin, and the Freedom Award house band.
This elite bunch understands that freedom comes at a cost, and it is their actions—in service of civil rights—that warrant such a prestigious honor. They stand on the shoulders and principles of our greatest freedom fighters, who paid with their lives for the freedom and equity of mankind—Dr. Martin Luther King, El Hajj Malik (Malcolm X), Medgar Evers, James Chaney from Meridian, Mississippi, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and Fred Hampton among them.
“Each year, the National Civil Rights Museum pays tribute to individuals whose tenacity, determination, and tireless efforts have contributed significantly to civil and human rights, Dr. Russ Wiggington, president of the National Civil Rights Museum, said when he announced the honorees.
“These are change makers who have made a tremendous difference in the lives of many. These champions of freedom have been tested through trials and tragedies but remain invested in lighting the way for those who struggle.”
MC Lyte opened the award ceremony at the Orpheum Theater with a surprise performance of “Cha-Cha-Cha,” with audience members dancing in their seats and mouthing the lyrics to her chart-topping 1980s hit.
Courtesy of the National Civil Rights Museum/Brandon Dill
Clayton, 94, was honored for her civil rights work alongside Coretta Scott and Dr. Martin Luther King, her career in broadcasting, the desegregation of Atlanta hospitals, and the establishment of the Trumpet Awards that also honors Black American accomplishments. Clayton shared that her civil rights movement began when as a teenager, she entered a burger restaurant, where white racists called her a “nigger” and threatened her with a knife because she “did not belong.”
“It still bothers me after all these years I’ve been living,” the nonagenarian said after accepting her award.
“I could brood for years to come, but nothing would change. I realized that I had to be the one to make a change.”
Courtesy of the National Civil Rights Museum/Brandon Dill
Sherrilyn Ifill, too, shared that civil rights work was something she wanted to do as a youth and that it is a “dream come true” to do. The President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund spoke the names of those whose inspiration and shoulders she stands on. Ifill mentioned the work of Thurgood Marshall and Charles Hamilton Houston, Pauli Murray, and Constance Baker Motley, stating that these early activists and advocates were “building a world that they had never seen”:
“Their parents had lived through Jim Crow, their grandparents, many of them had been enslaved people, and yet out of their democratic imagination, they believed that we could create a country that stood true to the words of the 14th amendment.”
Ifill’s acceptance speech was a profound one from start to finish. The legal expert implored citizens to be involved. She pointed at the history of Black voter suppression and laid bare the consequences.
“No man can walk up to a healthy democracy and destroy it in four years, but when your democracy is already weak, then it can be hijacked,” Ifill said.
“Now, we as Black people have always been the early warning system for what ails this country during the civil rights movement. Our demand to live as free people, our refusal to accept second class citizenship, our insistence on respect for our dignity and our lives to push this country toward ever new, evolving and improving conceptions of democracy … Doctor King said it in 1961, ‘Negroes, have illuminated imperfections in the democratic structure that were formally only dimly perceived and have forced a concerned reexamination of the true meaning of American democracy.’”
Before making her exit, Ifill talked through a call to action, instructing the audience to take out their cellphones and save the telephone number to the U.S. House (202) 224-3121), so citizens could contact their state representatives. She said a “higher level of citizenship” is required and that voting alone isn’t sufficient.
“Give them a piece of your mind,” Ifill encouraged.
Courtesy of the National Civil Rights Museum/Brandon Dill
Remembrance and regard for Dr. King was a unifier among each honoree, which is fitting, considering The Lorraine Hotel the site of King’s senseless murder—and the National Civil Rights Museum centers on the iconic leader’s legacy. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee told the audience about his connection to the King family: “My father was a freshman at Morehouse. Dr. Martin Luther King was a senior,” Lee said.
“Martin King III and I were classmates—The House class of 79.”
Lee remembered the day Dr. King died through the eerie screams of his heartbroken mother.
“April 4, 1968. I was sitting in my stoop …” Lee said. “I heard a woman screaming, and as she walked toward our house: 186 Warren Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York.”
Lee continued: “It was my mother screaming, and I never seen my mother hysterical and she was saying they killed him, they killed him, they killed Dr. King. I was 11-years-old, but I will always remember my mother’s cry on April 4, 1968.”
The “Do The Right Thing” movie maker told BLACK ENTERPRISE that it is “a great honor” to receive the 2024 Freedom Award.
“There’s a whole lot of people who we don’t know their names or their stories, but they died to move this country forward,” Lee said.
“I’m not going to get it twisted. I’ve not been put in a place where my life depended on it.”
“I’m very humbled by receiving this prestigious award,” Lee told BE.
Also honored with posthumous tributes were Rabbi James A. Wax, who advocated on behalf of Memphis sanitation workers during the 1968 strike; Margot Stern Strom, who co-founded Facing History & Ourselves; William B. Lucy, Memphis labor movement advocate who coined the slogan “I Am A Man,” to represent the 1300 sanitation workers who went on strike in 1968; and Rev. James Lawson, who worked alongside Dr. King, and trained and developed strategy with some of the most notable civil rights leaders of our time: James Bevel, Diane Nash, John Lewis, Bernard Lafayette, and Marion Barry.
To learn more about the National Civil Rights Museum, visit its website and check out Memphis Tourism.
Dr. Dre Took Issue With Snoop Dogg Appearing In A Fast Food Commercial, ‘You’re Bigger Than That’
Dr. Dre explains why he didn't want Snoop Dogg partnering with Jack in the Box.
Snoop Dogg takes pride in being one of the most marketable rappers in hip-hop history, having partnered with numerous brands for lucrative endorsement deals. However, there was one deal his longtime friend and collaborator, Dr. Dre, wished he had turned down.
The “Gin & Juice” hitmakers recently appeared on Stephen A. Smith’s YouTube show to discuss their 30+ years of friendship and music-making, which has led to the launch of their new spirits company, Still G.I.N., by Dre and Snoop. While both have earned millions through business ventures and celebrity deals, Snoop has particularly excelled in advertisement campaigns, amassing millions by appealing to a wide range of demographics.
Among Snoop’s many endorsement deals, his partnership with the fast food chain Jack in the Box is one that Dr. Dre wishes he had turned down.
“I want him to do less,” Dr. Dre said. “I just think that for his brand and who he is, Jack in the Box…I’m like I betta not see your head pop out of that f-ckin’ box. That’s going to be a problem… You’re bigger than that.”
With more than 30 years of friendship and Dr. Dre always serving as a mentor to Snoop, the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper took Dre’s feedback in stride.
“He would rather see me do a big steak commercial for a company that’s bigger than Jack in the Box,” Snoop explained. “If you going to do something, do the big, or don’t do it at all, in his mind.”
Snoop acknowledges his gangster rap roots but enjoys partnering with various brands to reach new audiences and show the world he’s evolved from the Snoop Doggy Dogg many first knew in the early ’90s. Today, he’s busy as the 2024 Olympic torchbearer for the Paris Olympics, collaborating with Martha Stewart, and launching a partnership with BIC EZ Reach Lighters to release Best Buds Bags, which sold out in under 48 hours.
“My thing is I like to touch everybody. I come from the streets, so I’m from the streets to the suites,” Snoop said. “Sometimes, he goes from the suites to the streets. I go the other way, so I make sure I touch everybody from the bottom to the top.”
As for Dr. Dre, he remains humble about the $500 million net worth he acquired as the co-founder of Beats Electronics, which Apple acquired in 2014 for $3 billion.
“Let’s just say life is good, and I’m very comfortable right now. It’s very comfortable,” he told Smith.
The filing comes in response to a Trump ad released on Oct. 14 that includes Charlamagne voicing his disapproval of Vice President Kamala Harris supporting taxpayer-funded surgeries for transgender inmates. The 30-second clip highlights the radio personality’s comments from a recent episode where he expressed his discomfort with the policy.
“Hell no, I don’t want my taxpayer dollars going to that,” Charlamagne says in the short clip.
Charlamagne responded to the ad’s release. “Cease and desist been sent. Since when does Trump care about what’s legal?”
Harris has previously advocated for transgender inmates and migrants detained by ICE to have access to essential medical services, including gender transition surgeries. In 2019, Harris told the ACLU that she supported cuts to ICE funding and providing gender transition surgery to detained migrants.
During a town hall event in New Hampshire in April 2019, a voter asked Harris if she supported adding a “third gender” option on federal identification cards.
“Sure,” Harris said to cheers from the crowd. “I have my entire life and career been an ally and I see the issue of LGBTQ rights as a fundamental civil rights and human rights issue, period.”
Harris also criticized the Trump administration’s attempts to ban transgender troops from serving in the military, labeling it as “outrageous.” This stance has become a point of contention for rival campaigns, including Trump’s, with the former president and some of his Republican allies aggressively promoting anti-trans messaging in the final stretch of the 2024 election.
In recent months, Trump has attended campaign events with socially conservative groups like Moms for Liberty. In contrast, Trump support groups flood the airwaves with ads that criticize policies supporting the transgender community. As of Oct. 9, the Trump campaign and Republican groups have spent over $21 million on television ads targeting anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ sentiments.
Feds Issue Warning About Pink Cocaine, Also Known As ‘Tusi,’ In NYC
Federal authorities are increasingly concerned about the presence of pink cocaine in New York City's party scene.
Federal authorities have issued a new warning about a popular party drug they’re finding on the streets of New York City.
Pink cocaine, also known as “Tusi” or “Tuci,” is a synthetic drug mixed with white powder and pink food coloring, marketed as a fun party cocktail, DEA agents tell CBS News. This pricey club drug, which often contains no cocaine at all, typically costs between $20 and $100.
“It’s being sold mostly online and through social media apps but being abused in the clubs in New York City,” Drug Enforcement Agency New York Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarantino said.
Authorities are issuing warnings about the drug’s dangers, noting that it can cause amnesia and has been linked to date rape cases.
“It’s ketamine mixed with methamphetamine, ecstasy. It could be mixed with anything,” Bridget Brennan, New York City’s special narcotics prosecutor, said. “It can put people into a ‘k-hole’ where they feel like they’re in a blank space, like they are disassociated from their body, they’re disassociated from their brain, they don’t know what’s going on.”
The drug, which has been linked to a sexual assault and trafficking case involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, is currently being found in high-end party scenes but “it’s not going to stay in that space and always be a high-end party drug,” Brennan said.
There are also concerns about the drug being mixed with fentanyl and leading to fatal cases.
“It’s really a very dangerous and deadly market right now,” Brennan said.
Music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jone filed a lawsuit against Combs earlier this year. Jone accused Combs of using Tuci and required his staff to keep it readily available.
“It was required all employees from the butler, the chef to the housekeepers, walk around with a pouch or fanny pack filled with cocaine, GHB, ecstasy, marijuana gummies and Tuci (a pink drug that is a combination of ecstasy and cocaine),” according to the lawsuit. “It was important to have Mr. Combs’ drug of choice immediately ready when he asks for it.”
Concerns about pink cocaine are rising as federal drug enforcement agents report record-high drug overdoses across the city. Recent data show over 2,600 overdose deaths in 2021 and 3,026 in 2022, with 712 deaths in the first quarter of 2023 alone. Officials are working with the city’s medical examiner’s office to determine if pink cocaine has been linked to any local fatalities.
The Minority Business Development Agency Announces Winners Of The 2024 National Minority Enterprise Development Week Awards
These prestigious awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of minority businesses.
The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) announced the recipients of the 2024 Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Awards. The National MED Week Awards are the highest national recognition a U.S. minority business enterprise can receive from the Department of Commerce. These prestigious awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of minority business enterprises, as well as the individuals and organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to advancing minority business enterprises.
The annual National MED Week conference kicked off this week (Oct. 20-26) in Atlanta, where policymakers, MBEs, and their advocates collaborate on strategies for economic empowerment and long-term wealth creation.
“The Minority Business Development Agency and I are so excited to be in Atlanta to celebrate both the minority business enterprises and individuals that make up this amazing nationwide community,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Minority Business Development Eric Morrissette.
“With the continued and extensive support from the White House and our partners at NMSDC, and expanded resources to include our newest series of Capital Readiness Program incubators and accelerators, we are fully committed to elevating the revenues and capabilities of minority business enterprises, ensuring they are well-prepared to excel in our nation’s economy and achieve equitable success.”
National MED Week serves as a catalyst for hundreds of local MED Week conferences across the Nation. These local and regional conferences are sponsored by state and local governments, for-profit entities, and nonprofit organizations. Today, National MED Week is broadly accepted and synonymous with quality and support for the recognition and growth of minority business enterprises.
The 2024 National MED Week Award recipients, by category, are:
Minority Firms of the Year
• Minority Construction Firm of the Year Award: Guiomar Obregon, President
Precision 2000 (P2k)
• Minority Export Firm of the Year: Biance Rhodes, President, Knight Aerospace Medical Systems, LLC
• Minority Manufacturing Firm of the Year: Antoine Hutchinson, President, Fabpro Technologies,
• Minority Emerging Technology and Industries Firm of the Year Award: Eric Trevan, President, aLocal
• Minority Health Products and Service Firm of The Year Award: Dr. Roy Rivera, President, Elation Physical Therapy
• Minority Marketing and Communication Firm of the Year: Daniel Ceniceros, Connect Creative
• Minority E-Commerce Firm of the Year: Pamela Ramos-Brown, Be Wealthy with Pamela, LLC
• Minority Veteran Owned Firm of the Year: Zeferino Banda, Jr., President, Banda Group International, LLC
• Robert J. Brown Minority Business Enterprise of the Year Award: Daren Masten, President, Clear Cloud Solutions, LLC
Champions of Minority Business Development
• Advocate of the Year Award: Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund
Individual Recognition
• Abe Venable Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement Award: Donata Russell Ross
• Ronald H. Brown Leadership Award: Necole Elan
Award winners will be recognized at this year’s National MED Week. The 2024 National MED Week will be hosted in collaboration with the Annual Conference & Exchange by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) in Atlanta from Oct. 20-26.
For more information on this year’s National MED Week, visit www.mbda.gov.
About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA):
The U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency is the only federal agency dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of U.S. minority business enterprises (MBEs). For more than 50 years, MBDA’s programs and services have better equipped MBEs to create jobs, build scale and capacity, increase revenues, and expand regionally, nationally, and internationally.
These College Majors Are Likely To Leave Graduates Broke And Unemployed
Did you study any of these majors?
Most college students attend four-year universities with dreams of making lots of money and having job security, but Newsweek reports that things may look different for graduates who study these specific majors.
A new study from the education research group Degreechoices revealed that criminal justice, performing arts, art history, hospitality, and liberal arts majors are likely to graduate without job opportunities. Criminal justice led the pack with a 71.5% under-employment rate, while the others trailed closely behind.
The unemployment rates for these majors were just as alarming. Art history, performance, liberal arts, and hospitality ranked between four and eight percent while criminal justice fell at 2.8%. The numbers came from 2022 data from the New York Fed regarding the share of graduates working in jobs with no college degree requirement after receiving a degree with a certain major. The average salary for a graduate with a criminal justice degree — in the early stages of their career — was $41,000. Graduates with performing art degrees were even lower at $38,000.
In their early careers, students majoring in hospitality were set to make an average wage of $39,700, and liberal arts majors made just a little less, with $38,000 and an unemployment rate of 7.9%.
A Degreechoices spokesperson says the numbers prove that students should do more research about their future before making up their minds on a major. “This research highlights the importance of understanding the career prospects associated with different college degrees,” the spokesperson said.
“With Criminal Justice graduates experiencing the highest levels of underemployment at 71.5 percent, it is crucial for students to be informed about potential job market challenges they may face upon graduation.”
While those majors have a limited employment rate, they don’t rank among the more regrettable majors. According to USA Today, forty-four percent of college graduates who studied social and behavioral sciences loathe their decision. Humanities and arts and life sciences came in next on the list, tied at 43%, followed by law at 41% and education at 38%.
For all the fields of study, 35% of college graduates admit they would pick a different major if given a second chance. “There are a lot of different ways that people will get something out of their college education,” Hironao Okahana, assistant vice president and executive director of the Education Futures Lab at the American Council on Education, said.
“We are preparing people who can be flexible and agile in a changing workforce and a changing economy.”
However, a number of specific majors ranked on the list of least-regretted course studies. Only 27% regretted selecting engineering as a major, while 32% despised their health major selection, and 31% regretted studying computer and information sciences.
Travis Scott Breaks Ticket Sales Record With Latest Tour
The Circus Maximus Tour has reportedly sold over 1.5 million tickets surpassing any previous record for a single rap tour.
Travis Scott proves that the Teflon coating on his name continues as the Texas rapper smashes another record during his latest tour.
According to Complex, the Scott-headlined Circus Maximus Tour has reportedly sold over 1.5 million tickets, surpassing any previous record for a rap tour. With the latest figures, it has also been reported that the Circus Maximus Tour is the biggest rap tour for the past two years. The “Sicko Mode” lyricist also has the distinction of being the first solo rap artist to have sold-out concerts at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
He broke another attendance record for a single show in Australia at Allianz Stadium in Sydney when he had 41,811 people come to see him perform on stage. Across two nights of performances, 78,897 people went to the stadium to see him at the venue.
The total box office numbers haven’t been released, but Scott has probably already cracked the $100 million mark (Hypebeastreported that he is already past $155 million), and the tour is still ongoing. According to HipHopAllDay, he is destined to join Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent as the only rap headliners to gross over $100 million for a single tour.
Drake’s “It Was All A Blur” Tour grossed $216,000,000.
Kendrick Lamar’s “The Big Steppers” Tour brought in $111,000,000.
50 Cent’s “The Final Lap” Tour tallied $103,000,000.
Highest grossing tours EVER by rappers 🏟️
$216m – Drake: It Was All A Blur*
$111m – Kendrick Lamar: The Big Steppers
$105m – 50 Cent: The Final Lap*
$103m – Drake & Migos: Aubrey & 3 Migos
$83m – Travis Scott: Circus Maximus*
$81m – Drake & Future: Summer Sixteen
$79m – Kanye…
The initial tour did not get off to a great start when it was reported last year that after launching on Oct. 11, 2023, in Charlotte, NC, ticket demand had decreased to as low as $7 a ticket on the resale market.
Not bad for such a not-so-great start.
Complex has reported that Scott will perform in Las Vegas in November at ComplexCon.
During a town hall series in the swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Harris and Cheney pleaded with voters who label themselves as “pro-life” but are turned off by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to vote for Harris at the polls. The vice president explained that such voters are key to her securing the White House in November 2024.
She also highlighted that being joined on stage by Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, shows how times are changing in the political realm. “The last decade … has been about some powerful forces suggesting that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down, instead of what I think most of us believe — regardless of your party affiliation — that the real measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up,” Harris said while on stage in Michigan.
“For that reason, I’m not surprised that Liz Cheney and I are on the same stage 15 days before the election.”
The town halls were hosted by anti-Trump GOP strategist Sarah Longwell in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Oakland County, Michigan, and Waukesha County, Wisconsin — all relatively conservative counties where former GOP presidential nominee Nikki Haley performed highly in the primary. During the meetings, Cheney pushed forward on several key topics concerning voters, such as abortion. Once a stern supporter of pro-life legislation and cheered the overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to CNN, Cheney now understands the lack of fundamental reproductive healthcare for women — all at the hands of strict GOP law.
The mother of five continues to have an anti-abortion stance but says she is “disturbed” by the lengths her fellow Republicans went to rid women of proper healthcare. “I have been very troubled, deeply troubled by what I have watched happen in so many states. I have been troubled by the extent to which you have women who, as the vice president said, in some cases, have died, who can’t get medical treatment that they need because providers are worried about criminal liability,” Cheney said.
“We are facing a situation today where I think that it’s an untenable one.”
Cheney is one of several GOP leaders who once supported Trump and is now leaning toward Harris for President of the United States. Sarah Matthews, the former White House deputy press secretary for the Trump administration, endorsed the Howard University graduate. She also echoed Cheney’s sentiments, claiming that events like the town halls with Republicans are a great tactic that could move the needle in Harris’ favor. “When you see them on the campaign trail, it creates a permission structure for those disaffected Republicans who don’t like the rhetoric and the division he’s created in the last decade,” Matthews mentioned.
“I think there are enough of those Republicans, especially in a race as tight as this.”
A poll from The New York Timesrevealed that 9% of likely Republicans plan to vote for Harris on the Democratic ticket over their party’s candidate. Polls from the Wall Street Journal poll released in mid-October 2024 found both candidates are tightly tied in other key states like Arizona — with 47% to 45%.
Eight percent of Arizona Republicans said Harris has their vote.
