Carrie Everett, First Miss North Carolina To Attend An HBCU, Dies At 24 After Cancer Battle
Everett was a champion for women of all backgrounds to take part in the pageant world.
Carrie Everett, the first HBCU student to win Miss North Carolina, died Easter Sunday from a rare and aggressive form of gastric cancer, her family confirmed. She was 24.
“Carrie Everett transitioned on Easter Sunday with her family and friends surrounding her with love,” wrote the family in a statement to WRAL News. “The family is spending time together as they celebrate her memory. They ask that you continue to pray for them [and] celebrate her memory.”
According to HBCU Gameday, Everett made HBCU and pageant history when she won the crown for North Carolina in 2024.
Everett was a student at North Carolina Central University, an HBCU in Durham, when she competed. The Seattle native captivated the judges with her leadership, talent, and advocacy for young women in her footsteps.
She did not shy away from addressing the financial obstacles she faced while pursuing this dream. As pageants often come with hefty costs, from gowns to makeup and hair, Everett leaned on her community to help her get to the crown.
Upon her win, Everett aimed to have her achievement spark hope for others like her. She wanted HBCU scholars to use their education to uplift, and not limit, their ambitions.
“I can be the first but not the last,” Everett previously told CBS 17,as reported by HBCU Gameday. “I want young women from all over the state and throughout the country attending HBCUs that this opportunity is for them.”
During her reign as Miss North Carolina, Everett championed equity in the pageant scene. She used her platform to highlight her community service initiative, We Need Equity to Build Communities. The organization broke barriers in pageantry, encouraging all women to take advantage of their scholarship opportunities.
“We are advocating for recruiting more girls from different backgrounds into this organization,” she said. “I am advocating for wardrobe classes funding for accessibility in this organization.”
The avid gospel singer still chased her academic goals. She hoped to graduate from NCCU with a degree in vocal performance by 2027. But Everett received a life-altering diagnosis of metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma in July 2025.
In a tribute message, NCCU chancellor Karrie G. Dixon expressed gratitude for the life and service of their “fallen eagle.”
“A native of Seattle, Washington, Carrie will be remembered as a trailblazer who shared her inspirational talent and leadership with so many,” Dixon wrote. “Her ambition, grace, tenacity and talent will be deeply missed.”
Rapper Offset was reportedly shot in Florida after a confrontation outside of a casino in Hollywood.
According to ABC News, the former Migos rapper is currently hospitalized and listed in stable condition. The incident took place outside in the valet area of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino after 7 p.m. April 6. A spokesperson for the man, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus, confirmed it was him who was shot.
“We can confirm Offset was shot and is currently at the hospital receiving medical care. He is stable and being closely monitored,” the spokesperson said.
No further details have been released by the Seminole Police Department beyond the authorities stating that two people were detained, as the investigation is ongoing.
“The site is secure, and there is no threat to the public,” police said.
Offset, who is currently separated from his wife, Cardi B, is not the first member of the now-defunct hip-hop group, Migos, to be shot. The group disbanded after one of the members, Takeoff, was shot to death in Houston at a bowling alley Nov. 1, 2022. According to TMZ, while attending a birthday party for Jas Prince, the son of long-time legendary music executive, J Prince (Rap-A-Lot Records), the rapper was shot, allegedly playing dice while at 810 Billiards & Bowling at approximately 2:40 a.m that morning. Takeoff, real name Kirshnik Khari Ball, was there with his uncle, Quavo, nee Quavious Keyate Marshall.
The group members all grew up in Georgia and made a name for themselves in the music industry after scoring a hit in 2013 with “Versace.” Migos scored numerous platinum hits, including “Bad and Boujie” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “T-Shirt,” “MotorSport” featuring Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, “Walk It Talk It” featuring Drake, “Pure Water” featuring Mustard, “Need It” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again, “Stir Fry,” “Straightenin” and “Narcos.”
Trump Threatens To ‘Take Out’ Iran ‘In One Night’ As War Goes Into Week Six
As the threats increased, fear on social media started to spread, concerned if the president is considering leveling the country with a nuclear weapon.
President Donald Trump made a bold claim on how the U.S. can “take out” the entire country of Iran in “one night” ahead of April 7 at 8 p.m. ET – the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Fortune reports.
The escalation came during a White House press conference that celebrated the combat rescue of two downed F-15E airmen during the Easter weekend and ended with Trump saying that the U.S. is going to be the one charging tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. Heightening his final ultimatum –open the strait or lose your infrastructure, Trump said, “After that, they’re gonna have no bridges. They’re gonna have no power plants, Stone Ages.”
As the threats increased, fear on social media started to spread, concerned if the president is considering leveling the country with a nuclear weapon.
Most feel Trump is likely talking about disrupting Iran’s electrical grid as the U.S. has a weapon designed for such purposes called the graphite bomb, nicknamed the “blackout bomb.” However, his Truth Social post seemingly paints a different picture. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” the president of the United States wrote April 7 at 8:06 a.m.
“However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight….”
The president also indicated what military forces are considering, referencing the January 2026 raid that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
“If you look at what we did with Maduro, we went into a military compound, massive, with thousands and thousands of soldiers, and within a matter of minutes … he was in the back of these planes,” Trump said.
However, the U.S. isn’t the only one making threats. According to CNN, senior Iranian officials issued threats of their own, saying the strait will remain blocked until Iran receives payment for war damages.
Since Trump has already declared that the US is the “winner” in the war so far, another senior Iranian security source, said the country has provided him a strategic defeat and that his increased rhetoric toward Iranians simply reflects a loss of control over the conflict.
The source also said Tehran has made it “clear” that the Strait of Hormuz “will not return to its prior condition unless the war is permanently stopped.”
From ‘Second Chances’ To ‘Fair Chances’: DeAnna Hoskins Pushes America To Rethink Reentry After Incarceration
The JustLeadershipUSA CEO is transforming how we think about incarceration, opportunity, and who gets access to a future.
As communities across the country recognize Second Chance Month, DeAnna Hoskins, president and CEO of JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA), is taking the conversation a step further by challenging it.
“I always ask the question, ‘Is using the word ‘second chance’ unintentionally limiting?’” Hoskins tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “When in reality, we’re asking for fair access, fair access to employment, fair access to housing.”
Before she was advising at the highest levels of government, Hoskins was navigating the very system she now works to change.
“Part of my story is that I struggled with drug addiction,” Hoskins says. “I’ve been clean and sober for 27 years now. I needed drug treatment, not incarceration. But the system did not look at that. The system looked at the charge and sentenced me according to the charge, which detached me from my kids. At the time, my daughter was 8 months old. A person has to be held accountable for the crime, but should we take the person into consideration during that crime?”
Hoskins says her “a-ha” moment came after hearing a podcast that included a courtroom recording of a judge who paused before sentencing a defendant to ask, ‘I want to know what happened to you, that you ended up committing this crime?’
“She saw a human, she didn’t just see a charge,” Hoskins recalls. “That’s where it drove home for me.”
Screenshot
That realization proved pivotal. Hoskins began asking to see the official policy after employers tried to deny her jobs because she was on probation.
“They were like, ‘DeAnna, we want to hire you, but based on our policies we can’t because of your felony,’” she says. “I asked one company for the policy and they didn’t have it. That’s when I started researching policy.”
What she uncovered was not just misunderstanding but systemic inconsistency.
“I realized not only the myths, but the policy violations,” she says. “People were just blanket refusing to hire people with criminal backgrounds. The judge sentenced you to community supervision, and one of the conditions is to get a job.”
That contradiction became a turning point.
“I just really picked up this daredevil attitude of, I’m just going to push back on the system. I was so broken from incarceration that I felt, what did I have to lose?
But Hoskins says the reality of reentry still falls short.
“If I’m sentenced and that’s my punishment, when is the punishment over?” she says. “Why do you have all these systemic consequences if you believe in that system?”
For many returning citizens, those consequences show up immediately as barriers to housing, employment, healthcare, and basic stability.
“We have been so oppressed and entrenched on what we can’t do,” she says. “Nobody told me what I could do.”
Through JLUSA’s advocacy work, Hoskins and her team have identified widespread misinformation about what people with criminal records are legally allowed to access.
From voting rights to housing eligibility, she says many restrictions are not federal mandates, but local policies or outright misconceptions.
“These barriers aren’t always legal,” she says, pointing to the organization’s “MythBusters” work aimed at correcting false narratives.
“We’ve been entrenched to believe what our limitations are,” she says.
For business leaders and entrepreneurs, Hoskins says creating fair access starts with rethinking hiring practices.
Rather than eliminating background checks altogether, she advocates for transparency. Employers should clearly outline which convictions are disqualifying and delay background checks until later in the hiring process.
“Initially, people are being screened based on their knowledge, skills, and abilities,” she says.
That shift not only reduces bias. It expands the talent pool.
“I may have a crime, but I’ve been home 10 years with no interaction,” she says.
Hoskins also challenges how public safety is defined, arguing that it extends far beyond policing.
“Public safety is affordable housing. Public safety is access to healthcare. Public safety is access to mental health,” she says.
When people with lived experience are included in shaping those systems, she says, the result is more effective and more humane policy.“ You get systems that no longer traumatize, systems that engage and give agency to people.”
At the same time, Hoskins is clear about the economic forces behind mass incarceration.
Because of that, she believes meaningful change requires more than reform. It requires reducing reliance on a system built on profit.
“We have to create fair opportunities so people don’t default to incarceration,” she says.
For Hoskins, one of the biggest misconceptions about people with lived experience is that their stories are meant to inspire, rather than inform.
“I don’t want my story to inspire you,” she said. “I want my story to inform how you do policy.”
It’s a distinction that reframes not just Second Chance Month, but the broader national conversation. Because, as she sees it, the issue isn’t whether individuals deserve another opportunity.
“This isn’t about giving people a second chance. It’s about whether the system offers a fair chance at all.”
Geno Auriemma Apologizes For Running Up On Coach Dawn Staley—But Not Directly
"I have not heard from Geno."
After a public, testy exchange between University of South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma following a South Carolina victory in the Women’s NCAA Final Four, Auriemma apologized—but not to Staley.
Cameras captured Auriemma shouting at Staley, who fired back. The two coaches had to be separated. The incident happened after South Carolina ended the University of Connecticut’s undefeated season with a 62-48 victory on April 3.
“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut,” he said in a written statement the following day. “I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”
He stated that he was peeved because Staley did not shake his hand before the contest.
Staley’s response: “For me, no distractions at this time. I’m concentrating on winning a national championship, that’s it. That’s a little disheartening. This is sports; sometimes things like this happen. Continue to focus on my team and ability to advance in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship.”
The South Carolina Gamecocks lost to UCLA, 79-51, in the championship game.
According to USA Today, during the broadcast of that game, former UConn basketball player Rebecca Lobo, an ESPN analyst, said Auriemma apologized to Staley privately.
“Geno Auriemma certainly wrong in that moment, which he acknowledged in that apology yesterday,” Lobo said. “I know he has also since reached out personally to Dawn to apologize. It’s unfortunate that it happened.”
Staley said that did not happen.
“That’s a Geno question … I have not heard from Geno,” Staley said after the loss. “I don’t know if he texted or not, but … it’s UCLA’s day, right? Let’s keep (the conversation) on UCLA, them winning the national championship. I will address all of that at another time.”
But Staley’s reaction in the moment shows that not only was she fed up with Auriemma’s antics, but she expressed herself as most of us would in a similar situation.
If Geno Auriemma doesn’t deliver a full-throated apology to Dawn Staley for his sore loser antics & a recantation of his false claim and excuse that Staley did not shake his hand pregame, some of UConn’s future recruits need to rethink joining his program & take their talents… https://t.co/LYKe0gEOhn
Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike call out Geno Auriemma after UConn's loss to Dawn Staley and South Carolina in the NCAA Final Four pic.twitter.com/MLyPol0MEq
Let me be Clear: Geno Auriemma OWES Dawn Staley an apology for the verbal altercation he initiated, & to regain the class he left on the court. Focusing on Dawn's reaction afterwards–who's in a calm state before* Geno spoke–ignores the sequence of events captured on video. pic.twitter.com/64uYaOeFGJ
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 23: Tina Knowles attends Angel Ball 2023 hosted by Gabrielle's Angel Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street on October 23, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Gabrielle's Angel Foundation )
Tina Knowles Is The Ultimate ‘Matriarch’ In Kurt Geiger’s Mother’s Day Fashion Campaign
The famous mother and grandmother stars in the campaign celebrating Mother's Day.
Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, takes center stage in the campaign for London-based Kurt Geiger’s spring/summer 2026 Mother’s Day collection.
The 72-year-old trailblazing matriarch unveiled the pink-themed commercial in a shared post with the brand. The clip features Knowles in a light pink suit opening gifts from her grandchildren, all of which are pink Kurt Geiger purses, of course.
“Proof that Moms don’t have favorites. Just a lot of love to carry,” she wrote in the caption.
The doting grandmother revealed the gifts came from many of her famous grandchildren, even shouting out the “twins,” assumed to be Rumi and Sir Carter. The video highlighted that grandmothers never play favorites, they just get more purses and children to love.
The adorable commercial celebrates the Matriarch author as a public figure in her own right. It puts the elder Knowles in the spotlight for a celebration of mothers across generations.
While being the grandmother to Blue Ivy Carter and her famous siblings and cousins, the woman known by the Beyhive as “Miss Tina” has built her own lane in entertainment. When she’s not on Mother’s Day dates with her grandkids, Knowles co-owns haircare brand Cécred with daughter Beyoncé and showcases her world-famous gumbo at the Houston Rodeo.
The Kurt Geiger collaboration also emphasizes how grandmothers deserve extra love on Mother’s Day. The new collection, features a dazzling pink array of crystal and bright-colored sneakers, totes, heels, and handbag.
The Tina-approved collection is now available on the brand’s website.
Young Brother Duo Behind Growing Snack And Party Supply Business Captures Hearts In Connecticut
These 6- and 7-year-old brothers are winning over the Bridgeport, Connecticut, community with their growing snack cart and party supply business.
Meet Raymond and Raymere Clark, the 6- and 7-year-old brothers behind a growing snack and party supply business that’s bringing the Bridgeport, Connecticut, community together and gaining widespread support.
What began three years ago as a simple Connecticut snack cart has grown into Clark Boyz Snack Shop & Party Supplies, offering sweet treats alongside event essentials like a concession cart, cotton candy, popcorn, and snow cone machines, plus rentals including bounce houses, throne chairs, photo booths, and baby shower décor.
“All of our customers are loyal,” Raymond told the CT Post, noting they have about 50 regular. His favorite part of the business is “the trust we have with our customers.”
The brothers launched their snack shop in summer 2023 and now run it year-round, booking events like parties, baby showers, and community gatherings. Raymond, a second grader at Edison Elementary, said he and his younger brother Raymere, a kindergartner, got their start selling snacks at their grandfather’s store, Mattress King on Barnum Avenue.
Since then, the Clark Boyz have popped up across Bridgeport, serving concessions at events like Family Fun Day at the Beardsley Zoo, SingerCT’s Black History Movie Night, Mayor Joe Ganim’s Movie Night on the Beach, the city’s Juneteenth celebration, and First Thursday Fiesta at City Hall. By their second year in business, their mother, Joeleen Spain, said the boys expanded by adding more commercial machines to serve a larger customer base.
As a parent to two young entrepreneurs, Spain said she’s focused on teaching them independence so they can grow into leaders and understand the value of money.
“I want them to understand what investing in themselves looks like and believe they can do whatever they put their minds to,” Spain said. “They show me every day a bit more growth. Adding the ice cart was Raymere’s idea, so we saved for it. Our party supplies idea came from Raymond. We save to grow.”
As part of their 2026 expansion, Raymond and Raymere have added a Philly water ice cart to their business. Similar to Italian ice, the frozen treat that’s made with water, sugar, and fruit flavoring, the treat adds a refreshing new option that the family is excited to offer customers.
“It’s supposed to be better than Italian ice and a smoother taste,” Spain said.
The brothers were out front introducing their newest addition, pushing the Philly water ice cart along Palisade Avenue and Birdsey Street as they brought it to the Bridgeport, Connecticut, community ahead of Easter weekend. Raymond said all the money they earn from Clark Boyz is reinvested into the business, from purchasing inventory to maintaining and repairing their carts.
Florida A&M University To Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of Sports Hall Of Fame With Seven Inductees
The ceremony will take place Sept. 18.
Florida A&M University will celebrate its 50th anniversary of enshrining student-athletes, coaches, and supporters by inducting seven individuals on September 18 in the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame.
The FAMU Sports Hall of Fame announces the 50th Anniversary Class
— Florida A&M Athletics (@FAMUAthletics) April 3, 2026
The inductees are: Judith Kibii (cross country and track & field), Leroy Long (men’s tennis), Williams Evers (football), Tyrone McGriff, Jr. (football), Sean Gilliam (baseball), Brandi Tatum-Fedrick (coach), and Ben Crump (supporter).
The ceremony will be hosted by fellow FAMU Sports Hall of Famer, Pam Oliver (Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame), who was inducted in 2016.
Expected to come out and welcome the 2026 inductees are these former FAMU Rattlers: Andre Dawson (1987 National League MVP), Marquis Grissom (multiple MLB Gold Glove winner), Rey Robinson (Olympic sprinter), Vince Coleman (National League All-Star), Greg Coleman (NFL punter), Henry “Killer” Lawrence (three-time Super Bowl champion with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders), Albert Chester (two-time national championship quarterback), Natalie White (MEAC women’s basketball standout), Shaunta Pelham (MEAC track record holder), Waite Bellamy (FAMU’s all-time leading men’s basketball scorer), Mike Gillespie (two-time MEAC champion and NCAA Tournament winner), Clemon Johnson (NBA champion), and Terrence Woods (two-time NCAA three-point scoring champion).
Additional details surrounding the 50th anniversary celebration of the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame will be announced next month
The Florida A&M University Sports Hall of Fame was the brainchild of athletic director Hansel E. Tookes, Sr, who launched it in 1976. It was started to recognize the very best in Rattler athletics.
In other FAMU athletics news, the school’s track and field program set two school records during at the 2026 Pepsi Florida Relays on April 3 and 4.
Janaree Kinchen set a new school record when the freshman clocked in at 11.15 seconds in the women’s 100 meters, while the women’s 4×100-meter relay squad, which includes Kinchen, Diandrenique Gaines, Arayana Ladson, and Kiersten Clark, broke the school record with a 43.65 in the preliminary round of the meet.
New Study Suggests A 4-Day Workweek Is Better For Productivity Than Traditional 5 Days In Office
The study confirmed that employees are more efficient with less hours spent on the clock.
A newly released study suggests that a four-day workweek boosts productivity more than traditional five-day shifts.
A 2023 report by nonprofit advocacy group 4 Day Week Global shared these groundbreaking conclusions. Its findings determined that employees are just as productive on a 33-hour workweek as on a 38-hour allotment.
Fortune detailed the report’s results, which provided the first long-term assessment of reduced workweeks. The study found that workers maintained high levels of productivity even when working fewer hours.
4 Day Week Global examined employees in the U.S., Canada, Britain, and Ireland for an 18-month pilot study of one less day of work. During this timeframe, researchers observed that employees benefited from the switch, with reduced burnout and improved overall health.
Researchers also observed that a more streamlined work process eliminated nonessential meetings due to time constraints. This allowed workers to focus more on completing tasks, even at a faster rate. Essentially, workers did not need an extra five hours on the clock to complete their responsibilities. Instead, they became more efficient with the reduced time frame.
By omitting activities that detract from actual work, employees spent less time completing the most work. Given this, they could also reclaim more of their lives off the clock, with a stronger work-life balance aiding overall job satisfaction.
The companies included in this study also saw a boost in their own gains when employees worked fewer hours. Revenue reportedly increased by 15% over the 18-month period.
The news is a remarkable update for employees, especially amid the shift back to the office following the pandemic-induced remote work. Although the callback to in-person attendance has become polarizing across industries, news that a four-day workweek is optimal for both employers and employees could help ease these tensions.
However, the four-day workweek may not be the easiest to implement. Part-time workers and those already allotted certain hours may be concerned that it could negatively impact their schedules and pay, with many assuming that a universal four-day workweek is still a long way off.
