golf, Ebony Ladies Golf League, chicago — (Photo: Styves Exantus/Pexels)

by Mary Spiller

September 7, 2024

Ebony Ladies Golf League Empowers Black Women To Pick Up The Club

The group was founded by 14 women in Chicago who wanted to pave the way for women of color on the course.

The Ebony Ladies Golf League is dedicated to its mission of growing and diversifying the sport of golf. President Tracy Raoul recently told CBS News Chicago that its goal is to continue welcoming new members into this empowering community.

In March, the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary. Raoul, who has been president since 2021, acknowledged that while golf can feel intimidating to newcomers, the Chicago-based group is focused on breaking down those barriers and helping more women step onto the course with confidence.

“Golf is a great sport,” Raoul explained. “It’s great physically. It’s a mental game. You have to know how to let go of that bad stroke and move on to the next one.”

Raoul said the Ebony Ladies Golf League’s has seen a surge in membership since 2022, going from 46 ladies to 81 total members.

“Many of them did not ever pick up a golf club,” she added. “I wanna grow the game and see more African American women playing this game.”

Even well into the early 1900s, there was a significant need for women of color in the golf game.

“At one time, African Americans were not allowed to play this game,” Raoul said. “They could caddy, and if they played, unfortunately, they had to play with subpar materials and equipment.”

She added, “Walter Speedy and his three gentlemen sued the Park District because they couldn’t play at the public course, Jackson Park. So, they sued and won. In 1910, those men started playing.”

It still took a long time for women to have a place on the courses, and even longer for women of color. Thankfully, Raoul said, she sees a trend of more young golfers bringing Black girls and boys, which she thinks will help diversify the future of the game.

CEOs, corporate America, Kamala Harrs, endorsement — (Photo: Erik S. Lesser/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2024

Kamala Harris Receives Endorsement From Nearly 100 CEOs Who Say She Wants ‘American Industries To Thrive’

'Her election is the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy.'

Over 90 former and current corporate leaders from companies nationwide have written a letter endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

In the Sept. 6 letter, the executives write that “the business community can be confident that it will have a president who wants American industries to thrive.” Signers include 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, Snap Chairman Michael Lynton, Yelp boss Jeremy Stoppelman, and Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, among many others, CNBC reports.

The letter contains a 3-page list of supporters and donors who are making their first public endorsements of Harris since she started her presidential run in late July. Others who signed the letter include Lynn Forester de Rothschild, private equity billionaire José Feliciano, Twilio co-founder Jeff Lawson, and D.C. sports magnate Ted Leonsis, owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, WNBA’s Mystics, and the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

The list of corporate leaders is much longer than the endorsement letter itself as execs opted to keep their stance short and to the point.

“The best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy” is by electing Harris president, the letter states.

The signers say the vice president would “continue to advance fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment.”

Donald Trump has also received backing from several prominent corporate leaders and investors including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, casino tycoon Steve Wynn, and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen.

Read the corporate leaders’ full endorsement letter for Kamala Harris below:

We endorse Kamala Harris’s election as President of the United States.

Her election is the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy. With Kamala Harris in the White House, the business community can be confident that it will have a President who wants American industries to thrive. As a partner to President Biden, Vice President Harris has a strong record of advancing actions to spur business investment in the United States and ensure American businesses can compete and win in the global market. She will continue to advance fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment, and she will strive to give every American the opportunity to pursue the American dream.

Atlanta church, medical debt — (Photo: Andrew Patrick/Pexels)

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2024

More Black Church Members Attend Services Online, Pastors Cite Lack In ‘Giving Time, Talent, And Tenth’

New findings cite the drop in in-person worship and how it's impacting the future of the Black church.

A new survey highlights the increased virtual church attendance and the challenges religious leaders face when conducting in-person services.

What started in 2020 because of a global pandemic has now turned into a growing number of believers opting to stay home on Sunday and watch church online. Research shows that the numbers are more critical regarding attendance at Black churches.

“While 13% of Protestants who belong to historically Black churches say they attend church in person and don’t regularly watch services virtually, most say they join services both in person and virtually (37%) or only watch remotely on screens (20%),” a June 2023 report from the Pew Research Center states.

As a result, faith leaders across the country are grappling with the evolving reality of hybrid worship methods.

“Pastoring the virtual church creates an accountability and connection challenge. It’s not dissimilar from the traditional congregation challenges,” Rev. Jamal Brown, Family Restoration Worship Center pastor in Philadelphia, tells Amsterdam News.

However, attending church virtually appears to be a root cause of the current decline of in-person worship.

Rev. Brown said that virtual churching has “offered people an opportunity to hide from the responsibility of giving time, talent, and tenth,” referring to churchgoers who offer donations and tithing when attending service in person.

“However, embracing the virtual church also exposed deficits in the church systems. What existed pre- was enhanced in the post-virtual church.”

Outside of the Black church, in-person worship has dropped from 42% of U.S. adults attending church service to just 30%, a Gallup study found. Church members’ reasons for opting for online service vary, from fear of contracting COVID-19 to physical challenges or just preferring to attend church from the comfort of their homes.

As in-person attendance continues to drop, many faith leaders and researchers are questioning what that means for the Black church as we know it.

“The future does not look good for organized religion in Black America, especially the historic traditions,” Jason E. Shelton, a sociologist and professor and director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, said. “The Baptists are still the largest, but they’re losing people. The Methodists are really down small. The Pentecostals are losing, but they’re not losing nearly as many since they’ve always been small.”

Shelton continued. “The church has always been the vessel that we, as Black people, have used to have community and solidarity. It’s the church that connects [Black society], so as the nones” — Black people with no religious affiliation — “fall away from that, what does that mean for the community? What does that mean for Black music? What does that mean for Black politics? And what does that mean for the long-standing legacy of racial discrimination in this country?”

Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Debate, donations — (Photos from left: Gage Skidmore/flickr; Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2024

Kamala Harris Targets Black Voters With Ad Accusing ‘MAGA Loyalists’ Of Being Behind ‘Project 2025’

Kamala Harris new ad calls out Donald Trump's "MAGA loyalists" as designers of the "dangerous plan" Project 2025.

Kamala Harris isn’t allowing Donald Trump to distance himself from Project 2025 with her latest ad, which cites his “MAGA loyalists” as designers of the “dangerous plan.”

The Harris campaign released a new advertisement on Sept. 5 that takes direct aim at Trump and the controversial Project 2025. With a focus on Black voters in key battleground states, the 30-second spot warns about “Trump’s Project 2025 agenda,” which it claims “will give him unchecked political power with no guardrails.”

“It would take Black America backward,” the ad continues. “Project 2025 would strip away our voting rights protections, and it eliminates the Department of Education.”

Created by the conservative Heritage Foundation along with at least two dozen Trump allies, Project 2025 serves as a blueprint for far-right policy proposals designed for the next Republican president. Conservatives behind the proposal have attempted to drum down some of its policy changes amid growing criticism from Democrats.

However, Harris’s campaign highlights some of the controversial changes Project 2025 hopes to make should Trump take office.

“It would also require states to monitor women’s pregnancies,” the ad states. “It bans abortion and would rip away health coverage for millions.”

The ad ends by assuring voters of Harris’ stance on Project 2025 and her plans to fight for all Americans.

“Kamala Harris will stand up to Trump and his MAGA loyalist’ dangerous plans to control our lives,” it declares.

A press release shared the Harris campaign’s plans to air the ad during major upcoming sporting events, including Saturday’s college football game between Michigan and Texas, as well as Sunday’s NFL season opener featuring the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers. The ad will also appear on prominent daytime TV shows with strong viewership among Black Americans, like “Sherri” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”

“Donald Trump’s Project 2025 makes one thing clear to Black America: He doesn’t give a damn about us,” Harris-Walz Principal Deputy Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks said in a statement.

“This campaign is going to make Trump defend his indefensible Project 2025 and ensure the key coalitions this campaign needs to win in November know exactly how his extreme agenda will take their communities backward.”

Trump has attempted to separate himself from Project 2025 and most recently claimed he has “no idea what it’s about” when speaking with podcaster and MIT researcher Lex Fridman last week. Harris’s campaign stated that Project 2025 will be a key focus in her highly anticipated debate against Trump on Sept. 10.

Stephen A. Smith, presidential run — Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 7, 2024

Stephen A. Smith Reveals Relationship With Former Co-Host Skip Bayless Has

'We’ve only spoken once over the last year, a year and a half or so,' Smith said. We don't speak much anymore.'

ESPN‘s Stephen A. Smith and former FS1 personality Skip Bayless (Undisputed) haven’t been the same since Bayless and current First Take co-host and former Undisputed co-host Shannon Sharpe bumped heads.

The former football player was disrespected by Bayless on-air during an episode of Undisputed, and Smith reached out to Bayless to tell him he was wrong for treating Sharpe in that manner. Smith confirmed that Bayless never responded.

The. media personality reiterated that point in a recent episode of Fully Loaded hosted by former NFL player Cris Carter. The popular sports analyst stated that the last time the two men spoke was in 2022 over a misunderstanding. He stated the last conversation they had was due to something that was said while appearing on a podcast that current Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick had, The Old Man and the Three.

“We’ve only spoken once over the last year, a year and a half or so,” Stephen A. Smith recalled. “We don’t speak much anymore. He got upset over something he thought I said to J.J. Redick, and he went on his podcast and attacked me for about 45 minutes. And then I flew to California and approached him face-to-face, and we resolved that issue.”

Smith declared that he would never “speak against him per se,” but his relationship with Bayless has not been the same since that encounter.

Yet, Stephen A. Smith said he reached back out to Bayless after the on-air disrespect that Bayless showed toward Sharpe, which led to the NFL Hall of Famer leaving Undisputed and connecting with Smith on First Take.

“I thought he was wrong about Shannon,” Smith said. “I thought what he did to Shannon was flagrantly wrong. And I called him, and he never reached back out. So, I stopped reaching out.”

You can check out the full discussion above.

Magic Johnson, Kamala Harris, Black men, Flint rally — (Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2024

Magic Johnson Joins Ownership Group Of National Women’s Soccer League Team

'Partnering with a visionary like Michele Kang and her team to advance the growth of the Washington Spirit and the NWSL is an incredible opportunity.'

Sports legend and successful businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson has joined the ownership group of the Washington Spirit, a member of the National Women’s Soccer League.

The team announced the move on Thursday.

Johnson joins Michele Kang, the first woman of color to hold a majority stake in an NWSL team, who became the Spirit’s principal owner in early 2022 after buying the team for $35 million. At the time of her purchase, Kang set an NWSL record, paying nearly ten times the valuation of another franchise sold just two years earlier, according to ESPN.

“I’m excited to join the Washington Spirit’s investor group at such a pivotal time in the club’s history,” Johnson said in a statement. “Partnering with a visionary like Michele Kang and her team to advance the growth of the Washington Spirit and the NWSL is an incredible opportunity. I’m excited to join the team and play my part to help elevate this organization.”

In a statement, Kang said Johnson “knows how to win, and we are delighted to count on his expertise as part of our fantastic investor group.”

Johnson, 65, is the chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, which also holds partial ownership in the Washington Commanders (NFL), Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB), Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), LAFC (MLS), and the eSports franchise Team Liquid.

“His commitment not only reflects the strength of our club, players, fans, and brand but also sends a powerful message about the growth and impact of women’s sports globally,” Kang said. “Together, we look forward to taking the Washington Spirit to new heights and inspiring the next generation of young women and girls worldwide.”

The NBA Hall of Famer appeared on CBS Mornings with Kang to share his plans for helping to grow the sport of women’s soccer. He also shared his inspiration for taking ownership of the “first-class organization” and aligning with Kang’s global work in women’s soccer.

“Michelle has a first-class organization,” Johnson says of Kang and the Spirit. “What she’s done for women’s soccer all over the world, not just here in the NWSL, it’s important that owners love to not only win on the field, like Michele does, but also in the community.”

The Lakers champion noted how “excited” he is to partner with Kang and showcase a diverse ownership group.

“When you look at us, two minorities who try to climb the ladder first, and my sport is basketball, and then transition to business, I want to be an example for others to follow,” Johnson explained.

Since Kang took over, the Spirit has grown from averaging just over 4,000 fans per game in 2021 to nearly 14,000 per game this year. Kang has since acquired controlling stakes in the eight-time European women’s champions Lyon and the English second-division team London City Lionesses. She intends to acquire additional clubs across various continents, aiming to build a global network to scale resources.

The Colored Girls, Kamala Harris — (Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

by Shanique Yates

September 6, 2024

Kamala Harris Inspires 175% Increase In Voter Registration Among Young Black Women

A new study reveals an uptick in voter registration among Black women as Kamala Harris campaigns for the presidency.

As Vice President Kamala Harris heads to the November election, she continues to leave a lasting impact on the young Black women.

The Atlanta Voice reports that the Harris campaign may be responsible for the recent surge in voter registration among young Black women. According to data shared by TargetSmart, the voter registration rate for young Black women across 13 of the nation’s “key battleground states” has soared to 175%.

This is almost triple the rate reported during the last presidential election between President Joe Biden and Donald J. Trump in 2020. In general, the registration rate for Black women has increased by 98%, and the Black voter rate overall has jumped to 85%.

In less than 24 hours after it was announced that Harris would replace Biden on the November 2024 ballot, Black women raised $1.3 million for her campaign.

“We’re together. We’re beautiful, we’re strong, we’re capable. We’re ready. We have incredible power in this group,” said Aimee Allison, a regular attendee of the #WinWithBlackWomen network weekly calls in recent years. “People just were so hungry for that community and for that feeling of hope.”

I accept your nomination to be the President of the United States of America. pic.twitter.com/iKklb8tW6C

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 23, 2024

It is important to note Black students’ interest in civic engagement and activities has risen since Harris took an oath to serve the nation as Madame Vice President in 2021.

In 2022, Child Trends reported that Black students were more likely to express interest in civic engagement and activities than their peers; experiences with racism had a significant impact on the data. Moreover, the study revealed that Black children are also more likely to use platforms like social media to promote political awareness and participation among their peers. They also use this avenue to engage in activism.

“As these young girls and women continue to assert their political power, their influence could extend into shaping educational policies, like more civic education in the classroom, that will benefit predominantly Black schools and communities,” said education doctoral student Hilary Wilson, who is currently studying in the state of Louisiana.

On January 20, 2021, Harris made history as the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected to this position and could very well do the same if she comes out victorious during the 2024 Presidential Election, opposite Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Fani Willis, Race, Judge — (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

by Sharelle B. McNair

September 6, 2024

Fox News Host Jesse Watters Under Fire For Comparing The Way Fani Willis And Kamala Harris Speak

They really think all Black people are the same...

Fox News host Jesse Watters is facing backlash after comparing the way Vice President Kamala Harris and Georgia County District Attorney Fani Willis speak, HuffPost reports.

During a segment of Jesse Watters Primetime on Sept. 2, the host accused Harris of “code-switching” or using a different accent before showing an edited compilation of the Vice President delivering speeches in Detroit and Pittsburgh over the 2024 Labor Day weekend.

In an incomplete narrative of Harris’ upbringing, Watters highlighted how the Democratic presidential nominee was raised by her Indian mother in Canada and then compared her dialect to that of Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis.

“Kamala was raised by an Indian mother in Canada,” he said. “But now she sounds like Fani Willis.”

Watters: Kamala was raised by an Indian mother in Canada but now she sounds like Fani Willis pic.twitter.com/4mRtl8cg3L
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 4, 2024

In her 2019 memoir, The Truths We Hold, Harris wrote that she was born in Oakland, California, to her Indian mother and Jamaican father. Her family then moved to Montreal when she was 12 after her mother accepted a job working for the city.

As social media caught wind of Watters’ remarks, users slammed him for promoting racist attacks about tones and Black culture by way of mocking and comparing the way Harris and Willis, who brought an indictment against former president Donald Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential vote in Georgia.

“They can’t attack her on her education, her career, or her record, so they’re going with straight-up racism,” @sarahbcalif wrote.

They can’t attack her on her education, her career, or her record so they’re going with straight up racism.
— SarahCA (@SarahBCalif) September 4, 2024

@weisselbergers said, “Jesse was raised by a liberal mother in Philadelphia, but now he sounds like Nathan Bedford Forrest.”

Jesse was raised by a liberal mother in Philadelphia, but now he sounds like Nathan Bedford Forrest.
— Allen Weisselberger (@weisselbergers) September 4, 2024

Former White House aide to the Bill Clinton administration, Keith Boykin, said Watters’ remarks just point out the ignorance of the network.

“I grew up next to a cornfield in a mostly white community in Missouri but spent weekends and summers with my Black cousins in the city of St. Louis,” he wrote on X. “Fox News continues to display its ignorance about the bifurcated reality of life for many Black people in America.”

I grew up next to a cornfield in a mostly white community in Missouri but spent weekends and summers with my Black cousins in the city of St. Louis. Fox News continues to display its ignorance about the bifurcated reality of life for many Black people in America. https://t.co/qZreZRGiyS
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) September 4, 2024

The comments came just one day before White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre checked fellow Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy after he questioned Harris’s alleged Southern accent, claiming the VP sounded different during the rallies.

Both Harris and Willis have been the target of attacks from opposing critics and conservative networks. In February 2024, Watters called the DA a “liar” and pressed her disqualification from the case after claiming the attorney lied about her relationship with special counsel Nathan Wade, according to Fox News.