Joyel Crawford, fairygodmentor, contributor
(Photo: Kirten White Photography/BE)

How To Stay Mindful and Demure When You Have A Narcissistic Boss

Here are some success skills that will help you navigate narcissism in the workplace


Dear FairyGodMentor,

How do I deal with a narcissistic boss? I’m afraid I’ll lose my job because he always gaslights me and it gives me extreme anxiety. He is causing me mental health issues. What do I do?

Signed, Cindy

Dear Cindy,

Thank you for reaching out and asking for help. It’s a very daunting experience dealing with someone who makes it virtually impossible for you to focus on your performance because of their negative behaviors and treatment. I understand how this manager and their treatment may feel all too consuming but nothing is more important than your health and well-being.

Here are some success skills that will help you navigate narcissism in the workplace behavior:

1. Identify the behavior

WORKPLACE, Bullying, return to office
(Photo: Yan Krukau/Pexels)
What feeds a narcissistic boss is manipulation and control. A common tactic that you may have experienced is gaslighting.  Gaslighting is when you’re made to doubt your reality. It’s essential to realize this is “their stuff” and not “your stuff” to own.  Remember that your worth and value are not wrapped up in anything they may say or do.

2. Keep your receipts

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(Photo: Katleho Seisa/Getty Images)
I often suggest leaders document conversations and interactions to account for their direct reports’ behavior and performance. I share the same advice for direct reports. Keep detailed accounts of the treatment you’ve encountered, especially when you’ve felt gaslighted or manipulated. Documentation serves two purposes, it’s a record of what’s taken place should you need to escalate the matter to Human Resources (HR) or your compliance department, and it will ground you in reality if you start to doubt yourself.

3. No is a complete sentence

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(Photo: Anna Shvets/Pexels)
This may feel impossible at this time, but it’s critical to set clear boundaries. There’s still time to set them! You can set boundaries with this type of boss in several ways: removing yourself from any conversations that aren’t professional, restating or reframing what was said when you feel that manipulation or personal attacks are being made, and working your self-management skills by regulating how you respond to this type of behavior.

4. Get help

Narcissistic, workplace
Photo by FG Trade/Getty Images

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength! You’ve already flexed your “get help” muscles by sending this note over to me. Being treated this way can feel very isolating, but don’t be ashamed of asking for help from your support system. Your support system could look like your family, friends, a mentor, or a therapist. If you feel that this person is violating law, policy, or your physical and/or psychological safety, talk to HR – immediately. HR can step in, document your concerns, and take additional corrective action steps.

5. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow

Job Skills, Work, future proof,
(Photo: Getty Images)
You may want to take a pause for the cause and think about your future. Dust off that resume, keep in touch with your network, and maybe enlist the support of a career coach to keep you motivated on your path to career success. I know a great coach if you need one! (hint, hint).

6. Self-care isn’t selfish

Black Restaurant, Washington D.C., Baltimore
(Photo: Getty Images)
This whole workplace experience has taken a toll on you! It is not selfish to prioritize self-care.  Self-care isn’t always taking bubble baths and eating bonbons. Do what energizes you. Take on activities that decrease anxiety and keep you feeling grounded. Whether it’s taking a break to breathe a few deep breaths, exercise, or meditation. Take a deep breath right now. Do you feel that air in your lungs rushing in and escaping? That’s your body reminding you that there’s only one you in the world and you have a lot of magic to do while you’re here. You matter!


Cindy, your career is very important, but your mental and physical well-being are just as important. You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time. Protect your peace at all costs. Self-advocacy gives you your control back. When you raise your voice, you raise your value. You have the power to create the type of work environment that builds you up and doesn’t tear you down. You can decide to bloom where you’re planted or uproot yourself and plant yourself in another garden where you’re valued and respected. The choice is always yours to make.

Keep your head up, Cindy! You got this!

With love and light,

Your FairyGodMentor®

Have a question about handling a micromanager, are you having difficulty navigating spaces because of your hair, is work stressing you out, do you need support coaching poor performance or are you wondering how to negotiate and get the job offer you desire, effectively? Do you have any questions about career and leadership development? 

Ask Your FairyGodMentor® here.


Joyel Crawford, Fairygodmentor, Ask Your Fairygodmentor, Column
(Image courtesy of Kirsten White Photography)

Joyel Crawford is an award-winning career and leadership development professional and the founder of Crawford Leadership Strategies, a consultancy that develops empowered, results-driven leaders through engaging leadership development coaching, training, and facilitation. She is the author of the best-selling book and audiobook Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career.

Emmett Till,
photo courtesy: picryl.com/free domain via U.S. Department of Agriculture

NOLA Artist Constructs Large Wooden Quilt With Debris From Emmett Till’s Chicago Home

Jean-Marcel St. Jacques' wooden quilt will be displayed in the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House museum in 2026.


The latest masterpiece from New Orleans artist Jean-Marcel St. Jacques is a large wooden quilt constructed from preserved bits of Emmett Till’s family home in Woodlawn.

The artwork, which pays homage to the 14-year-old who was lynched by white supremacists in Mississippi over 60 years ago, will be displayed at the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House Museum, the historic Chicago residence of Till, his mother, uncle, and cousins. “This particular [artwork] is about overcoming that grief and focusing on the strength of his mother, his grandmother, who bought the house, and your people that came out here and bought property that became a foundation for folks to establish a Northern presence,” said St. Jacques, according to Book Club Chicago.

The artist, discovered by Blacks in Green Founder Naomi Davis during a NOLA staff retreat, created the quilt from scrap wood and debris from renovations made to the home. The quilt is an extension of African traditions. “This practice I’m doing ain’t nothing new — I’ll blame it on the ancestors,” said St. Jacques, who used nails throughout the piece as a salute to Kongo priests and artists who placed nails in power figures called nkisi nkondi as part of a ritual to settle disputes or punish wrongdoers.

Davis envisions the quilt as a “point of entry” for Woodlawn residents to discover the deep history of their community’s role in Black history. As previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Till was abducted and lynched by white men in Mississippi in 1955 after he was accused of flirting with a white woman in a grocery store. The 14-year-old was kidnapped and tortured before he was shot in the head and tossed into the Tallahatchie River. His mother allowed the public to see her son’s body during an open-casket funeral, marking a significant moment for the Civil Rights Movement.

Blacks In Green stated that its restoration of Till’s childhood home will welcome the Chicago community into the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House, a museum, theater, and heritage hub commemorating the legacy of the Till family. St. Jacques’ quilt, a collaborative project with fellow friend and art professor Michelle Renee Perkins, will be displayed as a “teaching tool” inside the museum. The NOLA artist is working to construct 14 smaller quilts to auction off in support of the museum’s development and honor the ancestral history of sustainability by using materials that are decades old.

The museum is scheduled to open in 2026.

RELATED CONTENT: Statue Honoring Emmett Till’s Mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, Unveiled at Argo Community High School

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Florida Father, Stepmother Charged In Abuse, Killing Of 9-Year-Old Girl

Tyshael Martin and Lojuan Sessions are charged in the killing of Jamaria Sessions


On August 28, a Florida woman was arrested and charged for allegedly abusing and killing her boyfriend’s daughter. Several days later, the father of the victim was also arrested for allegedly allowing the mistreatment to take place.

According to Spectrum News 13, Tyshael Martin is facing charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and child neglect in the death of 9-year-old Jamaria Sessions. On August 30, Jamaria’s biological father, Lojuan Sessions, was arrested, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office recommended he be charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.

The medical examiner found that Jamaria’s death was caused by blunt injuries to her head and body. The girl also had a burn on her foot, Mynews13 reported. Authorities believe the child died after sustaining a pattern of abuse.

Investigators found a home video from the family’s security system that revealed some of the abuse Jamaria purportedly endured. There is footage of the girl being attacked by the family’s dog, and it shows Martin instigating the attack while allegedly holding the leash. Other footage showed Martin hitting Jamaria and dragging her motionless body across the floor.

An affidavit read that when first responders arrived at the place she shared with Lojuan, Martin told them that she was Jamaria’s stepmother and that she found the girl “unresponsive and cold to the touch” when she woke up on June 17.

Investigators noticed Jamaria’s body was riddled with a “significant number of abrasions, small punctures, burns, possible bite marks, and bruising” when they arrived at the residence.

On June 18, the medical examiner didn’t have an exact cause of death, but stated the nine-year-old had superficial injuries that “appeared to be torture.”

The affidavit of probable cause filed on August 29 states that Lojuan helped Martin in the discipline and physical and mental abuse that the 9-year-old suffered, based on statements and evidence collected from digital forensics of cellular phones. In text messages, investigators say that the two adults often made jokes about the conditions that were created for Jamaria as she suffered through extreme exercise and physical abuse, describing them as “BootCamp.”

Lojuan Sessions is currently on felony probation after he was previously convicted of two counts of child neglect, fleeing a law enforcement officer, trafficking in MDMA, and aggravated assault.

RELATED CONTENT:Chrystul Kizer, Child Sex-Trafficking Victim Who Killed Her Abuser, Sentenced To 11 Years

Ghostface Killah, Wu-Tang Clan, Keurig
(Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah Pours Up New K-Cups In Keurig Collaboration

Killah Koffee k-pods will come in two flavors to initiate the launch.


Wu-Tang Clan’s very own Ghostface Killah is expanding his gourmet coffee brand to K-Cups with Keurig.

Killah Koffee will now be available in single-serve pods for Keurig owners to enjoy at home. The brand, launched in 2021 by the rapper, will also have two of its blends available in the pods. The Supreme Dark Roast and the medium roast, deemed Shaolin Cannoli, will take part in the launch.

Ghostface also announced a sweepstakes to celebrate the new collaboration.

“Yo, this the Killah Koffee and Keurig sweepstakes,” wrote the 54-year-old. “Mad giveaways. We got a custom brewer. We got autographed canvases, we’re giving everything away, and mad Killah Koffee merch. Limited edition on everything. Aight? No doubt.”

The custom brewer comes in the brand’s signature purple with Ghostface’s logo featured on the product’s side.

Moreover, Killah Koffee hosts a wide range of flavors, including vanilla milkshake, marble cake, and chocolate chip mint. While the company is getting a major boost through this new partnership, its owner’s Staten Island roots remain integral to the brand. Their brick-and-mortar store opened in May 2022, while the venture continues to thrive on the internet.

“Killah Koffee is one of the few Black-owned businesses—and the only one owned by a hip-hop artist—on Staten Island,” explained its website. “Ghostface Killah, rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan, opened the brick-and-mortar location in West Brighton after a year of successful online sales. The quaint coffee shop brews the finest arabica coffee beans, has a small selection of store-branded merchandise, and is a great stop for a quick hot brew to go while exploring many of the other sites on the island.”

Even if one cannot win the sweepstakes, Killah Koffee still hosts a variety of merch for hip-hop enthusiasts and coffee lovers alike. From mugs, beanies, tumblers, and varsity jackets, all can show their pride in the Black-owned coffee brand.

As for its latest product, the exclusive coffee pods are available on Keurig’s website.

RELATED CONTENT: Martin Shkreli Has To Give Up His Copies Of Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Once Upon A Time in Shaolin’

Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Georgia, Black voters
(Photos from left: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images; Gage Skidmore/flickr)

Trump Campaign Drops ‘I’m Not With Her’ Video Of Black Women Against Kamala Harris 

Can't get all of them....


Former President Donald Trump released a new video, “I’m Not With Her,” featuring a montage of Black women who claim they won’t be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris in November 2024, NBC News reports

Released on Aug. 28, the video is a new attempt from the Trump-Vance campaign to garner support from Black women voters ahead of the presidential election. More than a dozen women make an appearance, some from key battleground states, expressing their opposition to Harris and claiming the HBCU graduate is out of touch with Black voters. “I and millions of other Black Americans will cast my vote for Donald J. Trump,” voter Bebe Diamond of New York City said in the video.

https://twitter.com/BehizyTweets/status/1828862162044850351

Trump has his work cut out for him in grabbing the full attention of Black women — the same demographic where 90% voted for President Joe Biden in 2020. Traditionally, Black voters vote on the Democratic ticket. Following the 2024 Democratic National Convention, polls show Harris narrowing in on Trump. According to Axios, Harris has 48% support from survey respondents over Trump’s 47%. She also led by two points — 47% to 45% — on an independent and third-party candidate ballot. 

Outside of the one woman from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who suggested her support of Trump comes from the “economic policies our country experienced under his leadership as our 45th president,” the other women didn’t elaborate on why they were not supporting the vice president in her quest for the White House. In a statement regarding the video, the director of the Trump campaign’s Black media, Janiyah Thomas, says the video is a play on how the Democratic Party has looked past Black issues for years. “Black voters have been taken for granted by the Democratic Party for years, but President Trump’s message is resonating at historic levels because he is doing the work and meeting voters where they are,” Thomas said, according to the Chicago Defender. 

The Harris campaign clapped back on the comments, saying the numbers paint a different picture as Black women have been mobilizing on historic levels to ensure Harris wins. “Let’s not forget that the electric mobilization efforts that we have seen across the country for the Harris-Walz ticket was led by tens of thousands of Black women who came together less than twenty-four hours after Vice President Harris launched her candidacy — raising seven figures for the new Harris for President campaign,” Harris’ director of Black media, Jasmine Harris, said.

On social media, the video is receiving mixed reviews. MAGA supporters are singing praises of unity, with other Black women who didn’t make the cut wanting to be added. “Add me on that list too,” @peggydodson wrote. 

Others called out how a little over 12 women won’t make much of a difference. “Geez, only 12!?! White women for Harris had over 200,000 and 44,000 Black women for Harris,” @dividedwefa11 said. 

The unidentified social media user continued to highlight that over 200 Republicans formerly working for the Bush, Cheney, and McCain administrations issued support for Harris over the nominee of their own party. “Wow, you found 12 black women to say they’re not voting for Harris. Wow over 200 Bush, Cheney, and McCain administrations just came out and said they are not supporting Trump along with every living president and vice president along with 90% of his own cabinet and even multiple family members and they condemn Trump and warning us of Trump 2.0.,” she said. 

“Read that again because I don’t think your 12 people hold a candle to all of the people that know him best.”

RELATED CONTENT: Olympic Gold Medal Winner Stephen Curry Endorses Kamala Harris For President

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(Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Asphalt Paving Systems To Pay $1.25M To Settle EEOC Racism Lawsuit

According to the EEOC’s press release, in addition to paying the EEOC the reported sum, the company will also be required to pay out comprehensive injunctive relief to affected employees. 


Asphalt Paving Systems, an asphalt paving company that maintains offices in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Tennessee, has agreed to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for $1.25 million.

According to the EEOC, in addition to paying the EEOC the reported sum, the company will also be required to pay out comprehensive injunctive relief to affected employees. 

The EEOC’s lawsuit alleges that the company maintained a system of frequent and severe race-based harassment of 12 Black former employers and several Black employees at the company. The lawsuit describes alleged degrading and humiliating circumstances the employees were subjected to, including being called racial slurs like “the n-word,” “monkey,” and “boy.”

In addition to this, Black employees were allegedly forced to work in pouring rain storms, while white employees watched and forced them to use the restroom outside while white employees were allowed to use the facilities inside. The EEOC’s lawsuit also alleges that the work environment the company created was made worse by physically threatening conduct from managers and supervisors. In one instance, a gun was reached for at a worksite. At other worksites, firearms were routinely brought to worksites, generally a violation of most workplace standards, according to GovDocs

As a result of these actions and its inaction on behalf of the company’s Black employees, APS will also be required to provide special training on race-based discrimination to its managers and human resources personnel, and they will have to appoint a monitor unaffiliated with its organization to review any complaints of racial harassment. This monitor will also regularly report any harassment complaints and steps the company takes to address said reaction to the EEOC. 

According to the EEOC’s Charlotte A. Burrows, the case speaks to the continued necessity of the EEOC to monitor racial discrimination in the workplace. 

“This case underscores the urgent need for the EEOC’s ongoing efforts to eliminate racism in the construction industry,” Burrows said. “The EEOC will continue to use all its tools—including vigorous enforcement and litigation where necessary—to address these systemic problems and promote safe and inclusive workplaces for all.”

EEOC Regional Attorney Kirsten M. Foslid echoed Burrows’ sentiment in her own statement, “No employee should have to work in an environment that is openly hostile to them because of their race,” Foslid said. “The abhorrent treatment that these workers endured is unacceptable anywhere, but especially in the workplace. The EEOC will continue to work vigorously to protect employees’ right to earn a living without being subjected to discrimination.”

RELATED CONTENT: EEOC Cancels One-Day Furlough, Will Use Savings To Stay Open

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AI Shows Deep-Seated Bias Against African American Vernacular

A new study shows that large language models like ChatGPT have biases, including stereotypes against African American English speakers.


As more research about artificial intelligence explores the inner workings of the technology’s use of human language that has exploded following innovation from OpenAI and other players in the technology space, the anti-Black biases of these tools are being exposed. 

According to a paper in Nature, large language models (LLM) like the ones used by Open AI’s ChatGPT program, operate with bias embedded in their programming. In the paper, the authors show that LLMs use dialect prejudice and hold raciolinguistic stereotypes regarding speakers who use African American English, Ars Technica reported. 

According to the paper, “Dialect prejudice has the potential for harmful consequences: language models are more likely to suggest that speakers of AAE be assigned less-prestigious jobs, be convicted of crimes and be sentenced to death.”

Nicole Holliday, a linguist at the University of California, Berkeley, told Science.org that the findings of the paper deserve to be heard and intimately understood.

“Every single person working on generative AI needs to understand this paper;” Holliday also warned that although companies that make LLMs have attempted to address racial bias, “when the bias is covert…that’s something that they have not been able to check for.”

Despite efforts to fix the racial bias in these language models, the bias remains. The paper’s authors say that using human preference alignment to solve the problem of racial bias only serves to hide the racism that these models maintain inside their protocols. 

According to the paper, “As the stakes of the decisions entrusted to language models rise, so does the concern that they mirror or even amplify human biases encoded in the data they were trained on, thereby perpetuating discrimination against racialized, gendered and other minoritized social groups.”

The paper goes on to tie together the potential prejudices of these LLM’s against AAE speakers with real-world examples of discrimination. “For example, researchers have previously found that landlords engage in housing discrimination based solely on the auditory profiles of speakers, with voices that sounded Black or Chicano being less likely to secure housing appointments in predominantly white locales than in mostly Black or Mexican American areas,” the report read.

According to the paper, “Our experiments show that these stereotypes are similar to the archaic human stereotypes about African Americans that existed before the civil rights movement, are even more negative than the most negative experimentally recorded human stereotypes about African Americans, and are both qualitatively and quantitatively different from the previously reported overt racial stereotypes in language models, indicating that they are a fundamentally different kind of bias.”

The paper also warned that, like American society becoming less overtly racist, the attitudes embedded in the subprocesses of artificial intelligence programs will allow for anti-Black racism to persist in more acceptable parameters as it relates to artificial intelligence. 

The paper’s authors continued, “Worryingly, we also observe that larger language models and language models trained with HF exhibit stronger covert, but weaker overt, prejudice…There is therefore a realistic possibility that the allocational harms caused by dialect prejudice in language models will increase further in the future, perpetuating the racial discrimination experienced by generations of African Americans.”

RELATED CONTENT: Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms: 21st Century Tools for Racism

affordable housing, Washington State, Program, Historical Housing Discrimination, housing discrimination, property taxes, South Fulton, foreclosure
(Photo: iStock)

Washington State Program To Combat Historical Housing Discrimination

Washington housing authorities said the program is an attempt to atone for racist redlining practices.


Washington State recently created its Washington Homeownership Program after passing the Covenant Homeownership Act in 2023. The act was designed to address the discriminatory barriers to homeownership historically faced by Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other people of color.

According to the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, the State of Washington opened the Covenant Homeownership Program in July 2024, giving much-needed assistance to potential homeowners of color. The program offers a no-interest loan that covers both the down payment and closing costs of a home for first-time buyers. 

The homeownership program avoids any potential legal challenges by utilizing a “special purpose credit program” to fund it instead of a government agency. This allows funds created through the program to be used for the assistance of disadvantaged groups in accordance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, a federal law. The Covenant Homeownership Act was funded through an additional recording fee on real-estate transactions, which had raised 18 million by July 2024.

In a press release, Nicole Bascomb-Green, the chair of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, said that their program is an attempt at atonement for racist redlining practices. 

“This is a proud moment for the Commission and for Washington state. Today we make the promise of the Covenant Homeownership Act a reality for homebuyers. Redlining, racist covenants, and other kinds of state-supported discrimination denied thousands of families in Washington the opportunity to own a home and build wealth for their families,” Bascomb-Green added. “This program finally takes a step toward righting those wrongs by creating a new path to homeownership.”

The Black Home Initiative, the Housing Development Consortium, Rep. Jamila Taylor, Sen. John Lovick, and Rep. Frank Chopp all worked collaboratively to advocate for the bill’s passage, which received bi-partisan support to assist potential homebuyers who are from marginalized communities with deep ties to Washington state.

According to the mandate of the Covenant Homeownership Act and recommendations of the Covenant Homeownership Program Study, the eligibility requirements are as follows:

A Household income at or below 100% of the Area Median Income, (AMI) the applicant must be a First-time homebuyer, either the homebuyer or a parent/grandparent/great-grandparent has to have lived in Washington state before April 1968, and the person who lived in Washington before April 1968 is Black, Hispanic, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Korean or Asian Indian.

According to the Covenant Homeownership Study, “The study team found that since Washington’s inception, housing discrimination and segregation have been embedded in its history. As noted by the legislature, in the Covenant Homeownership Act: ‘Generations of systemic, racist, and discriminatory policies and practices have created barriers to credit and homeownership for Black, Indigenous, and people of color and other historically marginalized communities in Washington.’ The legislation goes on to note that the homeownership rate for Black, Native American, and people of color and other historically marginalized communities…in Washington is 19 percentage points below that of non-Hispanic white households, and that gap is even wider between Black and white households.”

The report continued, “The law also recognizes that mortgages are harder to obtain and more expensive for historically marginalized communities. Our thorough analysis of hundreds of reports, articles, and documents reveals this pervasive discrimination led to decades of missed wealth-building opportunities for marginalized communities and continues to yield racially and ethnically disparate outcomes in housing, credit, education, health, employment, and other areas.” 

RELATED CONTENT: Justice Department, North Carolina Reach $13.5M Settlement With Bank Over Redlining Claims

Halloween, blackface,
(Horacio Villalobos - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Utah High School Allows White Students In Blackface To Win Spirit Prize

The school district has dealt with racism issues in the past, say parents


Parents of the Pine View High School community in Utah have condemned the awarding of a spirit prize to two white students wearing blackface.

According to Essence, the students donned the racist attire during the Utah school’s “blackout” football game on Aug. 23. However, instead of reprimanding them, the school celebrated the students for the effort. Photos of the students went viral on social media, leading to the backlash.

After calling attention to the insensitivity of the act, some parents told local news outlets about the blackface. Edward Wright, a Black parent whose daughter is a senior at the high school, stated that claiming ignorance does not resolve the issue.

“You could have tapped these young men on the shoulder, whispered in their ear and let these young men know the significance of this,” said Wright to 2KUTV. “We all make mistakes, but in this age of social media and always being connected, there’s just no way people didn’t know. I’m a firm believer that ignorance is not an excuse. You do it in the moment the issue arises. You don’t wait. I feel like this was a missed opportunity to educate.”

Wright noted that racism is prevalent throughout Pine View and shared that some of his 11 children have faced discrimination in the Washington County School System. According to Data USA, white people make up over 82% of the area’s population.

Wright added, “I have other children that attend the schools here and they’ve been called the n-word. We’ve had to go talk to principals about issues at school.” 

Witnessing the instances of racism, other parents have created programs to educate students and faculty about how racism perpetuates. Stacy Fletcher, a former parent in the district, also withdrew her child from the local schools after years of racist bullying.

“This is when we step forward and lean into it. What about that was harmful? How can I educate myself about Black face? Don’t ask a Black person to educate you on Black face. You can Google it if you don’t understand. It is important to educate yourself,” said Fletcher on this matter.

Moreover, Steve Dunham of the Washington County School district admitted that they must do better to prevent these instances.

“Whenever an instance like this comes up, it immediately shows us where we are weak and where we can do better,” Dunham said. “We are going to step in and try to reinforce some things with all of our full-time educators, all of our part time educators and all of our staff, so we can feel like we’ve done the very best we can.”

RELATED CONTENT: Parents Demand Action Against Racist Incidents In School

Black Dragon takeout, Black-owned Chinese restaurant, Philly
Courtesy of Black Dragon Takeout

Black-Owned Restaurant Brings Chinese Takeout To West Philly

The restaurant provides a Black American twist on classic Chinese dishes.


Black Dragon is not your typical Chinese takeout spot. The Black-owned restaurant in West Philadelphia blends two cuisines and communities for a unique culinary experience.

Officially opened on Aug. 29, Black Dragon caters to all customers, while serving up something different in the area. At Black Dragon, one can eat “General Roscoe’s” sweet and spicy chicken instead of the traditional “General Tso’s.” With egg rolls filled with collard greens and oxtail on the menu, the restaurant provides a spin on classic Chinese dishes.

However, the takeout food spot still pays homage to both heritages. It also hosts a traditional takeout look, but with a more vibrant aesthetic. Moreover, the restaurant is filling a void of homegrown eateries shrinking throughout the city.

Its website explains, “The idea for Black Dragon Takeout originated with Chef Kurt Evans, who observed a troubling trend: local Chinese takeout restaurants were closing down, particularly in Black American communities. The second-generation Chinese Americans were no longer taking over these family businesses, leading to a significant gap in food deserts where residents have relied on these establishments for quick, hot meals for decades.”

Despite the elevated experience, Black Dragon stays true to its roots. According to Eater, no reservations are needed to dine in, with the affordable eats ranging from $6 to $26. Kurt Evans, with a successful history of restaurant ownership, hopes to change the city’s culinary landscape for the better.

Black Dragon aims to be a “transformative force” in West Philadelphia, focusing on hiring locally and offering second chances to formerly incarcerated individuals.

“By reclaiming spaces once occupied by Chinese takeout restaurants, we aim to rebuild and enhance our communities,” the website continued. “We strive to create a welcoming environment where customers can enjoy high-quality meals without the traditional barriers of Plexiglas windows. Our goal is to foster trust and build lasting relationships with our customers, ensuring that everyone feels valued and connected.”

Now, locals and visitors alike can “enter the dragon” and experience unique meals with a familiar taste.

RELATED CONTENT: Usher Opens His First Dave’s Hot Chicken In Atlanta, With More On The Way

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