• Culture

by Ida Harris

August 27, 2024

Tyrese, Rickey Smiley, Claudia Jordan And More, Receive Honorary Degrees

The tribute was presented by the Leaders Esteem Christian Bible University

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Tyrese Gibson is now Dr. Tyrese Gibson. He does not take the title lightly. Along with several other celebrities, including Rickey Smiley, D-Nice, Raheem Devaugn, Claudia Jordan, Natasha Leath, and Andrea Kelly, Tyrese received an honorary doctorate Aug. 25. He also, achieved a lifetime achievement award from President Joe Biden for his excellence in music. The singer-actor was supported by his partner Zelie Timothy and reflected on receiving the prestigious honor. 

“Moments like this, I feel like, I never could ever imagine this happening without my mother being in the audience to see it,” Gibson told BLACK ENTERPRISE. 

“So, it’s hard to celebrate when you see or you have a moment that feels like this, that’s so beautiful and life changing and that’s the one hug I wish I could walk out there and get.”

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The tribute was presented by the Leaders Esteem Christian Bible University which was established in 2020, by Dr. Verna Caddie, “in the midst of the pandemic,” after receiving her PhD In Christian education. The founder believes paying homage to individuals who perform exceptionally in their work and serve their communities is just due. 

As of late, the conferment of honorary degrees has been under scrutiny, with critics voicing such opinions about celebrities and honorees skipping to the head of the class,

“These honorable diplomas are a slap in the face to people spending all of their life savings going to college,” Essence reported. 

According to Brandeis University, honorary degrees date back to the 15th century, with Oxford University being the first recorded institution to bestow the honor. Honorary degrees do not carry the weight of matriculated degrees, as academic institutions and universities waive degree requirements. They are what they say they are — honorary degrees, given for the sake of honor and not scholarship. 

“We are an accredited Bible university.” Caddie told BE. “I know a lot of people ask that but we are accredited, we have numerous accreditations and we also have good standing memberships as well.”

Despite what detractors say, Caddie’s initiative is in keeping with the traditional practice of acknowledging distinguished people for their specific contributions. The award ceremony was a proud moment for honorees, like music producer Sean Garrett, entertainer Claudia Jordan and Natasha Leath, a life coach and spiritual advisor. Leath is inspired by the honor and hopes to do more in her business and practice.

Towanda Braxton, singer and recipient of an honorary degree as well, spoke to BE about the positives of honorary degrees. 

“I think it’s amazing, Braxton said. 

“You don’t always have to be physically in school to be honored.” 

Braxton continued: “You know, I just think that there are two different ways to get an honorary doctor. I think that some people earn it from ed, from the educational side, but I also believe that people deserve it on the professional side, especially since they’ve been in the business for a long period of time.”

The work of doctors who are scholars and practitioners is not lost on Gibson. The “Lately” singer acknowledged medical professionals amid celebrating the receipt of his honorary degree.”

“I was just honored but for all of the medical professionals, surgeons, doctors, nurses, and real selfless men and women, angels who put it all on the line every single day to keep us healthy and keep our family safe, giving birth to kids every single day,” Gibson said. 

“What a life? What a choice to wake up every day and be selfless. If I wanna be like anything, it’s like them.”

“I get to fake it for today,” Gibson joked. 

“I can prescribe some Pedialyte.”

RELATED CONTENT: Comin’ From Where I’m From: Anthony Hamilton Receives Honorary Degree From Hometown HBCU

• Money

by Daniel Johnson

August 27, 2024

New Report Indicates 44% Of American Families Struggle To Meet Basic Needs

According to Jason Rahlan, the VP of corporate responsibility and sustainability for Dayforce, employers have an easy fix for the problem: raising wages.

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According to a new joint report from Dayforce and the Living Wage Corporation, 44% of American full-time employees do not make enough money to cover their family’s basic needs.

The report utilized data from 600,000 full-time employees, which was run through MIT’s Living Wage calculator. The recommended living wage in America is context-specific; it varies based on location and cost of living. For example, the living wage in Sacramento County, California, for a couple with two children, is $31.43, while the living wage in Marshall County, Kansas, with the same parameters, is $22.46.

Kavya Vaghul, the co-founder and chief product officer of the Living Wage Institute, told Fortune, “This report should be a wake-up call. It tracks really closely with what we hear the American public is experiencing when it comes to the inflationary environment. You have prices skyrocketing on basic goods and services, and as a result of that, many people are not able to meet basic needs.”

Vaghul continued, discussing the impact of the economic climate on women. “With women, there are several factors that drive the report’s findings, and they’re all connected to a pernicious history of societal biases as well as discriminatory and unequal labor market policies that are continuing to contribute to the disparities that we see by gender.”

Black and Latinx workers also face inequality. They are twice as likely as white workers not to make ends meet. The two ethnicities, respectively, earn $8.20 and $7.70 less per hour than white workers, signifying a significant gap in earning potential.

According to Jason Rahlan, the VP of corporate responsibility and sustainability for Dayforce, employers have an easy fix for the problem: raising wages. Unless, he says, they want to lose talented workers to other companies.

“People not making a living wage are more likely to report struggling to pay for housing, overdrawing their checking and savings accounts, skipping healthcare and purchasing medicine,” Rahlan told Fortune. “When workers are at higher risk of suffering these negative outcomes, they’re going to be more at risk for leaving a workplace and seeking another job opportunity because they need the opportunity for a life of health, fulfillment, and dignity.”

Rahlan continued, “Companies making the choice to invest in their people and address living wage gaps in their workforce is not only the right thing to do for their people, but the smart thing to do for their business.”

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 27, 2024

TLC Forced To Cancel Weekend Concerts After T-Boz’s Hospitalization

TLC canceled their weekend concerts in New York and Connecticut after T-Boz fell ill and was hospitalized.

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TLC was forced to pull the plug on their weekend concerts in New York and Connecticut after T-Boz fell ill and wound up in the hospital.

T-Boz, real name Tionne Watkins, thought she came down with food poisoning but found herself hospitalized for abdominal blockage, TMZ reported. The health scare caused the famed R&B group to cancel their Friday show at the NY State Fair in Syracuse and Saturday show at Foxwoods in Connecticut.

Fans were already in the audience on Friday, waiting for the show to start, when they received a message on a large screen informing them of the canceled performance due to T-Boz’s health. The announcement came just 30 minutes before TLC was scheduled to hit the stage.

“Unfortunately, tonight’s TLC performance has been canceled due to T-BOZ experiencing severe illness,” the statement read. “We wish her a quick recovery.”

Video journalist Katrina Tulloch posted an image of the statement on Twitter and noted how many fans were left “disappointed” by the announcement,

“Whole lotta TLC fans disappointed tonight. Their free @NYSfair concert was canceled suddenly,” Tulloch tweeted. “At 7:30 p.m., this message went up. T-Boz has food poisoning. (TLC drew a crowd of 30,000 at the 2022 fair.)”

Whole lotta TLC fans disappointed tonight. Their free @NYSfair concert was canceled suddenly.

At 7:30 p.m., this message went up. T-Boz has food poisoning. (TLC drew a crowd of 30,000 at the 2022 fair.)@byfernandoalba reporting, photo by @SchildScott:https://t.co/DXLsB67cq0 pic.twitter.com/zljWcGIgLm

— Katrina Tulloch (@katrinatulloch) August 24, 2024

After the concert on Friday was canceled, the group followed up with a statement letting fans know that it wasn’t food poisoning T-Boz had but something more severe that would cause another axed show.

“The doctor verified that this was not food poisoning but an abdominal blockage,” they revealed. “Tionne deeply regrets having to cancel these shows and extends her sincere apologies to all her fans and the event promoters.”

The “Waterfalls” singer was still hospitalized on Saturday when the Connecticut concert was canceled. T-Boz was expected to be released on Sunday. This isn’t the first time TLC has had to cancel shows on their current tour. In May, the duo canceled a couple of shows in Canada due to a flu outbreak among tour members.

T-Boz has been open about her health struggles throughout her career, caused by the sickle cell disorder she was diagnosed with at birth. She got candid about her journey with the disease in her 2017 memoir A Sick Life.

“When you have sickle cell, your red blood cells get stuck on their way around your veins, causing blockages and stopping the oxygen from getting to your vital organs,” she explained.

“Where there’s a lack of oxygen, you can go into a crisis, an attack of severe pain, sometimes located only in a certain spot and sometimes all over your body. Often, it’s hard to breathe or, walk or even do something as basic as holding a pen. A crisis can happen without any warning. Just, bam! You’re in the hospital again.”

In 2020, T-Boz shared how her use of CBD helps to combat her sickle cell symptoms.

“Someone suggested CBD, and I tried it. At first, I didn’t feel any different, but then I started noticing that I was feeling stronger. I wasn’t getting as sick as often, and I don’t even have a good working spleen,” she told Ebony. “Your spleen is what helps you fight off colds and diseases. I lost my spleen, but I grew two accessory spleens, which is totally crazy. I didn’t know you can grow an organ back. God has been looking out for me! Anytime someone around me had a cold, I would always catch the cold to the 10th power, but now [I’m not] even catching cooties (laughs).”

T-Boz launched her CBD line, TLCBD, which includes a balm, CBD tincture, and beauty oils for wrinkles.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 27, 2024

U.S. Border Patrol Agent Accused of Forcing Women To Expose Themselves In Virtual Interviews

The border patrol agent is accused of forcing women to expose their breasts during virtual interviews.

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A U.S. border patrol agent was arrested on Aug. 22 after he was accused of forcing women to expose their breasts during virtual application reviews.

Shane Millan, 53, of Jefferson County, New York, was arrested on four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, a press release reveals. Authorities say Millan violated the constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches while virtually processing the admission of four women into the United States.

Millan is accused of commanding three women to expose their bare chests to him in August 2023 over webcam and having a fourth woman expose her breasts to him while her bra remained on. Millan allegedly told the women that the searches were necessary for their application review for entry into the country.

According to the charging documents, the border patrol agent is accused of committing the offenses in Jefferson County, near the Canadian border, and “elsewhere. ” He was arraigned in Syracuse, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks and released pending a trial.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility Investigative Operations Directorate is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael F. Perry and Michael D. Gadarian serve as prosecutors.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a statement saying the agency does not tolerate misconduct among its agents.

“When we discover any alleged or potential misconduct, we immediately refer it for investigation and cooperate fully with any criminal or administrative investigations,” CBP said.

Millan’s jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 21. Court documents do not indicate if he entered a plea during his initial appearance. Millan’s current status as a Border Patrol agent remains unknown.

RELATED CONTENT: U.S. Customs and Border Investigates ‘Challenge Coin’ Immortalizing Treatment of Haitian Immigrants