JON E. BARFIELD
COMPANY
President & CEO, LJ Holdings Investment Co. LLC
BOARD
CMS Energy Corp.
JON E. BARFIELD
MICHAEL J. BARBER
MICHAEL J. BARBER
COMPANY
Former Chief Diversity Officer for General Electric Co.
BOARD
Catalent Inc.
by Daniel Johnson
August 20, 2024
DC Councilmember Trayon White Arrested On Suspicion Of Accepting $156,000 In Bribes
According to the complaint, White is alleged to have taken $156,000 in cash in order to push government employees to extend certain contracts.
On Aug. 18, Washington, D.C., Councilmember Trayon White Sr. was arrested on federal bribery charges. According to the complaint, White allegedly took $156,000 in cash to pressure government employees to extend specific contracts.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the 40-year-old White was to extend contracts valued at $5.6 million in exchange for the cash. Furthermore, the payments represented a three percent cut of the contract, paid to White by a confidential source on four separate occasions. White’s interaction with his alleged source was captured on video.
According to Matthew M. Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the arrest and charges happened quickly due to the circumstances.
“Because the investigation into the alleged bribery scheme involved contracts that could soon be awarded and other potential official acts that could be taken, our Office took swift steps to address the alleged crimes we were investigating.”
According to NBC News, White was generally silent during his court appearance on Aug. 19 and did not enter a plea. White was dressed casually, wearing a grey sweatshirt, black pants, and grey sneakers. If convicted, White will face a maximum sentence of 15 years.
To be released on bail, White will be required to surrender his passport and guns, if he has any, and notify pretrial services if he plans on traveling outside of the D.C. area. He will also need the court’s permission to travel internationally. He cannot speak with any witnesses in the case, which NBC News notes will be difficult as he will have to interact with those individuals during his job.
White has represented Washington D.C.’s Ward 8 since 2017 and recently won the Democratic primary in June. White’s next court appearance is a status hearing on Sept. 19. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI Washington Field Office, the D.C. Office of the Inspector General, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington Field Office are handing the current investigation into White’s alleged involvement in the scheme.
RELATED CONTENT: Mississippi Councilwoman Resigns Hours Before Federal Indictment On Bribery
by Sharelle B. McNair
August 20, 2024
Black Heart Association Shares The Importance Of Heart Health In Harlem With Free Screenings
Thank God Tara is here to tell her story!
PIX 11 reported that Black Heart Association Founders Tara and Frederick Robinson stopped in Harlem to promote the importance of heart health and to provide free screenings.
The Texas-based nonprofit provided Harlem residents free heart screenings on Aug. 18 during a stop on its Guard Your Heart Tour, sponsored by biotech company Amgen. The goal is to provide free health screenings to 2,500 people by the end of 2024. Founder Tara Robinson and her husband, Frederick, started the company in 2014 after Robinson suffered three heart attacks over seven days. The third one almost cost her her life.
The Robinsons sat down with Black Enterprise to tell their story and discuss why their work is so important.
“I ended up having a massive heart attack with 99% blockage in my left artery. That type of heart attack is known as the ‘widow maker.’ So I was 40 years old at the time of my heart attacks, and I almost didn’t make it to my 41st birthday,” Robinson said. “That led me to start advocating and volunteering and that led me to start my own nonprofit when I saw that the gap was not being filled; that we needed to have up close and personal relationships with our community on our health.”
According to WCNC Charlotte, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave an alarming statistic that Black women suffer from higher rates of heart disease, coronary disease, and stroke deaths in comparison to white women in the U.S. “I’m the strong Black woman,” Robinson said. “I think I’m the poster child for it. That’s definitely part of why I had my heart attacks because I internalized stress so much.
In February 2024, the organization partnered with the CDC Foundation’s Live to the Beat campaign for a new initiative entitled the Heart2Heart Challenge, with the goal of assisting Black women in protecting their heart health. The Director of the CDC’s Office of Health Equity, Dr. Leandris Liburd, encouraged women to make small commitments to addressing heart health.
“In that challenge, we are asking for three things: One is to make a commitment to take one small step, and that one small step can be walking every day,” Liburd said.
”We can reduce this burden of heart disease with good medical care and also by making good lifestyle changes.”
The CDC recommends a self-care routine that includes finding ways to limit stress, monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol, and having a solid support system. The Robinsons use their Black Heart Mobile Unit to give people their cholesterol numbers and AC-1 numbers (diabetes).
by Sharelle B. McNair
August 20, 2024
Black Men Discuss Key Topics In The 2024 Presidential Election
Glad Black men are provided a safe space to express themselves....
The Associated Press reports that Black men have become the leading demographic discussing the issues surrounding the 2024 presidential election.
The campaign of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has refocused the lens on Black men, identifying them as the most persuadable groups of voters for both parties. The parties have heard the concerns of Black men, who often feel their experiences and political preferences are pushed aside in public debate ahead of the election.
Across the country, organizations have gathered to host Black men and provide a safe space to voice opinions. The Black Man Lab, a weekly “safe, sacred and healing space” for those in the metro Atlanta area, sees close to 100 men per week who come together to pray and talk through challenges and triumphs facing them and their communities.
In a meeting that occurred shortly after President Joe Biden stepped aside to allow Harris to take over, Black men were identified as the target of both parties. “Black men are the target, and we hold the keys to the kingdom. This is our moment,” Lance Robertson, executive director of the Black City Councilmen of Georgia, said.
“The Black man has built America. Now it’s time for the Black man to save America.”
According to the outlet, traditionally, the demographic tends to lean toward the Democratic ticket, but in 2024, those under age 40, in particular, are being labeled as attainable voters. Experts are watching how the demographic turns out at the polls as they hold a strong deciding factor in November. Bishop Reginald Jackson believes that Black men were skeptical about this political season from the beginning, and with all the changes, the suspicion kept up. “To be frank, I think early on in this process, a lot of Black men viewed this election with much skepticism and dread,” Jackson, who presides over the 534 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia, said.
“But since the change in the Democratic ticket, there has been a turnaround. I think they feel they have something that they can support. I think a lot of issues which made a lot of them skeptical are being addressed.”
Younger voters’ concerns lean toward wealth creation, entrepreneurship, police reform, and anti-discrimination policies in the workplace. However, economic policy is at the top of older voters’ minds. According to Newsweek, Black men have been hesitant to announce which ballot they are supporting because of a sense of entitled loyalty to Harris as a Black woman. “It seems that Harris is entitled to the Black male vote simply because she is a Black woman. I do not recall an election where working-class Black men resoundingly decided that Harris should be the party’s nominee for U.S. president,” writer Irami Osei-Frimpong said.
“But apparently, that’s irrelevant. Apparently, we’re not allowed to question the best candidate or best economic policy for us. Instead, we are expected to surrender our vote to party leadership and pull the lever based on the candidate’s race and gender.
Some have a hard time identifying why they are supporting Trump over Harris. Journalist Don Lemon interviewed Black voters on Atlantic City’s boardwalk, and when he asked one Black man why he was voting red in November, he couldn’t come up with a reason other than that he just thought Harris would only make a good vice president.
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) August 18, 2024
However, several Black male groups have rallied around the HBCU graduate. Black Men PAC announced a recent campaign of $4 million to encourage Black men in swing states to vote for Harris. Co-founder and board chair Frank White believes Black men are the difference between Harris winning over Trump. “Black men can be the difference between winning and losing,” White said. “Kamala is a better investment.”
RELATED CONTENT: Battleground State Polls Show VP Kamala Harris Tied With Trump But Outperforming With Black Voters
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
August 20, 2024
Meet The Black Woman In Charge Of The Country’s First Fully Digital Presidential Library
Phillips brings her own extensive history into the inaugural role overseeing the Obama Presidential Library.
Another Black woman has made history. Dr. Kenvi Phillips is the director of the Barack Obama Presidential Library, the first of its kind to be fully digital.
According to People Of Color In Tech (POCIT), Phillips began her inaugural role on June 16, putting her in charge of all the programs and activities at the library—virtually, of course. As the Obama Foundation decided not to construct a physical building to host the traditional establishment, its records, with approximately 95% already made digitally, are now being kept in this virtual forum.
While this innovative project is new, Phillips’ career is rich with its own history. The two-time Howard University graduate is no novice in library and archival management.
Not only has she served as the director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Brown University Library, but Phillips has also devoted her time and leadership to her alma mater’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. The center hosts the largest amount of resources and documents on the global Black diaspora.
With over two decades of experience, Phillips is a beacon of representation and proficiency for this groundbreaking role. Archivist of the United States, Dr. Colleen Shogan, shared her excitement about the appointment in a press release.
“I am excited Dr. Phillips is joining the National Archives as the Director of the Barack Obama Presidential Library. With her extensive experience in libraries and archives and her passion for public history, she will be an excellent steward for our archival and artifact collections and public engagement work,” said Shogan in May. “As the Director of the first digital presidential library in our system, Kenvi will help shape a new course for how we think about access to, and engagement with, the stories and decisions that helped shape our nation.”
The Obama Foundation CEO Valeria Jarrett also emphasized Phillips’ storied history in archiving materials.
“Her strong experience in archives and collections will help make the digitized records a great asset that will be available to everyone, everywhere, including historians, researchers, educators, and students,” explained Jarrett. “We look forward to continuing to work with the National Archives as they provide access to these historic records, and we look forward to displaying artifacts from the Obama Presidential Library in the Foundation’s Obama Presidential Museum, which we will open on the South Side of Chicago in Spring 2026.”
While making history herself, Phillips will offer her leadership and expertise to promote Obama’s legacy through these collections.
RELATED CONTENT: Obama Foundation Hires Diversity Consultant Amid CBA Dispute With Local Activists
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot
COMPANY
CEO, Feeding America
BOARD
Abbott Laboratories
by Daniel Johnson
August 19, 2024
Mayors In Virginia Urge Black Men To Become Mentors
According to Richard Mason, the chair of the Hampton City School Board, research shows that children with mentors are less likely to get into trouble at school.
The mayors of Newport News and Hampton, Virginia, are urging Black men to become mentors to Black boys in middle school.
According to 13th News Now, Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones and Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck held a joint press conference at Crittenden Middle School in Newport News to bring attention to the issue.
“We need men in our community to step forward and become mentors to middle school males,” Mayor Jones said.
“When you talk about black males, there are individuals that feel like they can’t relate to me. They cannot identify with me. It doesn’t matter about race, it’s just whether or not you are comfortable trying to work or create a relationship with a young person,” Mayor Tuck said.
Tuck continued, “Unfortunately, the fact remains that many of our young Black boys in father-absent families have no male role models or men involved in their lives unless they’re involved in athletics.”
Richard Mason, the chair of the Hampton City School Board, stated that research shows children who have mentors are less likely to get into trouble at school and often experience a positive impact on their emotional health.
Pastor Willard Maxwell, the Pastor of New Beech Grove Baptist Church, and a community member in Newport News who works with youth, told the outlet that working with children is sometimes as simple as listening to what they have to say.
“A lot of time, it’s just listening and allowing them to speak out. Finding mentors can sometimes be a challenge because so many people work. But if we can work together and have, you know, maybe you have more than one person for a person.”
Maxwell also committed to using the resources at his disposal, “I’m going to meet with the Men’s ministry. I’m going to meet with the different ministries of the church and make sure we get some volunteers. They love doing that type of stuff, especially our retired people.”
Mentoring Black youth is happening on a global scale.
Across the border in Canada, a student-led initiative at the University of Alberta is helping to bridge the gap in mentorship programs. A facilitator for The Black Youth for Social Innovation program, (BYSI) Seon Yuzyk, spoke to CBC News, highlighting the role the program is playing.
“BYSI is serving a critical role in creating a space of belonging. Equity, diversity and inclusivity are great, but it’s meaningless if youth don’t feel welcome in those spaces.” Yuzyk said. “Black youth needs, perspectives and experiences are so dynamic and always changing. I would love to see BYSI continue to be like a tree, grow, and die when it needs to…when Black students feel that they belong here and on other campuses across Canada.”
In London, Tarik Kifle is spearheading a mentorship program designed for Black high schoolers in her role as a graduation coach. Kifle told CBC News that she wished she had access to this pool of resources during her days in high school.
“It’s really about community building, at the end of the day. It is targeted and direct to supporting Black students, and addressing barriers earlier on. It’s things I wish that I’d had when I was in high school — someone to guide me to post-secondary pathways and life in general,” Kifle said.
RELATED CONTENT: Want More BIPOC Women On Corporate Boards? Start In Middle School
by Jeroslyn JoVonn
August 19, 2024
Charlamagne Tha God Invests In AI Software Company MeetKai: ‘I See It As The Future Of Social’
Charlamagne Tha God will also become MeetKai's first strategic advisor.
Charlamagne Tha God has invested in the AI software company MeetKai and became the company’s first strategic advisor.
The renowned radio personality is venturing into the AI industry with a new brand that leverages artificial intelligence technology to create both traditional and virtual reality environments, making these innovations more accessible to everyday users. According to a press release, Charlamagne’s involvement will drive rapid expansion and product innovation for MeetKai.
The Breakfast Club host will also oversee partnership development and the integration of entertainment, gaming, and e-commerce across virtual worlds created within the MeetKai metaverse.
“MeetKai is redefining the future of entertainment. I see it as the future of social, shopping, gaming, and content creation, all while being excitingly immersive,” Charlamagne says of the new venture. “It’s where the boundaries of reality and digital innovation blur, creating endless possibilities for connection and creativity.”
Additionally, Charlamagne will guide MeetKai on fully maximizing value and generating revenue for content creators, influencers, and brands who use the platform. The popular radio and TV host will also help introduce MeetKai to the masses through innovative experiences and premium content.
As part of his investment into the platform, Charlamagne will launch his own original programming in new virtual formats using MeetKai’s AI-powered metaverse solutions. The Black Effect Podcast Network founder will debut a more immersive version of his content on the platform later this year.
“Charlamagne is one of the most recognizable voices in the entertainment industry today,” says James Kaplan, CEO and co-founder of Meetkai. “He understands the new types of experiences consumers are interested in and how virtual formats, such as the metaverse, will transform the future of content creation and brand experiences for all. We are delighted to welcome him as a strategic advisor as we continue to evolve and grow.”
Since launching in 2018, MeetKai has been at the forefront of web technology, offering AI solutions to over 40 million users worldwide. The company is now expanding its leadership team, with Charlamagne joining Kaplan, Chief Business Officer Peter John Alexander, and co-founder Weili Dai.
RELATED CONTENT: Beef Up Business Using AI Technology
by Daniel Johnson
August 19, 2024
Man Arrested For Using Dead Person’s ID To Buy 2 Cars: Highlights Growing Issue Of Identity Theft Targeting The Deceased
Approximately 2.5 million deceased people have their identities stolen each year, according to one report.
A Memphis man, 63-year-old William Hayes, was arrested on Aug. 10 and charged with forgery of between $60,000 and $250,000 and theft of property of the same amount after attempting to purchase two Kia Telluride vehicles using a fake Tennessee driver’s license in the name of a deceased individual.
According to the Memphis Police Department’s Facebook post, Hayes was taken into custody after he had completed the paperwork required for the purchase of the vehicle. When he was arrested, he had both sets of keys in his hand. The police declared that the two vehicles’ value was $158,885. Hayes’ bond has been set at $50,000.
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According to the bereavement support services platform Empathy, approximately 2.5 million deceased people have their identities stolen each year, and these thefts are carried out by approximately 800,000 identity thieves who specifically target the dead.
This particular form of identity theft is referred to as ghosting. It may also consist of combining fraudulent data or information with the real data of the deceased; this is called synthetic identity theft.
Most grieving or bereaved families are not thinking about this possibility, and sometimes, it can make for a legal nightmare if the scammers can gain control of the deceased person’s estate.
However, in most cases, it is a relatively simple process for anyone seeking to use a dead person’s identity to get caught by authorities as long as government agencies have documentation of a person’s death.
As it regards identity theft in general, a study released in January 2024 indicated that Black people spend a lot of time attempting to recover their stolen identities. According to Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, the study was commissioned in part to create data on how Black people are exposed to identity theft.
“We believe there is a lack of data around identity theft victimization in Black communities that creates risk of becoming a victim. This is the first step in understanding identity issues in the different communities. This effort allows us to develop specific programs that will help victims recover and resolve identity crime,” Velasquez said.
According to Kim Allman, the head of Corporate Responsibility at Gen, the parent company of LifeLock, the study is part of a developing ecosystem of solutions for culturally competent victim services.
“Gen is proud to support the Identity Theft Resource Center and Black Researchers Collective in their efforts to understand how identity theft affects Black communities. We need identity theft and cybersecurity solutions that meet the needs of diverse communities in order to power Digital Freedom for everyone. This research effort will be critical to developing culturally competent victim services and we look forward to additional outcomes as the effort progresses over the next several years, Allman said.