• News

by Daniel Johnson

August 18, 2024

Philadelphia Selected As Site For First Harris-Trump Debate

Philadelphia will host the first of two agreed-upon debates.

---

The city nicknamed the “Birthplace of America” has been selected to host the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. It will be held on Sept. 10 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. 

According to The Hill, the debate will begin at 9 p.m. EST and will be hosted by ABC News’s David Muir and Linsey Davis. Although Trump previously railed against ABC News and said he would not attend this debate, he has changed his mind and will attend this debate and two others. 

Harris’s campaign, meanwhile, has committed to two debates, including the one in September. Trump was originally scheduled to debate President Joe Biden, but once he announced that he was dropping out of the race, Harris, the eventual Democratic Party nominee, inherited the debate.

According to The New Yorker, Harris may have no better assistance on her quest to become the first Black woman and Asian-American president than another former occupant of the White House, Donald Trump.

The outlet argues that this is largely due to his proclivity to melt down over the size of Vice President Harris’s crowds or to blatantly refuse to center policy over personal attacks on Harris. According to the Washington Post, several Republican political strategists have called for Trump to stop focusing on crowd sizes and insulting Vice President Harri and instead focus on policy and crafting a story. 

J.D. Vance, Trump’s vice presidential pick, told reporters that by virtue of his winning the nomination that Trump should be allowed to say whatever he wants.

“To the people who say that Donald Trump should do something different, they had an opportunity to make Donald Trump do something different by challenging him over three separate primaries — every single one of which he won,” Vance said. “So I think that Donald Trump has earned the right to run the campaign that he wants to run.”

Harris, by contrast, has changed the energy of the Democratic Party in a matter of months, as Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University, told the Washington Post, “It is remarkable. An incredibly important election, which made the Democratic convention interesting from the start, is now truly distinct. The entire ticket has changed, the energy is different, and what the party is putting forth as the faces of the party has transformed the terms of the competition.”

The stage is set for a clash of ideas on democracy, and some say it’s only fitting that the debate should take place in Philadelphia. 

As the National Constitution Center Communications Director Moira Bagley Smith told CBS News, “We are footsteps away from Independence Hall where it all started. The great experiment that is American democracy, and we’re seeing it play out here in our presidential debate. What a great moment for Philadelphia to have both these candidates here on Sept. 10.”

Bagley Smith expressed optimism, stating, “The Constitution Center is known for its reasoned and mature debate and we look forward to that taking place here.”

RELATED CONTENT: It’s On! Kamala Harris And Donald Trump Finally Agree To Sept. 10 Presidential Debate

• News

by Daniel Johnson

August 18, 2024

Dallas Black Dance Theatre Fires Entire Company Of Dancers, Union Claims

The dancers unionized in May.

---

As nine former members of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) seek reinstatement into the group, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) has issued a Do Not Work Order as it waits for the company to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with the AGMA. 

According to Dance Magazine, the order, issued on Aug. 12, prohibits members of AGMA, the Actors Equity Association, and SAG-AFTRA from working for the theatre company. The DBDT issued a statement on Aug. 9 about its decision to terminate all of its dancers for the 2024-2025 season, just after it posted a statement and an audition notice on its Instagram account.

According to AMGA President Ned Hanlon, “A Do Not Work Order is not something AGMA issues lightly. It is reserved for the most egregious actions taken against our artists, and I can’t recall the last time AGMA had to issue such an order. What is happening to the dancers of DBDT, who stood united for a voice in their workplace, is one of the most extreme cases we’ve ever encountered.”

Griff Braun, the national organizing director of AGMA, said the dancers were notified that they had all been terminated shortly after DBDT posted the notice. 

“An hour later, the dancers were all notified by email that they had been terminated,” Braun said in a statement.

Braun also said that the AGMA’s filing of an unfair labor practices claim in June and earlier in August is necessary to hold the DBDT accountable for its actions. “The filing of these ULPs [unfair labor practices] is a crucial step in holding DBDT accountable for their punitive reaction to their dancers’ unionization and ensuring that the rights of the dancers are protected.”

The theatre company contends that the dancers were fired after they posted a video to their Instagram account filmed in the DBDT dance studio and parking lot. They cite company policy, which prohibits personal use of DBDT property, cell phone use, and additional contract violations.

However, the dancers had unionized on May 29, which meant that, officially, they had not yet worked out a new contract with DBDT for the upcoming season. Still, DBDT’s Executive Director Zenetta Drew told Dance Magazine that the video did not reflect the organization’s values.

“Because this video violates our company policies for use of our name, brand, and does not reflect the organization’s values, we had an immediate and negative impact on our public image,” Drew told the outlet. 

Drew continued, “We regret the impact these incidents have had on these talented dancers. Many of them have worked with us for several years. However, as a business we have to make the top-line decision of what’s most important.”

According to the Dallas Morning News, the dancers and AGMA released public statements giving their sides of the story. AGMA disputed DBDT’s version of events, saying that the video was not the misconduct that DBDT originally purported. 

“DBDT management has attempted to justify the mass firing by claiming that the dancers engaged in misconduct that violated company policies. However, the so-called ‘misconduct’ in question was nothing more than a playful and engaging Instagram Reel that the dancers created after rehearsal finished on June 21 to introduce their account. It is worth noting that the dancers received their signed letters of intent for the 2024-2025 season after this post had already been shared.” AGMA’s statement said.

Gillian Clifford, one of the dancers whom the DBDT unceremoniously fired, told the Dallas Morning News that she believes the firings were blatant retaliation. “To suddenly deem our video as an unsatisfactory representation of the company — seven weeks after it was posted — is blatant retaliation. Not to mention, the comments under the reel we posted are overwhelmingly positive. This is a textbook example of what it means to be unjustly fired.”

RELATED CONTENT: Tim Scott Advocates Firing Striking Auto Workers

• Politics

by Mary Spiller

August 18, 2024

Meet The Black-Owned Event Companies Helping Organize The Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention will take place at the Chicago United Center.

---

Several Black-owned Chicago companies have come together to put on the production of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which begins on Aug 19. 

The space has been prepped and is ready to go inside the Chicago United Center with the help of at least three Black-owned companies. 

The DNC will celebrate Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s candidate for President and Tim Walz as the Vice President nominee. The convention expects to host speeches by current President Joe Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and other pillars of the Democratic Party. 

Glenn Charles Jr., CEO of production company Show Strategy, told ABC 7 Chicago about the event: “We’ve done a ton of events, large-scale events, but nothing like this.” 

However, Show Strategy is more than equipped for the job at hand. It is the first Black-owned company ever contracted for Exposition Services with the DNC. The company was responsible for building the venue’s media compounds, furniture fixtures, and related equipment. Charles and his team prepared the main stage for the speeches. 

He told ABC 7 that he feels he’s living his dream with the DNC preparation, but more than that, he hopes to inspire others to achieve similar greatness.

Charles expressed, “My goal is to eliminate two words: ‘first’ and ‘Black. I’m a living example that you can do it. Sometimes things seem far beyond what you can achieve, but I’m an example that that’s not true.”

Glenn’s partner, Jenn Charles, said she is thrilled to collaborate with Glenn, as her company is also contracted to work with the DNC.

“We are truly best friends, so being able to work with my best friend, it is a blessing,” said Jenn, owner of GCJ Hospitality. “I wake up every morning and say to myself, this is unbelievable to be here in the space and to be on this stage, especially as a Black supplier.”

GCJ Hospitality is handling customer service at the DNC convention.

Another Black-owned company contracted by the DNC is Juan and Only Events, owned by Juan Teague.

Teague is also a friend of Charles. “This is really becoming a surreal moment to see how big our companies have grown, but, at the same time, I’m still Juan from the West Side,” she said.

She reflected on the growing popularity of her business as a woman of color.

“I think building my legacy and having women that are doing it is really going to take my company beyond what I could have even imagined is what I truly, truly wanna see in this year of my 50,” she said.

“We did this to put Chicago in a great light, change that negative narrative about who we are and what we are,” Teague concluded.

RELATED CONTENT: DNC Chair Jaime Harrison Promises ‘Transparent and Orderly Process’ To Select Presidential Nominee Amid Support of Kamala Harris

• News History

by Mary Spiller

August 18, 2024

Minnesota’s Oldest Black-Owned Newspaper Turns 90

The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder's owner, Tracy Williams-Dillard, intends for the family legacy to be carried on by her daughter.

---

Minnesota’s oldest Black-owned newspaper turned 90 years old on Aug. 10. The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’s owner, Tracy Williams-Dillard, celebrated the paper’s rich history. 

She said, “I’m overwhelmed with joy and happiness, and it just feels phenomenal. That’s all I can say. To know that my family’s legacy has made it 90 years through the rough times and the tough times, and we’re still here despite it all.” 

The Spokesman-Recorder will celebrate its 90th anniversary with a St. Croix River yacht cruise, as well as a gala at the historic Depot in Downtown Minneapolis.

The weekly publication was started 90 years ago by Cecil E. Newman, Williams-Dillard’s grandfather, to “give a voice to the voiceless.”

Newman sold issues for just 5 cents a pop, and on the front page of every issue, he wrote a promise to “speak out fearlessly and unceasingly against injustices, discrimination, and all imposed inequalities.”

“Our focus is making sure that the African American community is being treated with respect and in the way that they should be. and if you’re not, we hold you accountable,” it read. 

The Minnesota-based paper has been dedicated for nine decades to uplifting the Black community by telling stories that would typically be ignored. With a central focus on the Black experience, Williams-Dillard’s paper covers topics from Barack Obama’s election to the police brutality enacted against George Floyd in South Minneapolis. 

“We are both the oldest African American newspaper in Minnesota. We are the oldest Black-owned business in Minnesota and we are one of the oldest African-American newspapers in the country. So we’re proud,” Williams-Dillard told Fox 9.

She expressed that she intends to pass on the family business to her daughter one day so that she can carry on her family’s legacy. 

Williams-Dillard added, “The community needs the Spokesman-Recorder now more than ever.” 

RELATED CONTENT: Trailblazer James Lewis, Publisher of The Birmingham Times Remembered

• Celebrity News

by Daniel Johnson

August 17, 2024

Rappers Kodak Black And Fivio Foreign Release Pro-Trump Track

The song even samples Trump's voice.

---

Donald Trump and convicted Fyre Fest businessman Billy McFarland are credited alongside Kodak Black and Fivio Foreign as songwriters on the new song, “ONBOA47RD,” on which the two rap stars endorse Trump for president. The song even samples Trump’s voice.

According to Rolling Stone, Kodak refers to the former president as “family.” 

Furthermore, Kodak raps, “I ain’t even see this many Black people freed during the Obama days/Told her she can have anything she want, just not my Donald chain,” which, notes Rolling Stone, gross mischaracterization of just how many people Trump granted clemency. Obama granted clemency to 1,927 individuals during his two terms in office, whereas Trump granted it to 237 during his term, according to Pew Research. In fact, according to its data, Trump was more conservative with clemency power than every president since 1900 not named Bush. 

According to Billboard, Black has consistently praised Trump since the former president pardoned him in 2021. In 2022, Black said in a video on X, “We need Trump in office forever, man. Just like how them Chinese and Russian and Korean muthaf*ckas have their president. Trump the best thing for America — ya heard me — for sure.”

According to the Daily Beast, Black and his collaborator also tagged the former president’s Instagram account in a post about the song. Trump has yet to respond.

So far, rappers who have endorsed Trump include Kodak Black and Lil Wayne, whom Trump also pardoned. Sexyy Red, meanwhile, clarified comments that seemed to endorse Trump in 2023 by stating in June 2024 on X that she is not endorsing any candidate for president.

RELATED CONTENT: Political Beef: Kodak Black Calls Outs Plies Over Take On Trump Assassination Attempt

• Entertainment

by Daniel Johnson

August 17, 2024

Marlon Wayans Claps Back At DJ Vlad Over $40K Interview Price

The two got into a fierce back-and-forth on X.

---

Marlon Wayans got into a back-and-forth with DJ Vlad on X over Vlad’s belief that Wayans’ reported $40,000 price tag for an interview was an inflation of his real value. Wayans, naturally, disagreed with Vlad’s suggestion that he wasn’t worth his asking price.

According to Complex, Vlad released part of an interview with Aries Spears on his VladTV YouTube channel wherein Vlad discussed Wayans’ asking price of $40,000 and 30% of all future revenue. After the video’s release, it caused some debate on X and revived conversations about Vlad being a culture vulture. 

Although Vlad tried to paint Wayans as unprofessional, the actor pointed out in his replies to Vlad that taking his business negotiations public was a “silly negotiating tactic.”

“You mad? You unprofessional my guy. If you don’t like the number keep it moving. You look BAD. You should fall back. mad at a Black man stating his number?” Wayans wrote. “And now you go public and use your platform to try to drag me. I never in my life dealt with this silly negotiating tactic.”

Several users also weighed in, saying that Vlad generally seems to take issue with Black people who assert their value and worth and don’t back down. 

Like his infamous social media interaction with Princeton professor and niece of Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Morgan Jerkins, the latest dust-up provided more ammunition for those who disapprove of Vlad’s tactics.

As Wayans told him in the replies, “You been teetering on disrespect and I’ve been a gentleman up until this point. This was tactless, unprofessional and petty. You out here trying to tear down a king. You trying to instigate beef within my community and peers. It won’t happen fella. I’m loved.”

Wayans added, “I’m worth whatever I say. People like you don’t make or break me champ. I’m self made. I go where i choose.”

RELATED CONTENT: DJ Vlad Claims Tupac Murder Suspect Took Money For Exclusive Interview And Backed Out

by Mary Spiller

August 17, 2024

FAMU Interim President Calls For University’s Leadership Board To Resign Following $237M Fraudulent Donation

The president is calling for accountability in the wake of a massive fraudulent donation made to the HBCU.

---

Just a week before the start of this year’s fall semester, the interim president of Florida A&M University, Timothy Beard, has called on the FAMU leadership team to resign from their positions on account of troubles with fraud. 

Although Beard is just one week into his tenure, he has begun making bold moves for the future of the HBCU.

“As you know, our University [FAMU] is at a critical juncture, where we must align our leadership, vision, and strategies to meet the evolving challenges and opportunities ahead,” Beard wrote in an open letter. He continued, “After careful consideration and in consultation with the Board of Trustees, the past University President, and from my observations, I have concluded that a change in our senior leadership team is necessary to move forward more effectively.”

Beard described the seemingly quick decision as being “part of the overall process of evaluating the leadership team.”

According to The Guardian, Beard still holds discretion for who of those on the leadership board resignations will be accepted, although he has called for all of them to submit a request. 

Since Beard’s letter, five members of the leadership team have successfully resigned. At the beginning of this week, there were 20 members on the board, but now the FAMU website only lists 15 active members.

FAMU is missing a “communicators director, a chief legal officer for its board of trustees, an athletics director, and a government relations director.”

Issues began to stir at the HBCU after an allegedly fraudulent donation was made to the university in the amount of $237 million by a Texas hemp farmer. 

A long and extensive investigation that included nearly 200 pages of evidence and inquiries found that the donation was poorly vetted and the decision to accept it was rushed. The leadership board has been named by the board of trustees to be held accountable. Former FAMU president, Larry Robinson, even resigned following publication of the scandal. 

Beard, although taking advice from the board of trustees, has reiterated that the decision to call for resignations has been entirely his own.

He said, “They may speak broadly in terms of our strengths and weaknesses as a university, but when it comes to the senior leadership team and individual employees, that’s on me as the president.” 

“I’ve been studying the team. I’ve also been looking at the bold and striking strategic plan. I want to make sure the personnel is appropriate to make sure those strategies are completed. We make decisions based on the plan and accountability.”

RELATED CONTENT: FAMU Board Of Trustees Launches Investigation Into Dubious $237.75M Donation

• News

by Daniel Johnson

August 17, 2024

Man Awarded $7M For Nearly 50 Years Of Wrongful Imprisonment

Glynn Ray Simmons has been awarded $7 million by the city of Edmond, Oklahoma.

---

In February, Glynn Ray Simmons told The Guardian how he dealt with his battle to overturn seemingly the longest miscarriage of justice in American history or what he referred to it as an attempted murder. At the time, Simmons was preparing to sue, but planned to use the money to help others in the same situation.

Now he can.

According to The Associated Press, Simmons, who was wrongfully imprisoned for nearly 50 years, the Edmond City Council voted to award Simmons more than $7 million earlier this week.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, Simmons maintained that he was in Louisiana at the time of the murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers, a 30-year-old store clerk at a liquor store, in 1974 and had never visited the state of Oklahoma before Jan. 5, 1975, when he came to live with his aunt. 

In a motion for amended post-conviction relief filed by his lawyers at the time, Joseph Norwood and John Coyle, in January 2023, they argued that Belinda Brown, an 18-year-old survivor of the shooting at the liquor store, failed to correctly identify Simmons.

The petition also contained a report from Dr. Curt Carlson, a professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce and an eyewitness identification expert. Carlson wrote that he did not believe Simmons committed the murder.

“My review of the testimony and other case documents has led me to conclude that there is no eyewitness evidence that is probative of the defendant’s guilt. Rather, there is evidence indicating the defendant’s innocence.” Carlson wrote. 

“Mr. Simmons spent a tragic amount of time incarcerated for a crime he did not commit,” his attorney, Elizabeth Wang, said in a statement. “Although he will never get that time back, this settlement with Edmond will allow him to move forward” with his life.”

According to the lawsuit, police are accused of falsifying a report and withholding evidence that pointed at two other people as suspects. Simmons’ release in July 2023 occurred when a judge vacated his conviction and sentence, and ordered a new trial. 

After District Attorney Vickie Behenna announced that she would not seek to retry Simmons, a judge exonerated him in December 2023, saying there was “clear and convincing evidence” that he didn’t actually commit the crime. Simmons was originally sentenced to death before his sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1977. Prior to the ruling by the city council, Simmons had only received $177,000 from the state for his wrongful incarceration. 

RELATED CONTENT: Betty Tyson, Exonerated After 25 Years In Prison, Dies at 75

• News

by Mary Spiller

August 17, 2024

The-Dream Files Motion To Dismiss Lawsuit Filed By Former Protégé Alleging Rape, Sex Trafficking, And Assault

The motion claims that the lawsuit uses 'destructive racial stereotypes' against The-Dream and contains a lack of factual evidence.

---

According to Aug. 16 court filings, artist and producer The-Dream (born Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant) has filed a motion to dismiss the standing lawsuit against him. The suit accuses him of several violent acts, including rape, sexual assault, and trafficking, but The-Dream’s filing claims that the complaint is untrue and “weaponizes destructive racial stereotypes against [him].”

The lawsuit was filed in June by his former protégé, singer and songwriter Chanaaz Mangroe. In new documents obtained by People, the 46-year-old producer has moved to attempt to get the complaint dismissed altogether.  

Desirée F. Moore, The-Dream’s attorney, said that Mangroe’s allegations “must be dismissed in its entirety for failing to attribute specific factual allegations to each defendant.” 

Not only does Moore argue that the accusations are baseless, but she also states that the California-filed complaint leverages harmful stereotypes about the “I Luv Your Girl” singer’s race.

“Before the complaint raises a single relevant allegation, Plaintiff dedicates several pages to irrelevant gossip designed to harm Diamant’s children and impugn his marital history; unsubstantiated allegations of past violence (none of which resulted in any proceedings or findings against Diamant); false depictions of an absent father; and racist insinuations that Diamant is affiliated with a street gang.” 

The Dream’s legal team alleged that Mangroe actually pursued The-Dream by “unilaterally soliciting sex (and other favors), including in writing,” following the conclusion of their relationship. Moore claimed in the filing that The-Dream was the one who refused Mangroe at this time.

The court documents additionally stated, “Plaintiff’s complaint contains dozens of allegations that are utterly irrelevant to her sexual battery and sex trafficking claims and are, instead, designed solely to smear Diamant’s name and reputation.”

Moore explained in a statement, “Absent any facts alleging plaintiff’s involvement in a ‘commercial sex act,’ her cause of action for sex trafficking against Diamant must be dismissed.”

As previously reported, Mangroe sued The-Dream on June 4 and logged allegations against him that claimed he preyed on her through a binding recording contract. The lawsuit claims that in 2015 The-Dream held the “vulnerable artist into an abusive, violent and manipulative relationship.”

Mangroe described her experience as being “nothing short of a prolonged nightmare.” 

• Black Lives Matter

by Daniel Johnson

August 17, 2024

White Florida Woman Convicted Of Manslaughter In Fatal Shooting Of Black Neighbor

Susan Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter in the 2023 shooting of Ajike Owens after a two-hour jury deliberation.

---

Susan Lorincz, a 60-year-old Marion County, Florida woman, was convicted of manslaughter by a jury on Aug. 16 in the shooting of Ajike (AJ) Owens while she stood outside the door of Lorincz’s home in Ocala. 

The New York Times reported that the two women, who were neighbors, had an often contentious relationship that resulted in an incident where Lorincz, a white woman, shot and killed Owens, a Black woman. The confrontation occurred after Owens went to Lorincz’s home to address an argument Lorincz had with Owens’ children, at which point Lorincz shot her through the door.

According to The Associated Press, the six jurors in the case, who were all-white, deliberated for approximately two hours before returning a guilty verdict. 

Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, told reporters for The AP outside the courtroom that the judgment has helped lighten her heart. 

“I am very pleased with the jury, the prosecution, the verdict…I find some peace with that verdict. I feel that although my daughter is gone forever, the children’s mom is gone forever, we’ve achieved some justice for Ajike. My heart is a little lighter and we’re now on the path to healing.”

The case received national attention due in large part to the delay in arresting Lorincz and her legal team’s invocation of Florida’s “stand your ground” laws in her defense. Another factor in the case’s notoriety was that the prosecution opted to charge Lorincz with manslaughter and not a higher second-degree murder charge, which the family and one of their attorneys, civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, had pushed for. 

The New York Times reported that Crump and other attorneys claimed Lorincz had shouted racial slurs at Owens’ children.

An affidavit filed after Lorincz’s arrest states that she admitted to a detective that she repeatedly complained about the children and used racial slurs toward them before shooting their mother.

Bill Gladson, the state attorney for Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit, declined to charge Lorincz with murder, citing insufficient evidence to meet the higher burden of proof required for a murder charge.

“I am aware of the desire of the family, and some community members, that the defendant be charged with second-degree murder,” Gladson said in a statement in June 2023. “However, I cannot allow any decision to be influenced by public sentiment, angry phone calls or further threats of violence, as I have received in this case.”

Gladson continued, explaining that second-degree murder requires proving that the defendant was in a depraved mind when she killed Owens. “Depraved mind requires evidence of hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent toward the victim.”

State prosecutor Rich Buxman argued in his closing statement that Owens’ shooting was no accident.

“It wasn’t an accidental situation. It wasn’t a situation where she slipped and the gun accidentally went off and shot the door and struck Ms. Owens,” Buxman told the jurors. “That’s not what we have here. She intentionally fired it. There’s no doubt that the defendant intentionally committed an act, which caused the death of Ajike Owens.”

Buxman continued, “She pointed a loaded firearm towards a door, towards a person that she knew was there in the opposite side of the door and intentionally pulled the trigger. That shows a reckless disregard for human life.”

According to CNN, Crump said in a statement that the family is grateful for the guilty verdict.

“AJ Owens was a devoted mother whose life was tragically cut short, leaving her children, including a young son who witnessed this horrific act, to carry the burden of her loss. While nothing can erase the pain they’ve endured, today’s decision sends a clear message that senseless violence will be met with accountability.”

RELATED CONTENT: Family Of Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens Hopes For Justice As Trial For Accused Shooter Susan Lorincz Begins With All-White Jury