New York Subway, National Guard
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 7, 2024

New York Governor Bringing In National Guard To Search Subway Commuters’ Bags

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has revealed that she is bringing in the National Guard to combat crime in the New York Transit subway system. They will be joined by state troopers and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) police officers.

According to the New York Post, with crime rates rising in the MTA subway system, the governor, along with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, will bring in more law enforcement as they are instituting random mandatory bag checks for people using the transit system. Plans are underway to bring in 750 National Guardsmen, along with 250 state and MTA police officers, for 1,000 law enforcement officers to help the New York Police Department (NYPD) patrol “the city’s busiest transit stations.”

Hochul stated that the decision was made after meeting with Adams, authorities from the MTA, and the NYPD last week.

“No one heading to their job, to visit family, or to a doctor’s appointment should worry that the person sitting next to them possesses a deadly weapon,” Hochul said. They shouldn’t worry about whether someone’s going to brandish a knife or gun. That’s what we’re going to do with these checkpoints.”

Recent stats from the NYPD show that subway crime has increased by 13% for the year. Subway crime rates rose 45% in January compared to January 2023. Adams said that having the NYPD switch to 12-hour patrols on the subway led to a 15% drop in crimes in February.

The mayor did not attend the press conference announcing the move but released a statement:

“As we continue to surge NYPD officers into the system, we have been in conversations with the governor’s team about identifying additional funding to support this and other efforts to ensure New Yorkers are safe and feel safe.”

Gothamist reported that Hochul said that the soldiers would be deployed from a National Guard unit called the Joint Task Force Empire Shield. They will wear camouflage gear while checking the subway riders’ bags. Hochul added that if anyone is stopped, they must have their bags checked, and if they refuse, they will not be allowed to enter the subway.

“They can refuse,” she said. “We can refuse them. They can walk.”

There is opposition to the bag search as it is being compared to New York City’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy that, 10 years ago, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that the NYPD violated the civil rights of Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.

The New York Civil Liberties Union called the governor’s plan “overreaction and overreach.”

“These heavy-handed approaches will, like stop-and-frisk, be used to accost and profile Black and Brown New Yorkers, ripping a page straight out of the Giuliani (former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani) playbook,” NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman said in a written statement. “Today’s announcement fails to address longstanding problems of homelessness, poverty, or access to mental health care.”

Donate, handshake, Black College Students
by Rafael Pena

March 7, 2024

Chinese Family Donates $5M To Support Black College Students As A Thank You

The Dong family will donate $5 million to support Black college students, an act inspired by the bravery of a Black entrepreneurial couple.

The Chinese-American Dong family of Coronado, California, is set to donate $5 million to support Black college students, a gesture stemming from the generosity shown to them by Emma and Gus Thompson, a Black entrepreneurial couple, in 1939, according to NBC News.

Faced with racially restrictive housing laws that left them struggling to secure shelter, the Dongs found an unlikely ally in the Thompsons, who allowed them to rent and eventually buy their Coronado property when no one else would.

“It may enable some kids to go and flourish in college that might not have been able to otherwise,” Janice Dong, 86, said.

Lloyd Dong Jr., 81, emphasized the profound impact the Thompsons had on their family, providing them with a desperately needed foundation. “Without them, we would not have the education and everything else,” he said.

The Dong family, owners of the Thompsons’ original home at 832 C Ave. and an adjacent eight-unit apartment complex, estimates the combined value to be worth $8 million.

Lloyd Dong Jr. and his older brother, Ron Dong, plan to donate $5 million to Black college students, a testament to their belief in the transformative power of education. Ron Dong, 86, and his wife, Janice Dong, are retired teachers.

This act of philanthropy takes place against the backdrop of a national conversation on reparations. According to Coronado historian Kevin Ashley, this isn’t a story about atonement and repair but about honoring and recognizing the enduring impact of one family’s will to help another.

The Dong family’s roots in California date back to the late 19th century. The Thompsons defied racially restrictive housing covenants to provide shelter to marginalized individuals, setting an example of solidarity during times of discrimination. Similarly, the Dong family’s decision to contribute to San Diego State University’s Black Resource Center resonates as reminder of the importance of acknowledging and rectifying historical racial discrimination.

RELATED CONTENT: Malinda Williams Launches HBCU Coding Boot Camp For Women

Jay-Z, Dame Dash, Steve Stoute
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 7, 2024

Dame Dash Claps Back After Steve Stoute Calls Out His ‘Antics’ That Severed Jay-Z Relationship

Dame Dash sounded off after being name-dropped in Shannon Sharpe's candid deep dive with music executive Steve Stoute.

Dame Dash sounded off after being name-dropped in Shannon Sharpe’s candid deep dive with music executive Steve Stout.

The entrepreneur and businessman was the latest guest on Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, where he was asked to give his take on the downfall of Jay-Z’s friendship and working relationship with Dash.

According to Stoute, it was Dash’s “antics” and how “angry” he would get with Roc A Fella staff that caused him to lose his close ties to “the most important artist of his generation.”

“Dame’s antics, were just, it became—people over time, you mature,” Stoute said. “It’s like you have friends at 16, but by the time you turn 19, they were still doing the same sh*t when you were 16.…You start spending less and less time with them because of that.”

He continued, “It’s like one of those things where Dame wouldn’t change. The way he spoke to people, the way he treated people…He was angry because he had a strong perspective about his business philosophy.”

The UnitedMasters CEO went on to detail how Dash would become upset when he learned about team members meeting with other executives without his knowledge. He added that Dash would take out his frustrations on staffers when his business dealings unraveled.

“While he was ‘building businesses,’ which partly he was, he would go off all around the world with cameras and girls and all kinds of crazy sh*t, and then come back flipping out on everybody,” Stoute claimed. “Bro, you didn’t build a business that was so operationally tight that you could just go away and come back, and sh*t would just be the same and all that sh*t.”

The record executive explained how Jay-Z, who went on to become hip-hop’s first billionaire, eventually outgrew Dash’s attitude and work style.

“Jay grew up. You know, Jay wanted more, I think Jay seen Dame’s ceiling. I mean, I think that’s really what it was.…He wanted more, and everybody wanted more,” Stoute explained.

While he credits Dash for being “very very smart, very talented” and “far from stupid,” there was a limit. Stoute said Dash had an “ego through the roof, so there was no working with him.”

Once Dash caught wind of the interview, he reposted the clip to his Instagram and sounded off about Stoute “always speaking on other men’s business.”

“This is the reason I had to smack the sh*t out of @stevestoute a couple years ago…because he’s always speaking on other men’s business good thing I’ve evolved,” Dash wrote.

Most recently, Dash was ordered to sell his remaining stake in Roc A Fella to pay off an $823,000 debt. However, Jay and Kareem “Biggs” Burke opposed the ruling and said the board of directors would need to approve the sale. A judge responded by ruling Dash’s shares as personal property.

game show, gameshow
by Daniel Johnson

March 7, 2024

Game Show Contestants Fail, Not Knowing A Single Black Person Of Note: Opinion

In a viral clip showcasing startling incompetence and a complete lack of knowledge of Black culture, white contestants can't even get obvious clues on famous Black people right. 

The Floor, Fox’s new game show hosted and produced by Rob Lowe, has only been airing since January, and it already has its first viral moment. Unfortunately, this moment is not of the heartwarming or prodigious variety. In a viral clip showcasing startling incompetence and a complete lack of knowledge of Black culture, white contestants can’t even get obvious clues on famous Black people right. 

The show’s concept, as explained by Deadline, is a physical trivia game show. It is won after contestants duel each other in a battle of trivia knowledge to capture squares and, eventually, the entire floor. Once a contestant dispatches their opponent, they can choose to continue playing, answering trivia questions and capturing the entire board, or they can let The Floor choose a new challenger. The last contestant with complete board control will receive a $250,000 prize.

https://twitter.com/isadorenoir/status/1764234696781963496?t=Ysoqda9-eAnGmwMRfj9pZA&s=19

In an example of the wildly different Americas that Black and white people live in, where Black people are required to move fluidly between our worlds and the worlds of white people by the necessity of survival, white people can’t even be bothered to get the names of Black people who should be at least white-adjacent correct. Thereby completely stalling the game and ruining its fast-paced and semi-chaotic nature.

As the clips made their way around social media, many users poked fun at the sheer incompetence on display and provided social commentary about what the clip says about the social lives of far too many white people. 

Singer/songwriter Isadore Noir noted, “I’m telling you right now, a lot of white people are completely and totally content with not knowing anything or anyone black. They will absolutely go years not speaking to or befriending black people unless it’s an interaction they can’t avoid. They are simply NOT INTERESTED.”

Photographer Jack Barnes pointed out, “Like I said before, they don’t have to learn about us growing up, they don’t care. But we have to learn everything about them even if we don’t care.”

Writer/Poet Kyla Jenée Lacey poked fun at the “I don’t see color” crowd, writing, “I don’t see *coloreds.”

While “Black Twitter” had a great deal of fun and elicited laughter while poking fun at seemingly woefully unprepared white people, nevertheless, it illustrates a phenomenon that Donald Earl Collins referred to in an op-ed for Al-Jazeera as deliberate ignorance. Collins, a visiting professor of African-American History at Loyola University Maryland, points to the work of Crystal Fleming to illustrate his point. Fleming, a sociologist, says in her book ‘How To Be Less Stupid About Race:’ “One of the main consequences of centuries of racism is that we are all systematically exposed to racial stupidity and racist beliefs that warp our understandings of society, history, and ourselves.”

Fleming fleshed this idea out further in a 2018 lecture at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater when she pointed out that the concept of segregation in American society did not end or begin with Jim Crow or the Black codes. Sociologically, the idea of hypersegregation is shaped by the social structures of white Americans writ large.

“One of the largest, most powerful sources of racial ignorance in our society is hypersegregation. For most of this country’s history, segregation has been intentionally enforced not by people of color, not by Native Americans, not by African Americans, not by Latinx Americans, not by Asian Americans but very certainly by white Americans,” Fleming said. 

Fleming concluded, “White imposed segregation has meant that tens of millions of white Americans grow up in our society without meaningful relationships with people of color, without ever studying the history, sociology, and politics of racism, and without knowing what issues of race feel like from the perspectives of people of color.”

Dan Moore Sr., APEX Museum
by Jameelah Mullen

March 7, 2024

A Legend Gone: Founder of Atlanta’s APEX Museum Dead At 88

Moore credits former Morehouse College President Benjamin E. Mays for inspiring him to create the APEX.

Dan Moore Sr., founder of the APEX, the oldest Black history museum in Atlanta, has died. He was 88. The APEX announced his death via their website Tuesday.

“It is with deep sadness and sorrow that we announce the passing of our Founder and CEO, Dan Moore Sr. We celebrate his legacy and 45 years of commitment to the community and the museum. Please keep the immediate and extended APEX family in your prayers.”

Moore was born on November 20, 1935. The Philadelphia native relocated to Atlanta in 1974 and founded the African-American Panoramic Experience (APEX)museum in 1978. Located in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn district, The Apex is “ solely dedicated to telling the rich and often untold story of people of the African Diaspora.”

Moore said he was inspired to create the APEX museum after learning about the life and activism of Benjamin E. Mays.

“Who will remember this man 30 years from now? Why doesn’t Atlanta, of all the cities, have a Black history museum,” he said in a 2023 interview with The Champion.

Moore received a gift from a donor, which allowed him to purchase the building at 135 Auburn Avenue. According to its website, the APEX has received over 65,000 visitors.

Moore was also a filmmaker. He produced several documentaries, including The Journey, Sweet Auburn Street of Pride, and Welcome Home, which followed the filmmaker as he traveled to Liberia, West Africa. 

The activist and filmmaker received the Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in October  2023. 

Dan Moore Sr. is survived by his sons, Dan Jr. and Edwin Moore, six grandchildren, and 18 grandchildren, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A public viewing will be held on March 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Willie A. Watkins Historic West End Chapel in Atlanta. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 9, at 11 a.m. at the Midway Missionary Baptist Church in College Park, GA.

Jesse Jackson, Jeremy Wright
by Lauren Nutall

March 7, 2024

We Love This Endearing Moment Between 2 Elder Icons— And So Will You

The two legends joined together in song during their reunion.

According to a recent social media post, Revs. Jeremiah Wright and Jesse Jackson caught up on Feb. 22. Tracy Ross captured the heartfelt moment and shared the video with her 5,000 Instagram followers. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3qSEs3Pas4/?igsh=MWMwdXo3b3B1eWJ0cg%3D%3D

“Dr. Jeremiah Wright said, ‘Come put your hand on my shoulder, and let’s sing a song,’” Ross captioned the post.

“He started singing the Delta Sigma Theta Sweetheart song. Rev. Jesse Jackson joined in..wow..just wow..my sister and friend Dr. Lynn Brinkley caught this amazing moment ♥️💜.” 

The video, which garnered over 24,000 likes, shows the two legends bound by hand as they sing along to the classic hymn.

Wright and Jackson, both 83, have become central figures in American history due to their active leadership and staunch commitment during the Civil Rights Movement. They have long led national conversations regarding democratic principles and race relations in the United States. 

In July 2023, Jackson announced that he would be stepping down from his long-held position as president and CEO of the Chicago-based civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Last month, he formally exited the role and was succeeded by Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III. 

“Rainbow PUSH has been the organizational vehicle that he has driven in the movement for justice,” said Haynes. “I am honored and humbled that he has ‘tapped’ me to serve as his successor as the President and CEO of this great organization,” the Dallas pastor continued.  


Still, though their respective careers have adopted a less rigorous pace, both men remain pivotal voices, even today. Just recently, Wright attended Oikos Institute for Social Impact’s national convention, where he was given the Lifetime Impact Achievement Award.

RELATED CONTENT: 2012 EC: Jesse Jackson’s Living Legacy And More

corporate, startup, activate your network, price to move, launch, steps, strategic, advice
by C. Daniel Baker

March 7, 2024

Launch Your Startup The Right Way in 5 Easy Steps

Stepping into the life of an entrepreneur is difficult, but here are five steps to make the transition easier.

Originally published Jan. 28, 2014

When I walked away from my startup, I had reached a major crossroads. More than two years of my life had been invested into Habidy.com, a struggling social media company. I was in a place where many entrepreneurs had been before me: zero business prospects, zero income, and a bucket full of obligations (including supporting a young family and paying NYC rent).

I had some decisions to make. I could continue eking it out in the startup world or turn back to the corporate drumbeat that I had walked away from in 2008. Startup life meant stress and uncertainty and an emotional barometer that boomeranged between elation and disappointment. On the flip side, a day job could provide a steady paycheck and a modicum of fulfillment. But it would also mean a departure from a lifestyle that allowed me to chart my own course for success.

For me, the choice was easy: I stuck with startups.

However, this time I chose to consult with startups, taking what I had learned through trial, error, and misdirection and applying it to other early-stage founders with big brains and even bigger ideas.

Here is an overview of how I built and scaled a consulting business over one month’s time—and went from zero to four incredible startup clients in the process

Step 1: Define Your Brand

What services are you selling and why will people choose you as an expert provider? Defining your brand means first defining yourself. Determine what you can do for people that they can’t (or don’t have time to) do for themselves.

Given my marketing and PR pedigree, my niche was easy to pinpoint and articulate to others. I help early and mid-stage startups hone their content and their market. I ensure that their messages, delivery, and product are all singing from the same songsheet.

Find what sets you apart and what promise you can fulfill for your customers and get to work.

Step 2: Hone Your Message

Once you’ve found a niche and feel comfortable selling your services to others, you need to develop easy message points that clearly communicate your reason for being.

Defining a brand and nailing your message may seem relatively easy, but your business’ first, powerful impression is the most important thing for any company. Get it right the first time and you’ll be well on your way.

Step 3: Activate Your Network

You can never understate the importance of a great network. And no matter your background or your field, you’d be surprised with how far your base network will get you.

Reach out with personalized messages to everyone you know and close with a specific “ask. To whom can your connection introduce you? Can you meet for a 10-minute chat or coffee to discuss the next steps you’re making in your career? If you don’t ask, you’ll never receive. You’ll never fail to be surprised at the generosity people show with their time if you show interest and gratitude.

But don’t sell yourself short—networks can be built and buttressed every day. Start small, be consistent with your outreach, and good things will follow.

Step 4: Price to Move

Consulting is a tricky business, especially in the startup world. While ad agencies where I worked in the mid 2000s charged clients $150 an hour for my time, at cost-conscious startups it’s more realistic to make around half of that.

Start low, offer discounts and work in cash-stock ratioed plans to send the message that you have some skin in the game. Also, keep in mind that an important but low-paying role at a small startup could lead to a more enriching long-term relationship if your efforts open doors and on-board customers for your client.

Step 5: Execute on the Work

An early mentor once told me, “Create reasonable expectations for every client and then vastly exceed them.” This has served as a mantra for me throughout my professional career.

Value is the name of the game for any owner. If your value shines through, your own successes will follow. In my case, it led to an early referral that was a major boost to my practice. While two of my first clients came as referrals through my network, the third was passed on at the suggestion of a client I had worked with for just two weeks.

If you do great work, the results will speak for themselves.

Utah School Bus, Fire
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 7, 2024

That’s Wild! Utah School Bus Driver Arrested For Allegedly Setting Bus Afire With 42 Children On Board

This is wild!

A former school bus driver out of Utah was arrested after being accused of setting two school buses on fire on two separate occasions.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, Michael Austin Ford, 58, of West Valley City, Utah, who used to work for Granite School District, was ordered detained on March 1, 2024. A federal grand jury indicted him on Feb. 21, 2024, for two alleged incidents of arson while driving the bus.

The former bus driver is charged with two counts of arson of a vehicle of an organization receiving federal funds.

Court documents stated that the two incidents occurred in February 2022 and April 2023. The first time, Ford allegedly set a Granite School District school bus ablaze while there were 42 children still inside the bus. After setting the bus on fire, he still drove the bus in traffic. He allegedly used an ignition device to start a fire, and he was seen on video still driving the vehicle, although there was smoke “billowing” toward where the children were seated at the back of the bus.

Another incident that took place last year was also captured on video. He was driving another Granite School District bus and allegedly started another fire while he was in traffic. Once again, smoke was seen billowing past his face. Granite School Police arrested him several days later but released him after questioning him.

A court date has been scheduled for Ford’s jury trial. This will occur next month on April 29, at 8:30 a.m. before a U.S. District Court Judge at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

According to court documents, an investigation was initiated in October 2023 following reports of damage to Ford’s home and vehicle in a fire. He is alleged to have a history of arson and purportedly admitted to investigators his involvement in three other bus fires. One incident reportedly occurred between 2001 and 2002, with the others occurring in 2016 and 2017, as stated in the motion for detention.

Ford has entered a plea of not guilty.

Max Hardy
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 7, 2024

Detroit Chef And Restaurant Owner Max Hardy Dead At 40

The popular chef is survived by his two daughters.

Prominent chef Max Hardy has suddenly died at the age of 40.

According to MLive, the Detroit native passed away on March 4. His cause of death was not immediately revealed.

“We have lost one of the most celebrated and promising Black chefs from Detroit,” Hardy’s publicist, David Rudolph, said in a written statement to MLive.

“He will be remembered for his work in the community as an advocate to end childhood food insecurity, feeding the un-homed during the pandemic with Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen for Good, his work with DPSCD high school culinary students, and recently, the coming together of 30 Black male chefs in celebration of Black History Month (Black Excellence Culinary Symphony).”

The Detroit Free Press reported that Hardy owned COOP Caribbean Fusion, which is located inside the Detroit Shipping Co.; Jed’s Detroit, a pizza and wings franchise on Seven Mile Road in Detroit; and River Bistro in northwest Detroit, which is now closed.

In recent years, Hardy returned home to Detroit after spending 20 years in Miami and New York City, opening River Bistro in 2017. For five years, he was a personal chef to former NBA player Amar’e Stoudemire. Hardy was planning on opening three restaurants within a year in Detroit.

He released his first cookbook, Cooking with Amar’e: 100 Easy Recipes for Pros and Rookies in the Kitchen, in 2014. He also appeared as a contestant on the Food Network’s Chopped series.

According to The Detroit News, Hardy started a nonprofit organization, One Chef Can 86 Hunger, and worked with various groups, including the Horatio Williams Foundation, the I AM Hope Foundation, and Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen For Good.

The popular chef is survived by his two daughters.

Biden, card, junk fees
by Sharelle B. McNair

March 7, 2024

Biden Caps Credit Card Fees At $8 To Fight ‘Junk Fees’

We love this, Biden!

President Joe Biden issued federal regulations to cap credit card late fees at $8 to eliminate junk fees. 

The new rule, issued on March 5, is estimated to save families over $10 billion annually by cutting fees down from an average of $32. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, regulations apply to large credit card companies hosting over 1 million accounts, representing 95% of total outstanding credit card debt. 

With the proposal first introduced in February 2023, the Biden administration is pushing forth action to help American families struggling with rising living costs. 

During a meeting with his Competition Council, Biden estimated credit card companies have gained five times more in late fees than in costs to recoup the late payment. He said the practice violates federal law by preventing credit card companies from charging late fees exceeding the cost to collect payments. “They’re padding their profit margins and charging hard-working Americans,” Biden said.

“This action will collectively save families $10 billion in credit card late fees every year.”

CFPB is supporting this initiative with a proposed rule to curb rising overdraft fees, closing loopholes that exempted overdraft lending services from actions in the Truth in Lending Act of 1968. Even though banks will still be able to charge limited overdraft fees, banks won’t be able to exceed banks’ losses under the regulation. 

The CFPB is still discussing the finalized amount, but they are exploring overdraft fees being limited to $3, $6, $7, or $14, plus $.50 per transaction.

Over 45 million people are being charged late fees on cards every year, according to the CFPB. However, they could save an average of $220 per year. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) applauded the move on social media.

“This action by President Biden will save Americans $10 BILLION a year. These junk fees are designed to boost Wall Street profits at the expense of working people,” she tweeted. 

“@POTUS and @chopracfpb are saying ENOUGH. This is the government working for the people, not the big banks.”

However, banking industry executives don’t like the change. 

Rob Nichols, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, is accusing the CFPB of “choosing to put politics over sound public policy,” touching on the rule’s timing before Biden’s State of the Union address set for March 7.

“Today’s flawed final rule will not only reduce competition and increase the cost of credit but will also result in more late payments, higher debt, lower credit scores, and reduced credit access for those who need it most,” Nichols said. 

Cutting “junk fees” for consumers has been key to Biden’s economic agenda. The Council of Economic Advisers estimates the actions taken by the administration — targeting the banking, ticketing, airline, and other industries — will reduce more than $20 billion in junk fees annually.

“The American people are tired of being played for suckers,” Biden said.

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