Librarian, Book Ban
(Photo: iStock)
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 6, 2024

Incarcerated Judges Select First Winner Of Inside Literary Prize

Launched in December 2023, 200 incarcerated individuals voted on a winner.

The first U.S. book prize comprised of incarcerated judges has announced its first-ever winner: Imani Perry’s for her novel, South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation.

Launched in December 2023, the Inside Literary Prize included over 200 incarcerated individuals to vote on the novels. The literary award was created with Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation, and the Center for Justice Innovation alongside Dallas bookstore owner Lori Feathers.

“Reading literature and poetry throughout my nearly nine years in prison played an enormous role in shaping the person I am today,” said Freedom Reads Founder & CEO Reginald Dwayne Betts in a press release on its launch. “Through the reading and judging of leading American literary works, the Inside Literary Prize competition will provide a national platform for incarcerated individuals to meaningfully participate in our shared national cultural conversation. Freedom Reads could not be more proud to work with our partners on this initiative as we turn this vision into an annual reality. Freedom begins with a book.”

The inaugural winner was announced August 1 during the New York Ceremony, also emceed by Betts. The judges participated via video streaming and spoke of their role’s importance in determining the winner.

“Being a judge…just meant a lot for me,” said Chelsea, a judge from the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Shakopee, as stated in a news release. “It meant that my voice mattered because, for the last four and a half years, my voice hasn’t mattered. I got to be Chelsea. I wasn’t just my number.”

The judges came from 12 prisons across the country. Representatives from the sponsoring organizations led discussions at each prison. Following these conversations, readers voted on the prize winner. Their shortlist included Tess Gunty’s novel, The Rabbit Hutch; Jamil Jan Kochai’s short story collection,The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories; and Roger Reeves’ poetry book, Best Barbarian.

Photo: Beowulf Sheehan

“In this honor, I renew my sense of responsibility to the millions of people incarcerated and under state supervision,” Perry said. “Not as a matter of charity, but rather out of the deepest respect for the insight that comes from seeing society from the corners that it keeps hidden. And for the wisdom of those whom it keeps out of view. But most of all, out of care for those in the grasp of confinement.”

Perry’s book, published in 2022, combines the formats of a memoir and travelogue. The author detailed her journey and personal history throughout the American South. Her $4,860 prize also holds significance to the plight of incarcerated people. It amounts to five years of work at 54 cents an hour, what Betts earned while working at his prison’s library.

“I think this prize is most of all a recognition of readers and may this recognition of the intellectual life that exists behind bars extend much further,” said Perry, who also received the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction “…God bless the organizers who believe in freedom. And, to the people inside, please know when I say ‘we’ and when I refer to ‘my people,’ I mean you too.”

Alabama, Montgomery, riverboat, #FadeInTheWater
Photo by Julie Bennett/Getty Images
by Keka Araújo

August 5, 2024

Move Over Juneteenth! The Black Delegation Commemorates Aug. 5 ‘#FadeInTheWater’ The New-Era Day Of Revolt

No, but seriously – social media users took to the X app to honor the many brothers and sisters who united to molly-whop the proverbial and literal asses of “the man and his lady” during a massive brawl that occurred last year in Montgomery, Alabama.

At the center of the Mason-Dixon line melee was quadragenarian Reggie Ray, who reportedly put hands and a chair upside the head of some racist family who attacked him while he worked as a co-captain of the ferry that docked on the Alabama River. #FadeInTheWater was born from a momentous event, and today is the one-year anniversary.

What a time to be alive! Here are the best tweets commemorating the “newest” Black holiday – #FadeInTheWater.

All jokes aside, August 5, its anniversary and the notorious Montgomery riverfront brawl served as a unifier for the Black American delegation.  It also opened the door for the mentions of pertinent slave rebellions like the Stono Rebellion and Denmark Vesey. 

Throughout history, Black rebellion has taken many forms, from organized revolts to everyday acts of resistance. These acts have always been driven by a desire for freedom, justice, and equality. While the methods and contexts have evolved over time, the underlying spirit of defiance against oppression remains a constant thread.

The #FadeInTheWater was a significant moment in 2023, where community members came together to stand against injustice and protect one another. This act of collective defense resonated deeply, echoing the courage and determination of past generations who fought for their rights and dignity.

Power to the people.

RELATED CONTENT: An Alabama Brawl Between Black And White Citizens Has The Internet Buzzing

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
(Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
by Daniel Johnson

August 5, 2024

$11M Army Deal Sours As The Rock Allegedly Broke His End Of Agreement

Inside the Army, however, there were serious doubts that the partnership would work, as the low reach of the leagues that combined to form the UFL were positioned by staff as hurdles to a payoff and were likened to an $88 million deal the National Guard entered into with NASCAR

Earlier in 2024, the U.S. Army and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson entered into an $11 million sponsorship deal that also had a component similar to an NIL deal, but the Army is now saying that the 52-year-old Johnson did not live up to his end of the agreement.

According to Fortune, part of the Army’s reasoning for inking the deal has been its inability to attract male recruits since 2013. Throughout the last decade-plus, the Army’s enlistment of recruits who identify as male has dropped by 35%.

Due in part to these figures, the Army signed a deal with Johnson’s United Football League, an upstart league that provides players both an alternative and a pathway for the NFL. The agreement stipulated that Johnson was to publish a specific number of service-related posts on his social media accounts, and according to Fortune, this was a significant part of why the Army negotiated the deal. The deal, it seems, was less about the UFL and more about leveraging Johnson’s name, image, and likeness to sell the Army to potential recruits. 

However, according to an Army spokesperson, although the Army appears to be dissatisfied with what they received from Johnson, they can’t thoroughly examine the impact on their financial investment until the deal, which includes Army branding on team uniforms and fields, high school clinics, and on-field activations is officially completed. 

“We won’t have a clear view of the results of the partnership or impacts to the Army’s financial investment until all marketing elements are complete,” the spokesperson told Fortune. “This partnership allowed the Army to increase awareness and engage with a wider audience for Americans to learn about the possibilities of Army services.”

According to Megan Sweeney, a former senior advisor for communications at the U.S. Department of Defense, the Army didn’t clearly understand what it would get when it made the deal.

“While the Army may have thought they were getting The Rock, they were instead primarily getting a partnership with a minor football league,” Sweeney told the outlet. “The Rock is an investor of the UFL, but it’s not like he’s on the sidelines of every game. As a result, the Army seems to have paid Hollywood-level sponsorship money for minor-league exposure.”

Sweeney continued, “In the Army’s defense, they allegedly did not receive the level of social media exposure they were promised by The Rock’s team,” Sweeney said. “It may have cost the Army millions, but this incident will certainly damage Rock’s reputation as a brand ambassador without a further explanation on his end. It’s important to include provisions in brand ambassador contracts that protect both parties in the event one side decides to desert their responsibilities.”

According to documents procured by Military.com, Johnson only made two of the five promised social media posts, which the Army reportedly valued at approximately $1 million a piece, leveraging Johnson’s 396 million Instagram followers to make that valuation. 

According to their reporting, Johnson’s partnership with the Army didn’t yield a single recruit, and there is evidence that it may have hurt the Army’s enlistment numbers. The Army reportedly wants to get essentially half of the deal’s value back, $6 million, but it is currently unclear how they arrived at that figure. 

According to Laura DeFrancisco, a spokesperson for the Army’s marketing department, “We are in the process of working with the UFL to determine the final cost.”

Inside the military branch, however, there were serious doubts that the partnership would work, as the low reach of the leagues that combined to form the UFL were positioned by staff as hurdles to a payoff and were likened to an $88 million deal the National Guard entered into with NASCAR. That deal, similar to the deal with Johnson’s UFL, also failed to generate a single recruit. Despite these concerns, Gen. Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, was able to push the deal through, per an email reviewed by Military.com.

George’s spokesperson, Col. Dave Butler, told the outlet that despite the issues with Johnson meeting the social media requirements of the deal, he remains an excellent partner to the military service branch. 

“In terms of The Rock, it’s unfortunate he was pulled away at a time when we expected him to be present with us to create content for his social media channels. But we’re working with the UFL to rebalance the contract. The Rock remains a good partner to the Army.”

Snoop Dogg, trademark, Snoopsicles
(Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
by Daniel Johnson

August 5, 2024

Venture Capitalist Henry L. McNamara Airs Out Snoop Dogg’s Alleged Olympic Earnings

McNamara’s claim was met on the site with disbelief of his cited source and disbelief that he would seem to think that NBC essentially would have Snoop Dogg at most major Olympic events performing the duties of a correspondent for free.

As Snoop Dogg gains widespread attention for his prominent presence at the Paris Olympic Games presented by NBC, Henry L. McNamara made an explosive claim on social media.

McNamara, a venture capitalist based in New York and a member of Forbes Magazine’s 2020 30 Under 30 Venture Capital class, made an Aug. 4 tweet claiming that an NBC executive told him that the rapper and music producer was being paid $500,000 a day plus expenses. 

“Sat next to an NBC exec at dinner, he said Snoop gets paid $500k a day plus expenses to be here promoting Olympics. From Gin and Juice to a few million to be a celebrity at the Olympics – what a world,” McNamara wrote. 

McNamara’s claim was met on the site with disbelief of his cited source — and that he would seem to think that NBC, essentially, would have Snoop Dogg at most major Olympic events performing the duties of a correspondent for free. 

https://twitter.com/daliahear/status/1820335471571914909?t=Hn5S4RVyKGJ4kYdpe4bOWQ&s=19
https://twitter.com/SnoopDogg/status/1819328042113581458?t=_ZpXEfmC-2jiLlG0_53iKQ&s=19

Some have also compared Snoop’s alleged salary to the payouts of American athletes who medal, but there is no evidence that McNamara’s claim is legitimate, just an alleged conversation with an unnamed NBC executive. 

Snoop Dogg, meanwhile, has been profiled by the Washington Post as NBC’s “Ambassador of Happiness” and they, in a similar fashion to McNamara, charted the unlikely rise of Snoop from Dr. Dre’s running mate on “Gin & Juice” to becoming a sensation with his star turn at the Paris Games. 

Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University, told the outlet, “I’m not sure who was betting on Snoop to be America’s sweetheart in the 1990s. No one saw this coming then.”

In 2021, NBC hired Snoop as the host of a late-night highlights show with Kevin Hart, and the executives were so happy with the results, they wanted even more Snoop. NBC wanted the rapper to fill a “roving correspondent” role in this year’s Olympics, a role which it seems the entertainer agreed to, given his ubiquitous presence at several events.

According to The Post, Snoop might be helping to drive a viewership spike of NBC’s coverage and Molly Solomon, the executive producer of NBC’s Olympics coverage, described Snoop to the outlet as an “ambassador of happiness”

Snoop discussed part of why he believes he has been successful as the Olympic ambassador with The Associated Press, telling the outlet, “When the lights are on, that’s when I shine the best. This opportunity was nothing but a chance for me to show the world what it’s supposed to look like when you put the right person in the right environment.”

Martha Stewart, who celebrated her 83rd birthday by attending an Olympic equestrian event with Snoop on August 3, told the outlet that his likeability and accessibility is his true talent.

“I think he’s done an amazing job for the Olympics. This is the celebration of the finest athleticism ever in the world and he has made it so accessible to everybody. That’s his talent. Everybody loves him.” Stewart said.

Snoop believes the key to audiences enjoying him is that he is simply just being himself and audiences can tell it’s authentic and not a performance.

“This is what I do. I do it every day. That’s why it’s not hard for me,” Snoop said. “It’s not like an act. The bits that we do. They’re comfortable. They’re not stretched or forced. It’s me being me.”

Snoop continued, “But remember, I’m a rapper. So ain’t no rapper ever did what I’m doing. It’s limitations to the field that I come from,” Snoop told the AP. “Rappers aren’t supposed to do this. I tend to do the unthinkable.”

RELATED CONTENT: From Long Beach To Paris, Snoop Dogg Will Carry The Olympic Torch Before Opening Ceremony

Job Scam, Interview
(Photo: cottonbro studio/Pexels)
by Sharelle B. McNair

August 5, 2024

North Carolina Woman Scammed Out of $60K After Providing Personal Bank Info To ‘Employer’ 

Here's how you can avoid the same situation.

A woman from Fayetteville, North Carolina, is out $60,000 after she pursued a phone job opportunity, ABC11 reports. 

Rebecca Adami said she was taken advantage of by a man she was exchanging romantic texts with. After Adami alerted him that she was seeking employment, he offered to connect Adami with a job opportunity.

She then received paperwork via email from a man who claimed to be in charge of finances for a charity. Once Adami was “hired,” she was required to open up bank accounts. Shortly after, she found herself  providing all her bank and credit card numbers with the man whom she thought was her new boss.

“I set up a bank checking and savings in my name, but a separate one to keep their money straight,” Adami said. “He had all my information, so he started charging on all my cards. Any equipment, anything shipped here, it would be shipped here. Then I would ship it overseas.”

The purchases equaled charges on her credit card worth more than $60,000. The “company” demanded the charges be paid off in full by the charity. Adami says payments were made on her credit cards that zeroed out the balances, however, days later, her “boss” made additional charges on her credit card. Then the payments that were made, were suddenly reversed so she was liable for owing more money to her credit card companies.

Her scam radar went off after checks made out to her were sent: one for $32,000 and another for $35,000. Adami was told both were for the charity and was instructed to deposit them in her account, and then to send the money to someone else. Adami said once her bank identified the checks as fraudulent, she knew it was a scam.

“If I had put that in my account and sent any money off of that, I would have been liable for all that, too,” Adami said. “I have no money to do anything, no money to go anywhere. No money. It’s really ruined my life.”

She said she decided to speak out about her experience in hopes the red flags will stop others from falling victim. According to The Week, job scams are more common than people think. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recorded close to 105,000 business and job opportunity scams in 2023, with victims losing approximately $450 million.  

Thanks to remote work and the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, experts have found more than “a five-fold increase over the past five years.” 

Some of the most common scams are fake job listings on social media, imposters posing as employers of a company or hiring firm, and job placement and career consulting offers. Some tips to keep at the top of mind during a job search is to never disclose personal information until a job offer is submitted or you start the gig.

Real jobs will never ask you to pay. “Honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job,” the FTC said. “Anyone who does is a scammer.”

Lastly, be sure to do your own research. If a listing seems too good to be true, investigate the company by looking for a website, location, and other staff members. “You might even look up the name of the company or the person who’s hiring you, plus the words ‘scam,’ ‘review,’ or ‘complaint’ to see if anything comes up,” the agency stressed. 

RELATED CONTENT: 5 Tips for Protecting Your Identity During Job Seeking

Southern University
(Photo: Zen Chung/Pexels)
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 5, 2024

College Freshman Receives Jovita Moore HBCU Scholarship

Joi Ector attends Southern University and A&M College.

Joi Ector, a freshman at Southern University and A&M College, received the Jovita Moore HBCU Scholarship, distributed by the Jaguar Foundation of Atlanta, on August 3. Moore, a longtime news anchor in the city, died from brain cancer in October 2021.

The Jaguar Foundation started the scholarship in honor of Moore, who was an advisory board member of the organization. The WSB-TV primetime anchor also used to host the nonprofit’s Annual Achievement Awards for nearly a decade, where the newest recipient was announced. Moore’s former colleague, Channel 2’s Tom Jones, emceed this year’s event.

The Jaguar Foundation of Atlanta has continued to uplift and support HBCU students from the Atlanta area. Its scholarship, established in 2023, extends to other undergraduate students within the Atlanta University Center.

In the months prior to her death, Moore shed light on her health journey through her role in local news. She revealed her glioblastoma diagnosis, the most common brain cancer, after having two masses surgically removed from her brain in April 2021. The incurable disease cannot be inherited and is not triggered by certain diets or lifestyles. The only treatment is to stop its progression.

Moore, who began working for WSB-TV in 1998, became a trustworthy source of information for many in the Atlanta area. Her efforts to support the Black community extended to her philanthropic endeavors, which included serving on the board of directors for the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Before her death, Moore urged all to check in on their health and wellness. Her advocacy is significantly relevant to Black individuals. According to the National Brain Tumor Society, Black people have “slightly higher incidence rates of primary brain tumors” as opposed to other races.

RELATED CONTENT: Georgia High Schooler Awarded Over $14M In College Scholarships, Accepted Into Over 200 Schools

ABC’s Rachel Scott Allegedly Receives Death Threats After Holding Trump Accountable
(Photos from left: Praiawart, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons;Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
by Sharelle B. McNair

August 5, 2024

ABC’s Rachel Scott Allegedly Receives Death Threats After Holding Trump Accountable

Media analyst Eric Deggans said Scott has been the victim of threats on her life after questioning Trump on past comments about Black people.

ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott reportedly received death threats after an interview with former President Donald Trump at the National Association of Black Journalists convention (NABJ) got heated, the Guardian reported. 

NPR TV Critic and Media Analyst Eric Deggans wrote a statement on X stating that the journalist received threats to her life after questioning the GOP presidential nominee on July 31 about his past comments about Black people. “At a membership meeting today, NABJ’s executive director said ABC’s Rachel Scott had received death threats following her work asking incisive questions of Donald Trump at the group’s national convention Wednesday,” he wrote. 

During the intense engagement, Scott asked Trump, “Why should Black voters trust you?” and inquired about his thoughts on Vice President Kamala Harris being labeled a “DEI Hire,” given her ethnicity being in question. Trump’s response started with him claiming he never knew Harris was Black, saying she decided to “turn Black” to climb the political ladder. “I did not know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black.”

Scott defended the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, saying, “She has always identified as a Black woman” and pointed out that she graduated from a historically Black college and university, Howard University. 

The seasoned journalist did receive an overflow of support from social media and colleagues, applauding her for a job well done alongside co-moderators Fox News’ Harris Faulkner and Kadia Goba of Semafor. One fan added her to a list of other Black women who have held Trump accountable for his critical actions. “Fani Willis, Leticia James, Tanya Chutkin, Rachel Scott. Kamala Harris. Black women are the ones holding Trump accountable,” @HackingButLegal wrote. 

https://twitter.com/HackingButLegal/status/1820118924853199265

@AesPolitics1 said Scott “literally ended Trump’s political career.”

However, others criticized Scott’s form of questioning, including Faulkner. The news anchor accused her colleague of starting the discussion with an “emotional” tone, according to The Hill. She felt the indicted presidential candidate should have been given more grace after surviving an assassination attempt. “He walks out onstage and not a greeting to acknowledge it’s been 18 days at that point since you survived an assassination attempt. We’re going to ask you tough questions, but Mr. President, welcome, and we’re glad you’re still here,” Faulkner said.

“I mean, it didn’t take much to show humanity, and in that moment, I was so disappointed that that didn’t happen.” Despite heavy backlash, NABJ’s president, Ken Lemon, defended the decision to keep Trump on the agenda, but the Washington Post’s Karen Attiah resigned as co-chairperson of the convention’s organizing committee.

RELATED CONTENT: CEO EARL ‘BUTCH’ GRAVES JR. DENOUNCES NABJ DECISION TO HOST DONALD TRUMP

Tim Scott
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
by Sharelle B. McNair

August 5, 2024

Tim Scott Marries After Being Passed Over For Black Job As Trump’s Political Sidekick

Congratulations, Sen. Scott!

The Post and Courier reports that Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) finally married his longtime beau, Mindy Noce, during an intimate ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina. 

The two lovebirds tied the knot on Aug. 4 at Charleston’s Seacoast Church, and the former member of Donald Trump’s vice presidential shortlist made the official announcement on X shortly after. “Tonight, we promised to cherish and nourish each other and our marriage for the rest of our lives. Mindy, you’ve made me the happiest man alive. I love you,” Scott wrote. 

“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. Matthew 19:6”

Amongst close family and friends, several political heavyweights attended the nuptials, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Sens. John Thune (S.D.), James Lankford (Okla.) and John Barrasso (Wy.) Scott’s co-writer and Fox News host, former Rep. Trey Gowdy (S.C.), also made an appearance. 

Scott first opened up about his relationship status during his failed presidential bid. While speaking at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Town Hall in Sept. 2023, the GOP lawmaker said he was dating a “lovely Christian girl” and boasted about their Bible reading and pickleball activities. However, he never said her name or showed photos. 

Then, during the third Republican presidential debate in Nov. 2023, Noce made her first appearance on the world stage. While Scott did not advance to becoming the Republican presidential nominee over Trump, donors shared concern over the 58-year-old being single. He admitted that he and Noce had been dating for a little over a year, and she had supported his campaign from the early stages. 

The Senator received well wishes on social media from fellow conservatives and some extremists, including Arizona U.S. Senate nominee Kari Lake and Trump himself. “Congratulations to my longtime friend, Senator Tim Scott, and his beautiful bride, Mindy Noce, who were married today in the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, according to Fox News.

“You have a GREAT future. God bless you both!”

Some users weren’t as nice to the happy couple, issuing concerns about Noce getting a prenuptial agreement or not. “Mindy, hope you didn’t sign a prenup!!,” @@carlsson808 said. 

The blushing bride is an interior designer from the Palmetto State who grew up a military brat. As the couple allegedly have been engaged for a year, Scott said he believes in waiting for the right time for marriage. He admitted that with his life dedicated to politics, he had to learn some hard truths about himself and love. “Part of the blessing for me was not getting married before now. Right girl, wrong time is a mess. Wrong girl, right time is chaos,” Scott said. 

“Like everybody else, I think we pretty selfishly want what we want. I think marriage helps you understand that maybe it’s not the only mission on the planet to get what you want, but it is to help others enjoy the journey of life, as well to be an ambassador of hope.”

RELATED CONTENT: Tim Scott Stumps For Trump In ABC News Interview

fertility, black sperm donors
Photo by Riska/Getty Images
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 5, 2024

Study Reveals A Lack Of Black Sperm Donors For Black Women

According to the Fertility and Sterility Journal, Black men make up under 3% of sperm-bank donors.

A study revealed that sperm donation significantly lacks samples from a certain demographic. Black women wanting to conceive Black children are struggling to do so, given the lack of Black male donors.

According to The Fertility and Sterility Journal, Black men make up under 3% of sperm bank donors. This disparity leads to slim chances for those seeking a Black sperm donor for in-vitro fertilization, despite Black men accounting for 13% of the males in the U.S. However, white men hold the majority of sperm donations, with 61% of sperm donors belonging to this demographic.

Despite this disparity, attempts to reach out to potential Black male donors are underway. One of these plans includes the establishment of a Black-owned cryobank. The Washington, D.C.-based Reproductive Village Cryobank seeks to remedy this problem, with its owner, Angela Stepancic, working on securing the funding to open the facility. Thus far, she has raised 35% of the $500k she needs to bring the business to life.

According to Stepancic, a key in getting more Black donors is to establish trust and accessibility. Her location in the nation’s capital, where Census data confirmed a 43.5% Black population, hopes to accomplish both.

“I decided to reframe my thinking from ‘How do we help you get more donors?’ to ‘How do we do this for ourselves?’” stated Stepancic, who used a Latino sperm donor, despite efforts to find a Black one. “I know where Black people are. Just like we created HBCUs for us, we can create this for us.”

According to the study, experts believe that this gap stems from the lack of trust from the Black community in the medical system. From systemic racism to untreated pain and experimentation, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, these historic issues have heightened since the COVID-19 pandemic, which also disproportionately impacted Black communities.

“It’s, like, ‘Well, where is my sperm going?’” explained Dr. Denise Asafu-Adjei, Loyola Medicine’s director of male reproductive medicine. “‘Who is going to take this?’ I think those fears are definitely higher in my minority patients, and I think a large part of that is due to the history of some of these nefarious actions with genetic information.”

This ingrained distrust, alongside not wanting to fuel stereotypes of “deadbeat” Black fathers, has created a significant gap in Black sperm donors.

“I think there is a fear of being labeled as not being in a child’s life, specifically for Black people, because that has been a label put on a lot of Black men,” explained Dr. Cassie Hobbs, who co-authored the study. “In order to actively avoid that, they steer away from donating because they don’t want to have children that they don’t know out there.”

Moreover, the requirements to be a sperm donor may be inaccessible to many. Beyond height, education, and sexuality regulations, donors must provide generations of medical history. However, that information, for many Black people, is not always readily available. Furthermore, public facilities, such as the Midwest Sperm Bank, only offer $70 per donation.

Hobbs added, “Many sperm banks require you to have three generations of medical history. When we’re thinking about Black people, a lot of our grandparents didn’t even have access to care. That definitely puts us at a further disadvantage.”

On the other hand, alternative methods for acquiring diverse sperm donations are in operation. They also require less of potential donors while paying out more. Specifically, the Seed Scout in Arlington, Virginia offers $5,000 to donors. However, their identity is not withheld from the client.

Despite the lack of anonymity, the Seed Scout seeks to provide a more positive medical experience for Black men. That mission, however, extends to all organizations, as the effort to get more Black sperm donors grows.

RELATED CONTENT: Diverse Sperm Shortage Raises Concerns for Black Women, Leads Woman to Open First Black-owned Cryobank in the Country

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