Claressa Shields
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 26, 2024

Claressa Shields Makes History After Winning First Female MMA Match In Saudi Arabia

The undefeated boxing champion Claressa Shields just made history as an MMA fighter with her latest victory that took place in Saudi Arabia.

Undefeated boxing champion Claressa Shields just made history as an MMA fighter with her latest victory that took place in Saudi Arabia.

After defeating Kelsey De Santis on Feb. 24, Shields became the first champion of a professional MMA bout in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, CNN reports. The win adds to her 14-0 boxing record and improves her 2-1 record as an MMA fighter following her loss against Abigail Montes in October 2021.

“I had such a hard camp,” Shields said of the challenging win. “It’s not easy what I’m trying to do and I’ve been so respectful of the sport. I put a lot of hard work in, I’m going to go back to the gym and work harder.”

It was a tightly contested match with Shields managing to escape an armbar submission attempt by De Santis in the first round. But with some skillful maneuvering, she was able to regain her composure and ultimately secure the victory.

“I almost got my arm snapped in the freakin’ armbar. I had to fight out of that” she said.

Shields put in a lot of work leading up to the bout, which was her first MMA fight in over two years.

“There was days in camp where I was literally in tears,” she shared. “I was not considering going back to the gym because it was so hard but I forced myself to go back and that’s how I got the win tonight.”

Shields’ historical MMA match comes amid a rise in female MMA fighters following the traditionally conservative kingdom’s ease on women residents. In January, Hattan Alsaif became the first Saudi woman to join an international MMA promotion.

As for the Flint, Michigan, native, she remains a confident fighter unwavering in her ability to overcome any match that comes her way. There are talks of Shields competing against Britain’s Savannah Marshall in an MMA bout after already beating her in a world middleweight title boxing match in London in October 2022.

“Savannah needs to understand — and the sooner she understands the better — you can’t beat me in nothing,” Shields told Sky Sports. “The sooner she understands that the better we’ll all be. Just give it up.”

RELATED CONTENT: George Floyd Witness and MMA Fighter Says He was “Shimmying”

Malinda Williams
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 26, 2024

Malinda Williams Launches HBCU Coding Boot Camp For Women

Actress Malinda Williams is paying it forward to a new generation of HBCU scholars through her new coding boot camp for women.

Actress Malinda Williams is paying it forward to a new generation of HBCU scholars through her new coding boot camp for women.

The Wood star launched The E.S.T.E.A.M. Project Feb. 15, a coding boot camp aimed at fostering diversity and equal opportunity in the tech industry for women at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Created through Williams’ non-profit Arise And Shine Foundation Inc. the new initiative aims to empower women by equipping them with valuable coding and technical skills.

“As a professional actress and someone who has experienced first-hand the support of my community, I understand the value of collaboration and paying it forward,” Williams said in a press release.

“The Arise And Shine Foundation exists to empower women to reach their goals and coding is a powerful tool—it is the language of the future. The E.S.T.E.A.M. Project will offer young women an avenue to acquire valuable skills to propel them forward in the 21st century.”

The pilot four-week program is centered around education initiatives mentoring scholars in entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (E.S.T.E.A.M).

Participants will explore how coding, app development, and STEAM training can pave the way for success across diverse career paths. They’ll also master Apple’s SwiftUI programming language and enjoy an in-person weekend filled with inspiration, impactful life lessons, skill-building, and networking. The Apple SwiftUI programming comes as part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative that will provide The E.S.T.E.A.M Project with hardware, scholarships, and professional learning assistance.

Williams launched her Arise And Shine Foundation in 2023 as part of her mission to be a conduit of information, inspiration, and empowerment to women in all walks of life. The foundation collaborates with educational institutions, corporations, and the community to initiate and amplify programs aimed at promoting the personal and professional growth of underserved and underrepresented women and girls.

The E.S.T.E.A.M. Project is accepting applications through March 31, 2024, from women currently enrolled at HBCUs. An in-person kick-off will take place May 30 through June 2, 2024, on at the Jackson State University campus in Jackson, MS.

RELATED CONTENT: Event Aims To Empower Black Girls In STEM As Demand For Those Careers Soar

Richard Sherman, DUI, arrest, DUI, arrested, court
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 26, 2024

Former NFL Player Richard Sherman Arrested For Suspicion Of Driving Under The Influence

This isn't Sherman's first run-in with the law.

Former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman was arrested over the weekend when he was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The 35-year-old former athlete, an analyst for Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football, was picked up by Washington State Patrol in King County, Washington, at 3:48 a.m. on Saturday based on jail records. He was booked into King County Correctional Facility at 4:51 a.m. after being accused of driving under the influence. Sherman, still in police custody, is expected to have a court hearing on Monday, Feb. 26.

Trooper Jordan Hazzard-Thomas, who was at the traffic stop, stated that while talking to Sherman, he noticed “the odor of intoxicants” and that the analyst’s eyes appeared to be “bloodshot and watery.”

NBC News reported this isn’t Sherman’s first brush with the law. Two years ago, during the summer of 2021, Sherman was arrested after being accused of driving under the influence, crashing his SUV in a construction zone, and trying to break into his in-laws’ suburban Seattle home. Charges against him included allegations of criminal trespass, DUI, and resisting arrest.

Instead of spending time in jail, he took a guilty plea in March 2022 to two misdemeanor counts — first-degree negligent driving and second-degree criminal trespass. As part of his plea arrangement, he agreed to court supervision through part of 2024 and a suspended 90-day jail sentence. He was also credited with two days for time already served as long as he stayed out of trouble. This latest arrest threatens to jeopardize this deal.

While playing for the Seahawks, Sherman played in two Super Bowl games and won in 2014. After leaving the team in 2018, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers and made a return to the Super Bowl in 2019, but the team lost, and he ended his playing career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.

BEYONCÉ, Album, Cowboy Carter, trends
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

February 26, 2024

Cowboy Core Fashion Pops Off Thanks To Beyoncé’s Country Album Announcement

Beyoncé is setting trends not only on the Billboard country charts, but in the fashion sphere as she influences the latest cowboy fashions.

Can the church get an amen…and a yee-haw? With Beyoncé venturing into her Texas roots and southern charm with new music, the singer is starting a cowboy craze within the fashion world.

The rising popularity of cowboy essentials, including boots, hats, and all things denim, seems to stem from Beyoncé’s impact as she makes her shift to country music. With the release of two new singles, “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em,” during Super Bowl Sunday, the cowboy effect is now in full swing. According to fashion experts at BooHoo, Beyoncé is leading the pack to bring country attire to the mainstream.

Through her influence, Google searches for “cowboy hat” increased by 212.5% after her Super Bowl commercial with Verizon, per a report by the fashion brand. The extended clip also featured Beyoncé in a turquoise bolo tie, in which searches for “bolo tie” also rose by 566%.

The Cécred founder has hinted before at her new era in country. Prior to the her surprise song releases, Beyoncé arrived to 2024 Grammy Awards in cowboy couture, complete with a white cowboy hat to complement her platinum blonde hair. Her highly-anticipated new album, known currently as Act II of Renaissance, is set for release on March 29. The Grammy winner is known for getting her fans in dress code formation with her last tour, encouraging concertgoers to dress in silver attire to match the disco, futuristic themes of the project.

Now, fans are set to be styled in cowboy chic from head-to-toe when she steps back into performing. This also includes cowboy boots, which held a 163% increase in searches. Beyoncé is not only trailblazing new fashion trends, but breaking music records with this latest project. She has already become the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and is set to make an even bigger cultural impact as the rest of her music comes out this year.

RELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé Becomes First Black Woman To Top Country Charts

John A. Wilson Building, Washington D.C. Sentencing Commission, JOEL CASTÓN
by Daniel Johnson

February 26, 2024

Joel Castón Wants To Prove Formerly Incarcerated People Deserve To Lead

Castón was incarcerated for a violent crime he committed as a young person and began to turn his life around while incarcerated.

The lingering consequences of incarceration is something that Washington, D.C., Sentencing Commission member Joel Castón has also had to deal with. 

Castón was incarcerated for a violent crime he committed as a young person and began to turn his life around while incarcerated. As Fast Company reported, Castón actually won his first election to Washington D.C.’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission while he was still serving his sentence. Thus, Castón became the first incarcerated person in D.C.’s history to win an election while still serving a sentence. Castón has had to deal with the preconceived notions of what a former felon is and what that is supposed to look like once he re-entered the free world. 

Castón told the outlet, “Folks gravitate toward [my conviction] because we have a preconceived notion of what ‘a murderer’ looks like. It’s almost as if they’re programmed to find it problematic to speak about my accolades in a positive light without mentioning the darkest moment in my past.” 

Upon joining the commission tasked with sentencing considerations in D.C., Castón received a letter from U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves. In the letter, Graves questioned Castón’s expertise and raised concerns about potential alignment with another member’s positions. This other member is associated with The Sentencing Project, an organization focused on advocating for fair sentencing guidelines and other reforms within the criminal justice system.

Graves wrote, in part, “neither [Castón’s] work nor his lived experience as an incarcerated person renders him an expert in sentencing policy matters”

However, despite Graves’ attempt to discredit him, Castón was embraced both by those who had been incarcerated alongside him and by organizations like The Sentencing Project.

Furthermore, Nazgol Ghandnoosh, the co-director of research for The Sentencing Project, who is also on the commission, believes the insights offered by formerly incarcerated persons “have a level of insight that researchers, judges, police chiefs—none of us can offer: What does it mean to have lived in a community disproportionately impacted by crime? What does it mean to get a year sentence versus probation? What does it mean for someone to be in prison for 20-plus years? How destabilizing is that? What is it like to have your parents pass away while you’re incarcerated? This is critical information that would really benefit us as a city.” 

In an August 2023 first person essay for Time magazine, co-written by Abigail Glasgow, Castón shared how the restoration of his voting rights had awakened a burning desire for civic engagement inside of him. Castón also used the opportunity to call for more incarcerated people to run for office. 

“Between YME (Young Men Emerging, a mentorship program Castón started with Michael Woody while incarcerated) and the restoration to vote, I had a taste for civic engagement that freed me,” Castón said.

He added, “It wasn’t a question of why I should do this, but why shouldn’t I? I was sentenced to die in prison; but now, away from the places that held me captive in South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia, New York, Kentucky—now, I’m back home, in our nation’s capital, and had a chance to advocate for my brothers and sisters inside. I had a chance to debunk the myths and the grossly misconceptualized definitions of what it means to be ‘an inmate,’ ‘a prisoner,’ ‘a criminal.’ This seat was for someone like me. Once in office, I became a direct line to the D.C. Jail that hadn’t existed before.”

Castón, like political figures Virginia Speaker Don Scott, New York Councilmember Yusuf Salaam, and Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs, Rhode Island Representatives Leonla Felix and Cherie Cruz, and Washington State Representative Tarra Simmons are part of a growing cadre of figures who are helping to humanize formerly incarcerated people.

As Castón told Fast Company, “Many believe that formerly incarcerated people all vote the same, all think the same way—we’ve been put in the same proverbial box. Being formerly incarcerated doesn’t mean that I lack the capacity or the ability to be just and equitable in my judgment. I want to prove that someone with my background can serve.” 

RELATED CONTENT: Drive Change: Transforming Lives Of Formerly Incarcerated Youth In NYC Through Culinary Arts And Advocacy

Hip-Hop Album Cover, Sugar Hill Gang
by Ahsan Washington

February 26, 2024

8 Hip-Hop Album Covers That Go Down In Black History 

Hip-hop culture has made it to 50 years, but that doesn’t mean the celebration stops.

To its credit, hip-hop culture has made it to 50 years, but that doesn’t mean the celebration stops. Nope, hip-hop is constantly evolving, whether it’s the art, fashion, language, or the music — especially the music. Staying true to itself and its Black roots, no one can deny that hip-hop is indeed Black history. There’s so much of a rich past to explore that it’s hard to choose which parts to highlight. However, no one can deny the richness of the genre’s albums. Join BLACK ENTERPRISE as we take you down memory lane with these eight historic hip-hop album covers.

1.) Rapper’s Delight, The Sugar Hill Gang

If you know, you know. This album cover is as monumental as the record itself, which was recorded in August 1979 and dropped in September of the same year, introducing many to the hip-hop sound. 

2.) Paid In Full, Eric B. & Rakim

Hip-hop has always been about lyrical skill, dressing fresh, and bragging power, but this album cover changed the game as money and wealth became more visible in hip-hop. 

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A post shared by ⒾⓋⓄ (@ivo.9o9)

3.) Shake Your Thang, Salt-N-Pepa

The triple threat group was vibrant on this album cover, rocking one of its many signature looks: catsuits and knee boots and plenty of ’80s jewelry, letter jackets, and Afrocentric hats. 

4.) Mama Said Knock You Out, LL Cool J

In keeping with his moniker, ladies love cool James, LL gave his female audience some eye candy for this one

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A post shared by JR (@jrworldofsoul)

5.) Ready To Die, Notorious B.I.G.

A chocolate baby with a full Afro graced the cover of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace’s debut album. It was a refreshing visual for hip-hop albums at the time. 

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6.) Return to the 36 Chambers, Ol’ Dirty Bastard

Wu-Tang Clan member Ol’ Dirty Bastard was known as one who pushed the envelope. The late Staten Island rapper held up to the lore by using his old food stamp benefits card for cover art. 

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7.) Stankonia, OutKast 

Front and center is Big Boi and Andre 3000’s Georgia-grown, Southern playalistic style on this album cover. 

8.) Hardcore, Lil’ Kim

This visual is worth a mention, because no one was ready. Lil’ Kim caused an uproar with this poster that came with the album, which became far more popular than the album cover art. 

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RELATED CONTENT: ‘Hip Hop Til Infinity’ Exhibit Featuring Snoop Dogg Opens In Los Angeles

TikTok, Librarian
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

February 26, 2024

Viral TikTok Librarian Resigns From Beloved Job Due To Mental Health

TikTok Librarian Mychal Threets, who works at the Solano County Library in California, has amassed a following of over 740,000 users.

A librarian who shared his journey with his job on TikTok has announced his resignation to prioritize his mental health. Mychal Threets amassed a large following of over 740,000 people on the platform through his reading advocacy work with the Solano County Library in California.

Threets spoke about his departure in a video posted Feb. 24, expressing his love and gratitude for the library that was instrumental to his upbringing.

@mychal3ts Dear @Solano County Library, Solano County library kids, Solano County library grown-ups… thank you for introducing me to library joy and book joy 💚📚🫶🏽 #BookTok #LibraryTikTok #Storytime ♬ original sound – mychal

“Dear Solano County Library, I just want thank you. Thank you for raising me as a homeschooled library kid,” the TikToker began. “This is the place where I’ve always felt safe…I went from library kid to being in charge of the library where I grew up in. It has been the honor of my life.”

He informed his community that while he is taking a break for his own wellbeing, his work promoting libraries lives on.

“I am leaving to prioritize my mental health, to work with my mental health check-in team,” he shared. “But I’m hoping to make you so very proud. I’m hoping to fight for literary. There’s so much going on across the nation, across the world, that are impacting libraries, and I want to support them as much as I’m able to…Funding libraries is funding the community.”

The news comes as Black people are more impacted by mental health struggles, especially endured in the workplace, previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE. According to Mental Health America, 16% of Black Americans reported having a mental illness in the past year. Suicide is the also the third-leading cause of death for Black people from the ages of 15 to 24, per the U.S. Office of Minority Health. With these statistics in mind, the prioritization of mental health for Black individuals is a growing need that Threets is helping destigmatize.

He posted again on TikTok to address negative comments impacting his decision, yet urged his supporters to not attack those who left hurtful statements. He revealed that he has struggled with his mental health since childhood, but remains committed to his passion for literacy and libraries despite his professional break.

“I will always be a librarian,” Threets emphasized. “Prioritizing my mental health will look like being with my family, my friends, my mental health check-in team, meeting with my therapist, advocating for literacy for all, emphasizing the Library Afro Revolution with Blair Imani, pursuing life joy, book joy, [and] library joy as often as I can. “

RELATED CONTENT: Kate Spade New York Expands Mental Health Partnership With Taraji P. Henson

Eric Mays, Michigan
by Daniel Johnson

February 26, 2024

Eric Mays, Outspoken Flint City Councilman, Dies At 65

The city will fly the flags at Flint's City Hall at half-staff in Mays’ honor on Feb. 26.

Eric Mays, the firebrand Flint city council member who was known for both his theatrics during city council meetings and his tireless advocacy for the Flint water crisis, has died at the age of 65. According to city officials, there is no suspected foul play, Mays died of natural causes.

As The Associated Press reported, Mays was beloved in the Flint community. The Mayor of the City of Flint, Sheldon Neeley, said, “This is a tremendous loss for our community and a shock to all friends and family.”

“As our community grieves during this difficult time, on behalf of Councilman Mays’ family, we ask that community members respect their privacy and allow them time and space to mourn. We continue to lift the family in prayer,” Neely continued.

As ABC 12 reported, Mays was popular with his constituents during his time representing the First Ward on the Flint City Council. Though he lost during his 2022 election bid for the mayorship against Neeley and former Flint Mayor Karen Brown, he remained a popular figure in the city. The city will fly the flags at Flint’s City Hall at half-staff in Mays’ honor on Feb. 26.

https://twitter.com/LittleMissFlint/status/1761613765550694653?t=CwlNI44HJ0yYThxQpQd0Bw&s=19
https://twitter.com/RozayJanae/status/1761607005502837215?t=74KBMByj84-xExua21muMw&s=19

Flint City Council President Ladel Lewis told the outlet that the loss of Mays represents the loss of someone deeply committed to the improvement of the Flint community. “Councilman Mays was not only a dedicated public servant but also a tireless champion for the people of Flint,” Lewis said. “His unwavering commitment to the betterment of our community has left an indelible mark, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

As the Detroit News reported, though Mays is receiving plenty of public tributes honoring his courageous fighting spirit, that same spirit made him prone to public outbursts and got him escorted out of meetings on several occasions. 

Mays, however, told the outlet in 2015 while he was protesting for water justice, that he would always speak up whenever he felt like something needed to be said even if people wanted him to shut up. It is this quality that made him one of the first people that Flint residents recall speaking up publicly about the water crisis affecting the city. 

Mays told The Detroit News: “I get in council meetings, they want me to shut up. I get here, they want me to shut up. Everywhere I go, they want me to shut up.”

The Lento Law Group, which represented Mays during some of his legal battles, also issued a statement which both honored Mays and questioned why some, who didn’t necessarily agree with him while he was alive, were now issuing glowing platitudes. 

“Mays was a man devoted to public service. His unrelenting advocacy on behalf of his constituents gave them a voice in a government body that often seemed interested in silencing voices that did not agree with the majority,” the statement read. “We will continue to fight for those constituents and the City of Flint in Councilman Mays’ name and memory, including against those individuals whose gracious statements concerning his passing stand in stark contrast to the actions they took against him while he was a public servant.”

RELATED CONTENT: Flint Residents Not Convinced By New Report That Says Water is Safer

Letitia James, Fraud, Trump
by Stacy Jackson

February 26, 2024

NY Attorney General Letitia James Tallies Trump’s Fraud Bill

James' calculations on Trump's financial fraud case gathered social media spectators who were "here for the daily shade."

New York Attorney General Letitia James publicly tallied the ballooning interest owed on the over $350 million in damages Donald Trump was ordered to pay after being found guilty of civil fraud.

Following the victory against Trump and his company earlier this month, James noted on X, formerly Twitter, “In a massive victory, we won our case against Donald Trump for engaging in years of incredible financial fraud.” The Feb. 16 post revealed a total penalty of over $450 million in “disgorgement and interest.”

With interest currently accumulating at over $100,000 daily, James highlighted the updated total last Friday: “$464,576,230.62.” She then did the math on Saturday’s added interest: “+$114,553.04.” On Sunday, she posted the new sum: “+$114,553.04 = $464,805,336.70.”

James’ calculations on Trump’s financial fraud stirred up some mixed feelings, and X users took to the platform to voice their opinions. “This is beneath the office of the Attorney General,” one user stressed, while another agreed James “weaponized her position” to “go after” Trump “unjustly due to political bias.”

On the other hand, some spectators were “here for the daily shade.”

“This is too funny!” another user posted, ecstatic that “Attorney General James has held Donald Trump accountable and is letting him know!”

As recently covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Trump and his company were found guilty of fraud and ordered to pay $355 million in penalties by a New York judge. A day after, the businessman appeared at Sneaker Con to debut his new $399 “Never Surrender” high-tops.

James’ investigation into Trump’s financial dealings ignited back in 2018 as she prepared to take office as the first African American and the first woman to be elected as attorney general in New York. BE mentioned that she revealed plans to “use every area of the law to investigate…Trump,” his business transactions and his family.

RELATED CONTENT: NY AG Letitia James Sues SiriusXM For Complicated Cancellation Process

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kalshi
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 26, 2024

Giannis Antetokounmpo May Become First NBA Player To Average 30 Points On 60% Shooting

Antetokounmpo is on track to become the first and only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and make 60% of his shots.

Milwaukee Bucks player Giannis Antetokounmpo is having an excellent year as the NBA starts the second half of the season.

His team sits in a great position to make a realistic chance to return to the NBA Championship, where he can grab his second NBA title in less than five years. According to Sports Illustrated, at the high rate of points he is scoring (30.8 points per game) and the percentage of completion (61.6%) through the first 54 games, Antetokounmpo is on track to become the first and only player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and make 60% of his shots.

He did come quite close last season to doing so when he averaged 31.1 points per game but fell short with his shooting percentage at 55.3%

Only two players have come close to hitting that feat. When he played for the Bucks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came close in two consecutive seasons. In 1970-71, the NBA Hall of Famer averaged 31.7 points on 57.7% shooting before averaging 34.8 points while connecting on 57.4% of his shots the following season in 1971–72.

Adrian Dantley, who played for the Utah Jazz, was the most recent player to come close to having a 30-point, 60% shooting season. In 1981-82, he put up 30.3 points and shot 57% from the field, and then the following season, in 1982-83, Dantley averaged 30.7 points on 58% shooting in 1982–83.

Now that the All-Star game is over and the season has picked back up, with 28 more games left in the 2022–23 season, the “Greek Freak,” barring injury, has a very realistic chance of accomplishing that feat by the time the playoff season rolls around in June.

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