• Health and Wellness

by Mary Spiller

February 26, 2024

First COVID, Now Measles: Florida Outbreak Spreading Rapidly

There are currently seven known cases of measles in Florida—and the number is likely to grow.

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The measles outbreak in Florida is spreading rapidly. On Feb. 23, Broward County health officials confirmed a seventh case of the virus in a child under the age of 5.

Since the child is the youngest ever to be infected during the outbreak, parents have been advised to be more careful. The anonymous child is the first to be infected outside of students at the Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, near Fort Lauderdale, according to NBC News.

Co-director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. David Kimberlin, said to expect more cases because they are “not going to stay contained just to that one school, not when a virus is this infectious.”

The measles outbreak isn’t just contained to Florida. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that as of Feb. 23, there have been at least 35 measles cases in 15 different states in 2024. It hypothesized that most of the cases are a product of international travel. However, Florida’s outbreak is the most pervasive in the country.

Kimberlin described measles as being so contagious that it’s difficult to quarantine those infected. “Measles is the most infectious pathogen in humans that we know of. It’s like a heat-seeking missile. It will find the people who are not immune, and they’re going to get sick.”

Unvaccinated people have a 90% chance of becoming infected if they’re exposed.

Katelyn Jetelina, who tracks illnesses for the website “Your Local Epidemiologist,” said, “Epidemiology 101 is to identify and isolate.” This is especially difficult for measles since people who are infected can spread it to others for up to three weeks.

Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, sent letter to parents at Manatee Bay Elementary School, informing them that, “Due to the high-immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.” 

The letter included several symptoms of measles to watch out for during the outbreak, including, “high fever, rash, red, [and] watery eyes.”

RELATED CONTENT: Gabby Douglas Battles COVID Ahead Of Gymnastics Return

• Black History Month

by Lauren Nutall

February 26, 2024

Gina Torres, Paige Hurd, And More Honor Their Afro-Latino Roots At White House Event

"It’s not about picking a box, it's about the reality of no boxes because we are more and more a mixed society," Gina Torres said.

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On Feb. 22, the Biden Administration hosted an exclusive event at the White House celebrating Afro-Latino heritage, inviting some of the most prominent names in the community in recognition of their achievements. Actors and musicians Gina Torres, Paige Hurd, Cimafunk, and more were in attendance and they discussed being trailblazers in their respective fields as well as the growing impact of Afro-Latinos worldwide.

Throughout her career, Torres has spoken candidly about existing as a Afro-Latina woman in Hollywood and often finding herself confined to one, singular identity. The Suits star shared her thoughts on how the industry has gradually shifted in its portrayal of the community over the years. “As we become more educated and as we have more visibility in this country about Afro-Latinindad then of course there’s bound to be change,” she said.

“You could never see someone with my complexion speaking Spanish on television and movies, it was unheard of. It was almost as if the industry felt that people’s heads would explode but as we’ve become more of a global society, we’ve understood what other countries actually look like because we’ve been able to see them through diverse programs, through diverse storytelling. It only helps the narrative,” she continued. 

Torres also provided her input on the media’s responsibility in its depiction of Afro-Latinos and its coverage of their unique challenges. “We are a very fast-growing population here. It behooves them quite frankly to continue to put a spotlight on where we exist in science, in the arts, in sports. Sports were always the first frontier. It means economic power. It means a more authentic representation of the country as is.”  

Actress Paige Hurd offered her own remarks, expressing amazement at her booming presence among young Afro-Latinas. “I feel really inspired and I feel really grateful to just be in the position I’m in,” she said. “It’s not that I didn’t think that I would get here but I’m not sure I thought I’d get here so soon. Just to be able to speak for myself and fellow Afro-Latinas is really incredible and to just be here today feels super surreal. I feel super grateful to speak out for myself, for those who were before me and for those who are coming after me, to just let them know, ‘You guys got this.’” 

Grammy-nominated musician Cimafunk didn’t mince words when asked about the media’s duty ahead of election year. “Go to the streets,” said the Afro-Cuban rockstar. “Go talk to the people and listen to people. People will tell you what they need. The media is responsible for telling what is the truth, not what the media wants. Media is the transportation for the information so go out to the road.”  

RELATED CONTENT: National Hispanic Foundation Seemingly Forgets Colman Domingo’s Afro-Latino Heritage In Oscar Shoutout

• Black History Month

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

February 26, 2024

Legacy Of Colorado’s First Black Surgeon Honored By Historic Health Clinic

Fueled by a discovery at an African American research library, a Colorado clinic is honoring the state's first Black surgeon, Dr. Bernard F. Gipson Sr.

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The life and legacy of Colorado’s first Black surgeon, Dr. Bernard F. Gipson Sr., is being honored by the Denver Health’s Eastside Family Health Center.

Born to a poor Texas family in the 1920s, Gipson grew up to become one of America’s first Black surgeons, according to Denver 7. While he worked in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, many were unaware of his rich history.

Thankfully, Gipson ensured that his legacy would be stored.

Before his death at age 93 in 2015, he donated boxes of his mementos, including photographs, and documents, to the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. Its archives team soon discovered how pivotal he was to the achievement of Black doctors, especially thanks to his own audio recordings of his life story.

In the recordings, Gipson revealed how a Black doctor coming to his hometown inspired him as a young boy to pursue a career in medicine. Receiving an undergraduate education at Morehouse College. Gipson never strayed away from his dreams. However, racism prohibited him from attending medical school in Texas.

“I don’t know how I kept from being knocked down by some of these experiences. But each time, I seem to have gotten strength to do a little bit more,” he said in the recordings.

The setback led him to Howard University, where he learned under Dr. Charles Drew, known for his advancements in storing blood plasma. Drew’s specialty inspired Gipson to follow the same path. Gipson became the first Black surgeon with the highest certifications in Colorado, where his military service led him to practice at.

His portrait now hangs at the community health clinic, the second oldest in the nation, located in Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood. The area, known for its development by the majority Black residents, pays tribute to prominent Black figures in the state.

Gipson’s story of overcoming racism to reach the new heights in his profession is one the library hopes to display in a future exhibit.

RELATED CONTENT: Medical School’s First Black Graduate Makes History Again As First Black Medical Staff President

by Black Enterprise

February 26, 2024

PLACING A BRIGHT LIGHT ON FINANCIAL EDUCATION

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Kathy Fogle, the creative force behind Happy Kat Candles & Gifts, is building her unique wax brand into exquisite works of art. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Kathy has not only mastered the art of candle making, but she has also created a thriving business with multiple locations and a growing number of vendors. Along the way, she has illuminated the steps required to bolster her financial education.  

• Politics

by Daniel Johnson

February 26, 2024

Black Political Leaders Slam Donald Trump For ‘Racist’ Comments

Trump said Black people can relate to his arrests.

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After Donald Trump’s comments at the Black Conservative Federation, a Black-tie event for Black conservatives held in South Carolina, where he said, among other things, that his legal troubles helped endear him to Black people, Trump is being criticized for the racism in such a comparison. 

As The Hill reported, several Black leaders, including National NAACP President Derrick Johnson lambasted the comments of the former president. Johnson flatly called the comments racist. “The NAACP is outraged, but not surprised by yet another racist remark from the former President,” Johnson said to The Hill via a statement.  

Johnson continued, “Donald Trump is delusional to think that his criminality would be an attractive quality to Black voters,” he continued. “He has taken advantage of an inherently racist system, while Black Americans have been abused by it. We are not the same.”

Mondale Robinson, founder of the Black Male Voter Project, told the outlet that Trump’s comments were unlikely to win the support of Black men. “This is nothing but a continuation of Donald Trump being who he has always been,” Robinson told The Hill. “Black men are not living in a silo, it’s not as if we don’t know this. We see it. The world might be fooled but that’s not moving to us.”

However, despite Robinson’s protest, Trump’s share of the Black male vote increased from 8% in 2016 to 12% in 2020, which Vox notes was largely due to the perception that Trump helped them make more money, even though the actual improvements happened just before he took office. Trump has also used tacit endorsements of his policies from rappers such as Lil Wayne and 50 Cent to gloss over the fact that he has done little to nothing to improve the lives of most Black men, or Black people in general. 

Robinson also criticized the willingness of Black Republicans like Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. Byron Donald’s (R-FL) to support Trump despite his racist statements. “The only thing that the world is shocked by is that Tim Scott and Byron Donalds continue to support Trump in the light of him showing them how racist he can be and is.”

On NBC’s Meet the Press, host Kristen Welker pressed Donalds, who introduced Trump at the event before Trump issued his widely maligned remarks. As Newsweek reported, Welker pointedly asked Donalds, “Congressman it sounds like Donald Trump was implying that he could win Black voters because they get indicted all the time too. Is that what he was saying?”

Donalds tried to situate concerns of Black voters in context of issues with border security before eventually agreeing with Trump’s assessment that Black people will sympathize with being targets of the criminal justice system. “It’s part of it, Kristen. Their look of it is real simple: ‘Well, dang if the government is going after him with foolishness, he can’t be that bad.’”

Donalds also accused those who are critical of Trump within the Biden-Harris re-election campaign of using racial politics ahead of the election before stating: “The number one reason why minority voters in our country wanna support Donald Trump is because he did the job of president. He did a great job as president. Our country was secure, the economy was great, these are all things that Donald Trump talked about Friday night.” 

Donalds continued, “He also did talk about the indictments. What Americans don’t want to see, especially Black Americans, and anybody else, they don’t want to see a politicized Justice Department. They don’t want to see a two-tier system of justice…”

Black people are intimately familiar with the concept of a justice system that doesn’t work for everyone the same, but are Black people inclined to see ourselves in a white male billionaire?

The Biden-Harris administration issued its own takedown of Trump. Jasmine Harris, Black Media Director for the Biden-Harris re-election campaign, released the following statement: “The audacity of Donald Trump to speak to a room full of Black voters during Black History Month as if he isn’t the proud poster boy for modern racism.”

Harris continued, “This is the same man who falsely accused the Central Park 5, questioned George Floyd’s humanity, compared his own impeachment trial to being lynched, and ensured the unemployment gap for Black workers spiked during his presidency. Come November, no matter how many disingenuous voter engagement events he attends, Black Americans will show Donald Trump we know exactly who he is.”

RELATED CONTENT: Trump Claims He And Black People Have Discrimination In Common

by Daniel Johnson

February 26, 2024

Man Found Guilty Of Murder In Gender Identity Hate Crime Trial

Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Kirsten Clarke affirmed that the verdict signaled that Black trans lives matter.

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A verdict has been reached in the first federal gender identity-based hate crime to be tried in the United States. As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Daqua Lameek Ritter stood trial for the murder of a Black trans woman, referred to in court documents as “Dime Doe.”

As The Guardian reported, Ritter was found guilty on Feb. 23 of a hate crime for the murder of “Dime Doe” following a four-hour deliberation by the jury. Ritter was also found guilty of using a firearm, for which he received a charge of obstructing justice.

Before this case, no case which was prosecuted as a hate crime based on the victim’s gender identity ever reached trial because the previous cases ended after the accused took plea deals. 

The trial of Ritter, which took place over four days, emphasized his sexual relationship, which he attempted to keep secret, with the woman he would go on to kill. However, once the relationship became exposed, Ritter became angry. FBI prosecutors alleged that the motive for the murder was to end any further exposure of his involvement with the woman. 

Although the defense attempted to argue that there was no evidence anchoring Ritter to the crime, the witnesses that the prosecution called painted an entirely different picture. 

On the day Doe died, Kordell Jenkins said he saw Ritter driving a vehicle that he knew Doe previously drove, in addition to building a fire in a barrel with Ritter, which he put a bag into. Though Jenkins could not see what was in the bag, he assumed it was full of items he didn’t want, including clothes he had worn earlier.

In addition to this, Ritter began acting strangely, according to his main girlfriend, Dalasia Green. Green testified that after she asked him directly if he had killed Doe, “He dropped his head and gave me a little smirk.”

Green is also somewhat responsible for helping to motivate Ritter to murder Doe; she allegedly called Ritter a homophobic slur after she discovered the affair. As the Associated Press reported, just before Doe was killed, text message exchanges between Doe and Ritter became filled with conflict. In one of them, dated July 29, 2019, Doe was complaining that Ritter was not reciprocal of things Doe did for him. Ritter countered by telling her that he believed that she did not need anything extra. 

Following the guilty verdict, assistant U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina, Brook Andrews, told reporters who had gathered outside the courthouse, “This case stands as a testament to our committed effort to fight violence that is targeted against those who may identify as a member of the opposite sex, for their sexual orientation or for any other protected characteristics.”

At present, there has been no sentencing date announced for Ritter, but he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole whenever it rolls around.  

In a Department of Justice press release, the Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Kirsten Clarke affirmed that the verdict signaled that Black Trans Lives Matter, “A unanimous jury has found the defendant guilty for the heinous and tragic murder of Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman,” Clarke said.

Clarke continued, “The jury’s verdict sends a clear message: Black trans lives matter, bias-motivated violence will not be tolerated, and perpetrators of hate crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This case is historic; this defendant is the first to be found guilty by trial verdict for a hate crime motivated by gender identity under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We want the Black trans community to know that you are seen and heard, that we stand with the LGBTQI+ community, and that we will use every tool available to seek justice for victims and their families.”

RELATED CONTENT: First Federal Gender-Based Hate Crime Trial Begins In South Carolina

• Sports

by Daniel Johnson

February 26, 2024

4-Year-Old ‘Coach CB’ Takes The Internet By Storm

Bess also confessed to the outlet that sometimes while he is watching game film, seeing his two sons interact makes him cry tears of happiness.

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Christopher Bess is taking the internet by storm as he shadows his father and delivers speeches to basketball players for a North Carolina high school basketball program. The 4-year-old, affectionately known as “Coach CB,” regularly paces the sidelines, becoming animated if what he sees on the court isn’t to his liking. 

As My Fox 8 reports, his father, Reggie Bess, didn’t really notice that his son was emulating him until his mother-in-law and wife snapped a photo of Christopher in action. Bess told the outlet, “Actually, it started kind of a lot last year. I never noticed it because I’m so into the game for us coaching. My mother-in-law and when my wife took a picture, my mother-in-law has this mouse pad that I have, and I mean, I’m kneeling on the floor, he’s kneeling behind me and I never took notice of it.”

Bess continued, “Then when I’m going to scout games now. I find myself late at night, two or three o’clock in the morning, early in the morning. Watching the game and the next thing you know I’m captivated by him walking up and down the sidelines.“ 

Bess said his son is often watching games and breaking down plays while he’s at home. “He watched games left and right when he’s home,” Bess said. “You know at home he gets in front of the television screen. It might be a college game on, he gets his little coaching board he draws up X’s and O’s. Little things like that.” 

Bess described his son to ABC News as the Tarboro High School’s “little energizer” before describing what happens when Coach CB doesn’t like what he’s watching from the sidelines. “He shakes his head. He throws down the towel,” said Bess. “My wife always asks me, ‘Where does he get these antics from?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know about throwing down the towel and I’ve never done that.’” Bess also confessed to the outlet that sometimes while he is watching game film, seeing his two sons interact makes him cry tears of happiness. 

Coach CB has amassed nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram, and his father says that his players genuinely love being around the mini assistant coach. The team is headed to the state basketball playoffs, so there will likely be more clips of Coach CB circulating soon.

Bess recounted an occasion where Coach CB was trying to get his pregame speech together, and the team assisted him before getting hype once he had delivered it. 

“It’s like all the guys in the locker room, he’s like ‘I’m gonna coach my butt off.’ I’m gonna coach my butt off and he couldn’t get it right at the time, he’s like ‘I’m gonna coach my butt off’ and the next thing you know somebody said ‘Yea, and they’re gonna have to play their butt off.’ He’s like ‘I’m gonna coach my butt off and you’re gonna play your butt off.’ And it’s like the locker room erupted.”  

RELATED CONTENT: Georgetown Coach Ed Cooley Claps Back At Heckler After Latest Loss

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

February 26, 2024

Too Far? Charlotte High School Viral ‘Colored’ Black History Decoration Removal Sparks Debate on Social Media 

Too far or right on point?

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Decorations from a viral Black history lesson have been removed from a high school in Charlotte, North Carolina, and people are on the fence about it. 

On Feb. 21, an image posted to the X app of the decor at West Charlotte High School, with one door depicting a “white” entrance and another as a “colored” entrance, was taken down after questions of its appropriateness took over the internet. While some felt the decor was a great way to spark thoughtful conversations, others, including the school’s leadership, found it offensive. 

The viral image sparked debates on whether the lesson crossed the line. One user saw no issue with it and said it shows growth. “I think it’s great,” @mickeymumbelz tweeted. “This is what people actually lived through. It shows us how far we’ve come.”

Another said the debate alone just shows how sensitive the state of the culture really is.

“People are highly sensitive even in the face of education,” @lobties wrote. But other views saw it as tasteless and a false depiction of what Black people went through. Using the hashtag #dobetter, @riselngevents thought the vision was all wrong.

“West Charlotte High School tried, I guess….. I see what they were trying to go for, but this was clearly poorly executed!” she wrote. 

Someone else projected the lesson would be more effective if the “colored” only door was outside. 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson referred to its removal as “inappropriate content.”

“The activity is not aligned to state standards or with CMS curriculum and approved lesson plans,” the spokesperson said. “Moving forward, the district’s teachers will be retrained in the specific social studies curriculum practices that can be utilized in lesson plans to teach students.”

The teacher’s daughter, Laquinta Caldwell, defended her mother’s vision and told WCNC it all was taken out of context. Re-creating a door from a Sears store in the 1930s, Caldwell feels people missed the point. “Her only thing was making sure that the kids knew, or could see, a visual of how things were back in the day,” Caldwell said.

“The purpose of the door was to show that Sears, which is a department store, was one of the first stores that allowed Blacks to shop with white people.”

Several doors in the school were decorated in honor of Black History. The school posted a video celebrating the educators’ hard work, showcasing past and present Black icons. 

While her mother’s display wasn’t included, Caldwell said she was proud of the message her mother was trying to tell.

“Overall, I think that her mission was accomplished,” she said. “I think that she was able to get through a lot of people, whether it was negative or positive.”

by Daniel Johnson

February 26, 2024

Monument Of Martin Luther King Jr. Vandalized In Denver

The statue does not have a security system.

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On Feb. 20, a statue of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was vandalized by an unknown party. Several pieces of the monument were removed, including a bronze torch, an angel, and a bronze panel containing an image of Black military veterans. According to Ed Dwight, the monument’s creator, as well as former Mayor and first lady of Denver, Wellington and Wilma Webb, the statue does not have a security system. 

As the Denver Post reports, the ex-Mayor and first lady addressed the incident at a press conference on Feb. 22, calling it an attack on the memory of Dr. King. Wilma Webb said it should concern everyone in America, not just residents of Denver. “This is something that all Coloradans and all Denverites and all people in America should be concerned about,” Wilma Webb explained. “This is certainly an assault and insult to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

Wellington Webb chose to draw attention to the fact that the area was not secured by a surveillance system in his remarks. “This location needs to have lights around it, it also needs to have video cameras,” Wellington Webb said. “If we had video cameras and lights I think we would have caught who damaged this sculpture the other night.”

The Webbs both played a crucial part in ensuring Dr. King received his just due in Denver and Colorado. Wellington, as mayor, helped create the memorial in Denver’s city park alongside his wife. Wilma, for her part, used her position as a Colorado state representative from 1980 to 1993 to sponsor legislation aimed at making Dr. King’s birthday a state holiday before the federal government made it a national holiday. 

In a press release, the ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Deborah Richardson called the act of vandalism outrageous, saying, “The violation of this monument, designed by a Black artist to commemorate a Black luminary, is outrageous and must be condemned in the strongest terms possible,” Richardson said. “I grew up in the Collier Heights neighborhood of Atlanta surrounded by Black civil rights leaders, including Dr. King’s family. This act is particularly distressing to me, as well as the memory and legacy of my loved ones and the community that raised me.”

In addition to the ACLU, the ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin offered a statement of solidarity, calling the vandalism of the monument a terrible crime. “We condemn in the strongest terms the desecration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument. This terrible crime sends a message to communities of color that they are not welcome,” Levin said. “I want to make it clear that all people, including those from Black, Brown, Indigenous and other targeted communities are welcome in Colorado. All of us are entitled to feel safe, secure and welcomed in a state where there should be no place for hate.”

Vern Howard, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission chair, told the Denver Post on Feb. 21 that the attempts to stop their work would not work. “You can steal. You can take. You can pull. You can hate. You can do everything that you believe necessary to detour the message of Dr. King and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission,” said Howard. “We’re going to continue to march, to honor and to work toward freedom, toward justice, toward the end of racism, toward the end of hatred and the end of discrimination.”

The Associated Press reported that no suspects have yet been identified, but the Denver Police Department’s Bias-Motivated Crime Unit is investigating the incident. Police are also trying to ascertain if there was any racial bias involved. 

RELATED CONTENT: Canada’s Black Virgin Mary Monument Painted White in Alleged Vandalism

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 26, 2024

Tupac Shakur Murder Trial Pushed Back To November

Davis has been imprisoned since being arrested in September and can be released on $750,000 bail.

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The trial for Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who is accused of taking part in the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, has been pushed back to later this year.

Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny has agreed to push the trial date from the initial June 3 date to Nov. 4 after Davis acquired a new attorney, Carl Arnold. Since he is new to the case and prosecutors are still providing evidentiary material to him, the judge gave both sides more time.

Davis has been imprisoned since being arrested in September and can be released on $750,000 bail. He anticipates being able to raise the 10% required to obtain a bond so he can be released on house arrest, according to Arnold. Davis explained to the judge that his relatives would help with bail but didn’t want to come to court for a “source hearing” to prove that the funds were legally obtained.