The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the LSU star’s filing in November, and Reese reportedly missed the 90-day deadline to submit documents supporting her trademark request, On3 reports. As a result, the case has been deemed “dead,” and Reese won’t be able to sell any merchandise with her “Bayou Barbie” moniker.
The office cited the conflict of interest between “Bayou Barbie” and the toy company Mattel, which owns the Barbie trademark.
“We discussed internally and determined that it was in Angel’s best interest to not unnecessarily instigate Mattel,” IP and NIL attorney Darren Heitner said.
Heitner filed the trademark request on Reese’s behalf. Still, after it was denied, he says Reese “has pivoted away from selling Bayou Barbie merchandise” and decided to “let the application abandon.”
Reese took on the “Bayou Barbie” nickname after transferring to LSU and becoming a star player. With her style of play and love for the color pink, the tag name only made sense.
“She loves the color pink,” Reese’s agent Jeanine Ogbonnaya shared. “She’s always getting her hair and nails done for games. So that definitely plays a big part into it.”
If Reese had been granted the trademark, NCAA protocols would allow the 2023 championship winner to monetize the name. She rose to stardom after the LSU Tigers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA women’s championship game.
Reese received the Most Outstanding Player award and set the NCAA single-season record with 34 double-doubles. Since then, she has acquired a new level of superstardom for college athletes with appearances in the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue and Latto and Cardi B’s “Put It on the Floor” music video.
She is ranked No. 7 on the prestigious NIL 100 list, which ranks the 100 most highly valued student-athletes. With a NIL valuation of $1.7 million and other deals, Reese has an estimated net worth of $3 million.
Considering her millions in NIL deals, Reese can make money using her name rather than a “Bayou Barbie” moniker.
NYPD Dance Squad Called Out Amid Crime And Budget Cuts
The NYPD dance team is being called out by New York City residents for promoting their hobby while the city still deals with severe violence and budget cuts.
New York City residents are calling out the NYPD Dance Squad as they continue to be featured in events, while crime and other issues trend upward in the area. Some concerned citizens are urging these members to focus more on budget cuts and how to handle the influx of migrants than on television appearances.
The issue follows the dance troupe having a featured performance on local television station PIX11 on Feb. 15. The team was founded in 2022, with its current president, Autumn-Rain Martinez, stating it’s a “space to decompress.” However, the constituents she and her fellow officers are expected to serve are less than impressed with the new initiative, including prominent lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“How many school music programs got defunded for this,” questioned the elected official.
Given the backlash, the team has responded to the critiques thrown their way in conversation with the news outlet.
“We never expected to have so many hateful comments or hurtful comments or anything like that. We just were hoping to show that we come together and we try to build rapport…” explained Martinez.
The officer continued, noting how “tough” the occupation is in itself, in addition to the criticism derived from a hobby that seemed harmless.
“Even with the comments we’ve been getting, we’ve been just leaning on each other, just supporting each other. It’s already tough being on this job, but then to have more things like that for doing something we love doing is kind of hard.”
The NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Communications also noted that the endeavor is completely self-funded and not utilizing taxpayers’ dollars.
However, residents have brought attention to the NYPD flaunting its activities for its officers to let off steam while more serious concerns are still prevalent, including budget cuts disrupting public amenities and the issues emerging from the migrant crisis. In addition, the historical distrust between the police department and communities of color makes the public less receptive to seeing police officers perform in this lighter capacity.
Sure the education system is drastically underfunded, libraries are being shut down, and infrastructure is crumbling, but at least we have 50 cops doing nothing at every subway turnstile and an NYPD dance squad. https://t.co/TeUESjOzPG
Biden-Harris Forgive $1.2B In Student Loans Under SAVE Plan
Borrowers benefiting from the forgiveness will receive an email from President Biden.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced the cancellation of $1.2 billion in student loans for 153,000 borrowers who are currently enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan. This announcement marks nearly $138 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 3.9 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions by the Biden-Harris administration, according to senior White House officials.
“With today’s announcement, we are once again sending a clear message to borrowers who had low balances: if you’ve been paying for a decade, you’ve done your part, and you deserve relief,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Under President Biden’s leadership, our Administration has now approved loan forgiveness for nearly 3.9 million borrowers, and our historic fight to cancel student debt isn’t over yet.”
Borrowers benefiting from the forgiveness will receive an email from President Biden, as seen here. To ensure the email is not from a third party or a potential scam, senior administration officials encourage borrowers to check their loan status at studentaid.gov/save. If anyone suspects they have received fraudulent information, they should report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
The SAVE Plan, introduced in August 2023, is a voluntary, income-driven repayment plan that bases monthly student loan payments on the borrower’s income and family size, not their loan balance. The plan ensures that balances cannot grow because of unpaid interest for borrowers who are making their monthly payments.
Also, starting in July, undergraduate loan payments will be cut in half, capping a borrower’s loan payment at 5% of their discretionary income. To date, 7.5 million borrowers are enrolled in the SAVE Plan, and 4.3 million borrowers have a $0 monthly payment.
Black women and HBCU alumni hit hardest by debt
Black borrowers are hardest hit by debt, particularly those attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). A UNCF report notes that HBCU students — many of whom are first generation and low-income — must borrow at higher rates, and consequently graduate with substantially higher debt than non-HBCUs peers.
Senior administration officials said that making student loan programs more fair is an important step to addressing inequities and opportunities by race. The SAVE Plan is, for most borrowers, the most affordable way to repay student loans, according to White House officials, anticipating it will be a valuable tool for many Black borrowers and HBCU alumni.
Black women also carry an enormous debt load: an estimated $35 billion as of 2020, according to data estimates from The Prosp(a)rity Project (TPP). Briana Franklin, co-founder, president and CEO of TPP, works daily to remove debt constraint via 35*2Free, an eight-month initiative offering eligible Black women financial coaching and career development to put them on a track to surpass their debt challenges and begin creating generational wealth. TPP also helps Black women with financial awards to pay down their student loan debt.
“That debt constraint is very squarely to blame for a lot of the perils that we’re seeing,” Franklin told BLACK ENTERPRISE, noting homelessness, fertility and family planning struggles, and challenges attaining higher-paying jobs due to the long lead time in the hiring process.
Franklin is among the Black women with tremendous debt loads. She graduated from an Ivy League college in 2017, armed with a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and $100,000 in student loan debt. Six years later, she’s actively worked — sometimes two or more jobs — to pay down her debt, which now stands at $85,000. But her struggle fueled a passion to help other women through TPP, which has helped 20 Black women, called “Prosparettes,” with debt averages of $90,000 by offering collective debt relief awards of nearly $165,000.
“The endgame is just helping them catch back up, showing compassion and some sympathy to their situation in having lived it ourselves,” Franklin said, “and making sure that they’re better prepared to achieve their career and money goals.”
Black Disney Employees Confront CEO Bob Iger Over ‘Unfair Treatment’ Of Kim Godwin
Disney CEO Bob Iger was called out by Black ABC News staffers who accuse the company of treating division chief Kim Godwin unfairly.
A new insider report reveals the confrontation Disney CEO Bob Iger had with Black ABC News staffers who accused the company of treating division chief Kim Godwin unfairly.
The Wall Street Journalrevealed a private company lunch that took place last February where Black team members expressed their grievances over the lack of support Godwin was receiving one year before she was demoted. During the meeting, Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden claimed they were “invested in her success.”
However, last week it was announced that veteran executive Debra OConnell was promoted to oversee a new division that encompasses ABC News, Disney, and FX. The move places Godwin under OConnell, and possibly hints at her impending removal from the company.
There were reports of ABC News staffers celebrating Godwin’s demotion, with one allegedly heard singing “Ding dong! The witch is dead,” while others “celebrated at the bar,” sources said. Godwin’s group of supporters said that since being hired to run ABC News, the Black network exec was undermined and second-guessed by veteran staffers in the division.
Some critics accused Godwin of not being actively involved in day-to-day activities, something Disney’s chief White House correspondent and co-anchor of This Week Jonathan Karl denies.
“She’s a crazy workaholic,” Karl said, noting that during his 20-year tenure at the division, he has “never had a stronger relationship” with a unit leader.
Godwin’s demotion came despite her three-year extension following Disney’s announcement of OConnell’s promotion. Insiders said network leaders were concerned about the drop in viewership in Disney-led news shows like Good Morning America and World News Tonight, while rivals NBC News and CBS News saw a jump.
Godwin also faced criticism for how she handled the scandalous affair between GMA3 hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach. Some accused the former CBS News VP of firing experienced journalists and replacing them with “yes-men,” while running the division “like a police state.”
ABC News staffers are anticipating a clash between Godwin and OConnoll amid the new change.
National Black Arts Festival Hosts ‘Blacklisted’ Banned Book Fair In Atlanta
The National Black Arts Festival is hosting its Blacklisted! Book Fair and Conference this Black History Month as book bans across the nation spread.
The National Black Arts Festival (NBAF) is spreading awareness this Black History Month on the attack against banned books across the United States. The organization is hosting its first-ever Blacklisted! Banned Book Fair and Conference in Atlanta to promote controversial books.
The book fair takes place Feb. 24 to 25, with an expansive list of programming to encourage reading across all genres, authors, and age groups. The conference will feature an Indie Black book market for attendees to purchase books that are being banned across states and schools, as well as interactive exhibitions on the history of banned works from Black, LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized authors.
Blacklisted! will discuss the rise of book bans with panelists Nic Stone, Tayari Jones, Feminista Jones and Dr. Akinyele Umoja. Panels will cover topics ranging from Afro-Futurism to activism against censorship.
Blacklisted! emerges amid a rising trend of book bans and restricted history lessons around the plight of Black people as well as the truth around American enslavement, as BLACK ENTERPRISE previously covered. In states such as Florida, new legislation, such as its “Don’t Say Gay” bill, allows for public schools to authorize books, often written by authors of color, to be forbidden from being taught in the classroom on the grounds that their content is “inappropriate.”
Blacklisted! will offer family-centered activities, such as youth readings by various authors and showcases of aspiring writers from a local high school. Alongside a film screening of Toni Morrison’s The Pieces I Am and teen workshops, the two-day event is filled with resources and engagements fit for everyone.
In addition to being a space to converse and be a patron to diverse reading, NBAF’s Blacklisted! Book Fair is a call to action to combat the restriction of books that challenge status quo. Free registration is available now.
First Federal Gender-Based Hate Crime Trial Begins In South Carolina
Prosecutors allege that the killing of the woman was motivated by the shame, humiliation and anger Ritter felt after his girlfriend used a homophobic slur towards him.
The nation’s first gender identity-based hate crime trial began on Feb. 20 in South Carolina.
The Justice Department and Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alleged that Daqua Lameek Ritter lured a woman, referred to by the court as “Dime Doe,” to a rural area of South Carolina in 2019. Ritter then shot the trans woman three times in the head as they reached an isolated area near the residence of one of his relatives. Afterward, Ritter reportedly fled to New York, where he was later arrested.
As Peace wrote in a court filing, “After murdering the victim, the defendant worked with others to burn the clothes that he wore the day of the murder and hide the murder weapon. He went on to lie about his whereabouts the day of the murder to state law enforcement and asked another to do the same on his behalf.”
As USA Today reported, the case was referred to the federal government because South Carolina does not have laws at the state level regarding hate crimes. There have been attempts to add a hate crime law to the books in South Carolina, but each attempt has been met with failure. Wyoming is the only other state in America that does not have a state hate crime law.
As WBTW reported, the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee has, however, advanced a bill to create a kind of hate crime provision. The bill, S.615, joins another bill on the Senate floor, the Clementa C. Pinckney Hate Crimes Act, named after a victim of the 2015 Charleston shooting at Mother Emmanuel AME Church.
Both bills contain similar language, including the establishment of fines up to $10,000 and the addition of five years of prison time onto any sentence handed down for a crime “where the victim was targeted because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or religion.” Notably, the proposed South Carolina hate crime law does not include instances like Ritter’s alleged crime, crimes that are motivated by an individual’s gender identity, or an exclusion of the civil rights of trans individuals.
Governor Henry McMaster speaks about lack of hate crime laws in South Carolina after Charleston residents complain about black mannequin hanging in neighbrohood. https://t.co/mjwbW1Imqe
In addition to Ritter, the jury indicted Xavier Pinckney, who took a plea deal in October 2023 on two charges of obstructing justice. According to Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general of the DOJ Civil Rights Division, Pinckney assisted Ritter in trying to cover up his crime.
“The defendant is being held accountable for trying to obstruct an investigation into the tragic murder of a Black transgender woman.”
Ritter’s friends and girlfriend allegedly learned of a sexual relationship that Ritter and “Dime Doe” shared about a month before Ritter would allegedly commit the killing of the woman. According to the defense, Ritter and the woman were close friends and related through Ritter’s aunt and uncle. Prosecutors allege that the killing of the woman was motivated by the shame, humiliation, and anger Ritter felt after his girlfriend used a homophobic slur towards him.
According to a filing from January 2023, “His crime was motivated by his anger at being mocked for having a sexual relationship with a transgender woman.”
Lawyers for the government say they will present witness testimony regarding Ritter’s location and his text messages to “Dime Doe,” which they say helped persuade her to make the trip. They also say that video evidence exists of him inside her vehicle a few hours before her death. According to the prosecution, Ritter sought to enlist others to help him burn the clothes he was wearing when he allegedly killed the woman. They also allege that he wanted them to hide the weapon used and lie to police about where he was on the day of the murder.
Ritter’s lawyers contend that the presence of Ritter’s DNA inside the woman’s car does not necessarily prove that he killed her, citing the pair’s intimate relationship. They say that there is no physical evidence that connects their client to the murder of the woman and claim that the prosecution’s witnesses’ testimonies that Ritter tried to dispose of evidence are inconsistent.
In addition to the hate crime charge, Ritter also faces two other counts indicating that he committed murder with a firearm and misrepresented facts to investigators. The prosecution has said that they will not be seeking the death penalty in this case, but if Ritter is convicted, he could receive multiple life sentences instead of being sentenced to death.
According to data from the Department of Homeland Security, Black and other trans women of color have been subjected to disproportionate rates of violence and hate crimes. However, despite this, it wasn’t until 2009 that federal hate crime laws expanded to encompass attacks committed because of a person’s gender or sexual identity. The first conviction under this expanded definition happened in 2017 after a Mississippi man pleaded guilty to killing a 17-year-old trans girl and received a 49-year sentence. However, unlike this case, that case did not actually go to trial.
Tom Sandoval Apologizes After Comments Comparing ‘Scandoval’ To O.J. Simpson And George Floyd
Based on the initial comparison he made, Sandoval and his brain seem as though they are as far from each other as the Sun and Neptune.
During his New York Times interview, “Vanderpump Rules” star Tom Sandoval made waves when he likened “Scandoval” to the media frenzies around O.J. Simpson and the murder of George Floyd.
As Variety reported, Irina Aleksander, the author of the profile on Sandoval, tried to smooth over his comments.
“I think I knew what he meant,” wrote Aleksander. “He was trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic center of a nationwide discussion and a major news story; what he communicated instead was something more honest, which is just how much the experience had made him lose perspective.”
Sandoval gained notoriety after cheating on his girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with one of her best friends, Rachel Leviss.
When asked about it and the subsequent fallout, he said, “I’m not a pop-culture historian, really. But I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?”
Guerdy calls out Tom Sandoval for comparing Scandoval to George Floyd: “This is not okay and villains I find these days are getting applauded and are getting a crown, a pedestal and so forth and this is not okay.” #RHOM#PumpRulespic.twitter.com/Xks5fFVxGq
It's one of the more insane things to happen today… Tom Sandoval likened himself to both a murderer and a murder victim and was dead serious about that comparison. #PumpRulespic.twitter.com/UVG2SucX1Q
“I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson, and he’s a convicted rapist,” opined Sandoval.
Aleksander added that Bravo executives contacted them after the interview.
“A Bravo publicist rang me late on a Friday. Some of what Sandoval had said had gotten back to Bravo, and everyone was concerned. What was it that he said about O.J. Simpson and George Floyd exactly?”
Following the kerfuffle, Sandoval issued an apology.
“My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received. The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I’m incredibly sorry and embarrassed,” he wrote.
Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama Becomes Louis Vuitton Brand Ambassador
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama has just snared a position as a brand ambassador for the Louis Vuitton brand.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA with high expectations, with outlets calling him the next “face” of the NBA and a possible Rookie of the Year award heading his way. And now the French native has just landed a position as a brand ambassador for the Louis Vuitton brand.
Louis Vuitton announced that the rookie center is now a part of its winning team.
BREAKING: NBA star Victor Wembanyama signs on as the newest ambassador of Louis Vuitton.
The Parisian luxury brand and Spurs star from France will look to showcase “French excellence,” says @Wemby. pic.twitter.com/zdNztVx4K0
According to GQ Sports, the two sides discussed a partnership last year before he entered the NBA draft, where Wembanyama was the first overall pick. As both are French products, the collaboration makes sense.
“To me, it’s the best,” Wembanyama told the fashion media outlet. “It’s the best partner I can think of.”
“I wanted a meaningful partnership,” he continued. “To me, it made a lot of sense to partner with LV—you know, French excellence. The expertise is something that I feel very much attracted to.”
Linking up with Louis Vuitton has placed Wemby in great company. Other notables associated with the brand include recording artist and producer Pharrell Williams, who recently released a collection with the French fashion house that debuted in New York and California. Tyler, the Creator debuted his capsule collection on Feb. 21. According to USA TODAY, the collection includes “pastel jackets and sweaters evoking some of the rapper’s iconic looks to dog patterns, golf bags and a chessboard with wavy pieces.”
Hiring Wemby continues Louis Vuitton’s record of collaboration with young athletes.
Last month, Deion Sanders’ sons, Shedeur and Shilo, modeled for an LV fashion show in Paris. Even a pregnant Rihanna was spotted in a commercial for the summer 2024 collection of the popular fashion house.
Wemby mentioned Virgil Abloh, who preceded Pharrell as creative director for Louis Vuitton before his untimely death.
“I mean, back in the day, I couldn’t even imagine partnering with LV one day. It would’ve been crazy,” he said. “I don’t even know about other countries, but in France, it’s huge. It’s the biggest brand for young people. It was just in everyone’s heads growing up, especially with what Virgil Abloh did.”
Now Wemby is part of the legacy of the French brand.
Malia Obama Trolled For Dropping Last Name In Film Career, Whoopi Goldberg Comes To Her Defense
Malia Obama is facing criticism from people who take issue with her going by "Malia Ann" in her film career.
Malia Obama faces criticism on social media from people who take issue with her going by “Malia Ann” in her film career.
The eldest daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama became a topic of discussion on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday, Feb. 19, after one user noted her Sundance Film Festival short that credited her as “Malia Ann” and not her first and last name.
“Obama’s daughter trying to sneak past Nepo baby discourse by not using her last name. Bro, you are Obama’s Daughter (sic ),” they wrote.
Obama's daughter trying to sneak past Nepo baby discourse by not using her last name. Bro you are Obama's Duaghter pic.twitter.com/Z8PtkAYsSh
Malia shared her inspiration for the Sundance-submitted short “The Heart” in a “Meet the Artist” segment she filmed for the festival.
“The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret. But I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things,” she explained.
The Sundance submission follows Malia’s writing credit on Janine Nabers and Donald Glover’s Swarm series, where she also went by her first and middle name, Yahoo reports.
It’s clear that the Harvard grad is taking her film career seriously and likely doesn’t want her parents’ political careers to overshadow her hard work. However, social media took issue with Malia trying to avoid the nepotism tied to her name.
“Like if you wanna be a filmmaker that’s cool but we all know who you are, you’re Obama’s daughter. You can’t hide that,” one person wrote.
“Her ‘entertainment career’ is so funny. She interned on Girls at 15, interned with Weinstein at 18 (just months before the sh*t went down), and then writes for a Donald Glover show at like 24 without a single writing credit, and now immediately gets her first short in Sundance,” added someone else.
Many defended Malia and understood why she might choose to separate her film career from her famous last name. The View host Whoopi Goldberg is among her supporters and spoke up on her talk show to tell the critics to “leave her alone.”
It’s Kelly Rowland! Of Course ‘The Sherri Show’ Gave Her A ‘Gorgeous’ Dressing Room
The "Sherri" show welcomed Kelly Rowland with a "gorgeous" dressing room after she walked off "Today" last week.
Sherri Shepherd addressed fan comments speculating that she provided Kelly Rowland with an upgraded dressing room after the singer’s recent exit from the Today show over dressing room issues.
“I guess her dressing room was acceptable,” one fan remarked on the Sherri show’s Instagram post of the Feb. 19 interview with Rowland, who gave the talk show host her flowers for being a ”safe space.”
Shepherd clarified from her personal account, “oh we gave her a gorgeous room!❤. It is Kelendria Rowland🔥🔥🔥.” Shepherd even spotlighted a backstage moment on her “After Show,” showing the inside of the dressing room that was prepared for the “Motivation” singer.
According to Page Six, all the noise about the dressing room stemmed after the 43-year-old entertainer walked off the Today set before co-hosting with Hoda Kotb on February 15.
“Her dressing rooms weren’t up to par,” an inside source revealed. “Kelly Rowland and her team were not happy…so they decided to pull her off the show, leaving Kotb without a guest host for the 10 a.m. hour.”
The source said Rowland’s team allegedly played “musical dressing rooms” before inquiring about a green room on another floor that was already occupied by Jennifer Lopez. “They didn’t want that. [The show] basically offered up as much as possible, but they weren’t happy with it, so they walked…”
Though advertised to co-host that day, Rowland appeared in an early segment before departing. US Weeklyreported that Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager made it clear on the Feb. 20 episode that there were no hard feelings.
“I just want to say this: I have great love and admiration for Kelly Rowland. I adore her, and I want her to come back on our show, and I want her to host again,” Kotb said.
“She is welcome anytime…She’s the best,” Hager, 43, added.
Kotb said Rowland was welcome to share her dressing room and that Today loves the Destiny’s Child alumna.
Fans weren’t overlooking any details from Rowland’s Today appearance. Before last week’s walk-out, viewers blasted host Savannah Guthrie, who seemed fixated on asking Rowland questions about Beyoncé‘s recent shift to country music instead of her upcoming movie, Mea Culpa. Some speculated this may have played a factor in the abrupt exit.
