FAFSA, application, students, deadline, aid
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

February 20, 2024

Families Of Incoming College Kids Are Fed Up With FAFSA Delay

With FAFSA still delaying financial aid packages, many students and families are refusing to submit deposits for schools until they know if they can afford it.

Around this time of year, families of incoming college freshmen should receive college acceptance letters with financial aid packages accompanying them. However, due to a delay in the FAFSA application rollout, parents and their students are forced to wait to see if they can afford their dream school.

ABC News detailed how the delay stemmed from the rollout of new forms for students to apply for financial aid, pushed to early January 2024. Typically, the FAFSA website releases the application around the fall. Still, the Department of Education’s decision to include new measures for its aid calculations for the upcoming school year prompted a late start.

As reported before, FAFSA’s biggest changes were the switch from the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to the Student Aid Index (SAI) and a shorter questionnaire to quicken the entire process. While the new forms were meant to benefit those applying to college by allowing more families to qualify for the maximum allotment of funding, its frequent technical bugs and later release have forced students to pause on proceeding with their school of choice.

Parents spoke to ABC News about their hesitation given the lack of financial information.

“We are not going to make a decision without knowing what we’re committing to financially; it would be irresponsible to do that,” said Jenny Nicholas, a mom to a high school senior in New Hampshire. 

Another parent of an incoming freshman, Agata James of Queens, New York, shared how things being “in limbo” has also stunted their decision-making,

“We can’t make a decision until we see a financial aid package. Everything is in limbo.”

Schools are also responding to the growing issue. Virginia Tech, for example, has pushed back its deposit deadline to May 15th amid the delay. In prior years, the deadline was May 1st, a month after colleges sent out acceptances for all applicants.

“Understandably so, families are concerned about the FAFSA process this year, and they are telling us that they need more time to make fully informed decisions,” expressed Juan Espinoza, interim vice provost for enrollment management at the university, in a statement.

With millions of students’ futures on the line, the Department of Education is aware of this current refusal by families to formally enroll in schools until the packages are released and is ensuring that the issue will be resolved soon.

We are determined to get this right,” stated Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. “We must, and we will.”

Jamaal Bowman, Democrats,
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 20, 2024

Democrats Launch Congressional Hip-Hop Task Force To Combat Racial Inequality

A coalition of Congressional Democrats have launched a hip-hop task force to address racial and economic inequality.

A coalition of Congressional Democrats has launched a hip-hop task force to spearhead initiatives aimed at addressing racial and economic inequality.

On Wednesday, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) unveiled the Congressional Hip-Hop Power and Justice Task Force outside the Capitol, The Hill reports. Bowman is leading the unit that will use hip-hop’s power to introduce initiatives to address economic equality, affordable housing, and racial justice.

Bowman was inspired to launch the task force after thinking about hip-hop’s substantial impact on him during his youth and as an educator. The lawmaker credits artists like Eric B & Rakim, Public Enemy, and Queen Latifah for helping to empower him.

“They were very instrumental in creating a curriculum and blueprint for my life,” Bowman said. “I owe a lot of who I am to the lessons they taught me on and through their music.”

Considering hip-hop’s history of addressing and raising awareness on conditions that impact Black and brown communities, Bowman thinks introducing the task force is only right following the art form’s 50th anniversary last year.

“Hip hop has always been about ending poverty in America, about fully funding our public schools. It’s always been about justice reform and police reform,” Bowman explained. “It’s always been about affordable housing and dealing with the issue of threats of violence.”

The official task force follows an initiative launched last September. Fat Joe, Rick Ross, and Busta Rhymes partnered with Power to the Patients to film a public service announcement urging legislators to create a more honest, affordable, and equitable healthcare system.

“At this moment in particular, when you consider the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ceasefire movement and the fight that continues for freedom, justice, and equality —now it’s time to build political power at a level that’s never been done before,” he said.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert made a comical response to Bowman’s hip-hop task force via a sketch that introduced a Republican-led coalition that sang renditions of hip-hop classics, including Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice,” Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” and Jay-Z’s “99 Problems.”

“Republicans ain’t got no swag y’all,” Bowman wrote in a tweet.

Donald Trump,judge, DEI, Executive orders
by Daniel Johnson

February 20, 2024

2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey Ranks Trump Dead Last

Deciding the best president is a subjective endeavor, as some inhabitants of the Oval Office ranked in the top five are praised for efforts to end slavery, while others enslaved people and were reportedly cruel slave masters.

The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey was released on President’s Day 2024. Despite some present vocal disapproval of Biden’s presidency, a panel of historians ranked him in the top third of presidents in American history. Donald Trump, his opponent in this presidential cycle, was ranked at or near the bottom by historians across all political spectrums. As NPR reported, Trump sits behind Andrew Jackson, who was also impeached, and James Buchanan, who is remembered negatively for his leadership leading into the Civil War. Buchanan is also infamous for saying that Black people had “no rights which the white man must respect.”

As political scientists Brandon Rottinghaus from the University of Houston and Justin S. Vaughn from Coastal Carolina University pointed out in the survey, the partisanship of the political scientists doesn’t change the overall rankings; they do note differences. “While partisanship and ideology don’t tend to make a major difference overall, there are a few distinctions worth noting.” 

Those distinctions show up most markedly in the ranking of Biden, depending on the political affiliation of the experts, ranked as high as 13th and as low as 30th. Liberals ranked him at 13, while moderates had him at 20, and conservatives rated him as the 30th best president of all time. Conversely, all three of those groups ranked Trump in the bottom five positions, citing his penchant for flouting the norms of the office. 

A kind of reverse Lincoln effect can be attributed to Trump as some of the positive reception of Biden is because of the president he succeeded. Lincoln, who was sandwiched between Buchanan and Jackson, is who some say is arguably the best president to ever inhabit the Oval Office.

Though Biden is looked upon favorably by historians, in the present moment, polling suggests a lack of confidence in his policy direction and criticism for his age despite Trump being around the same age. Trump also faces disapproval over a largely divisive one-term presidency as well as 91 felony criminal counts, which have not hampered his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the slightest. 

The pair explains the ideological divide between the experts, writing, “Republicans and Conservatives rank George Washington as the greatest president.” Democrats placed him either second or third. The authors continued, “There are also several presidents where partisan polarization is evident — Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Obama, and Biden — but interestingly not for Bill Clinton.”

Deciding the best president is subjective, as some inhabitants of the Oval Office ranked in the top five are praised for efforts to end slavery. In contrast, others enslaved people and were reportedly cruel slave masters. Harry S. Truman, who ranks just behind Barack Obama at eight, made the call to drop a pair of atomic bombs on Japanese civilians during World War II. Thus, these rankings will not necessarily square with everyone’s experience of the United States of America and the actions of its President, both at home or abroad. According to Rosenhaus and Vaughn, the survey represents a chance for historians and experts to contextualize the opinions of present-day presidents in a broader historical context. 

RELATED CONTENT: Trump Debuts $399 High-Top Sneakers After Being Ordered to Pay $355M in Penalties

Beyonce, perfume, sales, in-store, scent, release, date, Cécred
by Stacy Jackson

February 20, 2024

Beyoncé Drops New ‘Cécred’ Haircare Collection

Beyoncé's line of Cécred hair essentials features butters, oils, and fermented ingredients clinically proven to repair all hair types.

Beyoncé has unveiled Cécred, a haircare line honoring global hair rituals while delivering advanced nourishing formulas and technology.

Cécred launched Feb. 20 with eight products featured in The Foundation Collection. According to a press release, the collection features an array of butters, oils, and fermented ingredients like honey and rice water to fortify strands. The products are clinically proven to cleanse, condition, and visibly repair all hair types and textures in need of added moisture and strengthening.

@cecred

Healthy hair starts at the foundation. Get ready 2.20.24.

♬ original sound – CÉCRED

“The journey of creating Cécred has taken years, and I’m so proud to finally reveal what we’ve been working on,” said Beyoncé, founder and chairwoman of the Cécred brand. “My entire life and career, I’ve worn my hair in so many different ways: natural, flat-ironed, braids, colored, weaves, wigs, so I began by creating the essentials for hair and scalp health.”

The “Diva” singer’s love for haircare stems from her childhood, sweeping up hair in her mom Tina Knowles’ salon. She witnessed her mom blend tech formulas with natural oils and butters. Bey hinted at the haircare line in May 2023 when she posted a photo of her younger self getting her hair done by her mom.

Tina is the vice chairman of Cécred team as vice chairwoman.

Beyoncé’s performances inspired Cécred’s patent-pending Bioactive Keratin Ferment, wool keratin fused with honey and probiotics to deeply penetrate and replace depleted proteins to strengthen and repair damage from coloring and heated styling. “Formulated without silicones which mask issues, Cécred products deliver true moisture and visible strengthening,” the brand shared.

The superstar is also partnering with her BeyGOOD foundation to create a fund to honor stylists’ influential haircare roles and provide $500,000 annually for cosmetology scholarships and salon business grants.

Cécred products are available for purchase online. The Foundation Collection includes a Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub, Hydrating Shampoo, Moisturizing Deep Conditioner, Reconstructing Treatment Mask, Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual, Moisture Sealing Lotion, Nourishing Hair Oil, and Ritual Shaking Vessel.

Products are valued between $20-$52.

RELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Film Becomes Fifth Highest-Grossing Concert Film Ever

Terrence Howard, 50 cent, hustle and flow, Taraji P. Henson, Monique
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 20, 2024

50 Cent Goes To Bat For Terrence Howard In Quest For Higher Pay

50 Cent has vowed to help Terrence Howard in his quest to be paid a higher salary since Hollywood hasn't been paying his worth.

Queens, New York-bred recording artist turned television producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is routinely stepping in to advocate for actors who aren’t being paid properly. 50 Cent hired actress Mo’Nique after she claimed she was blackballed for going public with industry critiques. This year, he embraced Empire actress Taraji P. Henson after she revealed the income disparity between her and white actresses. 50 has now vowed to help Henson’s costar, Terrence Howard.

The “Hustle & Flow” actor has expressed disappointment in being poorly paid as a Black actor in Hollywood. Last year, during an interview with WREG’s Live at 9, the actor revealed his surprisingly low salary while playing DJay, the main character in the film Hustle & Flow. He walked away with a full payment of $12,000 for the movie.

In the resurfaced clip appearing on 50 Cent’s X (formerly Twitter) account, he also told the host that he has made no money from the songs he recorded for the film.

“What Paramount did, instead of putting my name as ‘Terrence Howard’ performing the songs, they put ‘performed by Djay.’ Well, they owned Djay. So now I’ve gotta sue Paramount or send them a letter to say, ‘Hey, you guys owe me about 20 years’ worth of residuals and performance royalties.’”

50 Cent seems determined to ensure that Howard gets paid according to his acting talent. His track record would suggest that if anyone can get the job done, he can.

In 2020, Howard filed a lawsuit against 20th Century Fox for using his likeness from “Hustle & Flow” to help promote the “Empire” series, in which he starred for six seasons.

Shaq, Tim Duncan, fear, intimidate, NBA, Player
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 20, 2024

Shaq Confirms That Tim Duncan Was Never Scared To Compete Against Him

In a recent episode of his podcast, Shaq reveals that Tim Duncan never fell for his intimidation tactics before the game started.

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal was a big 7’1,” 325-pound player during his NBA career. The athlete’s large stature is reason enough for opposing players to feel intimidated, especially in his prime. Shaq says only one opponent did not fall for his intimidation tactics.

On Shaq’s latest episode of “The Big Podcast,” he revealed that San Antonio Spurs legend and big man Tim Duncan had no issue lining up against him during their time in the league.

Speaking with Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, Shaq said he would purposely stare down his opponent to let them know that defending him would not be easy. He explained that eye-to-eye contact lets him know if a player will back down.

“If I look at you and you put your head down, I got you,” O’Neal said. “…First play of the game, I’m trying to get an offensive foul…so now you know I’m not playing. I’m coming to kill you.”

When Kelce asked if anyone showed him no fear when he used the intimidation technique without hesitation, Shaq responded, “Tim Duncan.”

“I was looking at him, I’m bouncing, and he’s going and I’m going and he’s bouncing back and I was like s**,” O’Neal said.

You can check out the full episode:

Duncan, who won five NBA championships while playing with the Spurs, was considered one of the big guys in the NBA. He may not have been over seven feet, but he was right there at 6′ 11.” And although Shaq outweighed him by about 75 pounds, Duncan had no issue going up against the behemoth during their playing days.

RELATED CONTENT: Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 Retired By Orlando Magic

supreme court, reverse discrimination
by Daniel Johnson

February 20, 2024

Mistrial Declared In Murder Trial Of Ex-Ohio Deputy Accused Of Killing Black Man Entering His Grandmother’s Home

There is also no body cam footage of the event, and Meade is the only person who says that Goodson held a gun.

A jury was unable to come to a verdict in the murder and reckless homicide trial of Jason Meade, the white former Ohio sheriff’s deputy accused of shooting and killing a Black man, Casey Goodson Jr.

As NBC News reported, in December 2020, Meade allegedly shot the 23-year-old Goodson six times, five in the back, as Goodson attempted to enter his grandmother’s home.

Judge David Young initially declared a mistrial Feb. 16 then instructed jurors to continue deliberating. The jurors eventually returned, some of them crying, and informed Young that they could not reach a verdict after two additional hours of trying.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, a hung jury in Franklin County when a police officer is on trial is not uncommon. The last one occurred in 2018 when former Columbus police vice officer Andrew Mitchell was accused of the murder of Donna Castleberry.

Following the initial hung jury, Mitchell was found not guilty in a second trial. Mark R. Weaver, an attorney who has been a special prosecutor in multiple counties around Ohio, told the outlet ahead of Young’s declaration that he believed the jury would not come to a consensus. “The cases that bring national controversies and division into the courtroom…no one should be surprised when the jury, which is just a representative pool of the county, divides similarly.”

Young will meet with prosecutors and the defense to figure out a way forward for the case.

“There were jurors back there that obviously felt that Jason Meade was responsible for the unjustifiable killing of Casey Goodson. And that should make a statement.” Sean Walton, an attorney representing the Goodson family, told NBC News.

During his testimony, Meade alleged that Goodson waved a gun at him as they drove past each other in traffic, which made him fear for his life and others. Meade said that he shot Goodson after he turned toward him with a gun pointed in his direction.

Goodson’s family does not dispute that he may have had a gun on him—Goodson had a license to carry in Ohio—but noted that the only things he was holding when he was killed were keys and a sandwich bag.

Goodson’s weapon was later found on the floor of his grandmother’s kitchen with the safety on, which seems to dispute Meade’s version of events. There is also no body cam footage of the event, and Meade is the only person who said Goodson held a gun. During the encounter, Meade was not equipped with a body camera.

During their closing arguments, the prosecution claimed that Meade’s statements about Goodson being an active threat toward him were lies; the defense claimed that the evidence presented in the case was consistent with their client’s testimony.

During the trial, the jury appeared to be unsettled as multiple jurors were dismissed and replaced with alternates while one was dismissed, all of which created a situation where the jury had to restart multiple times during the trial. Ohio officials did not offer a reason for the jury dismissals.

RELATED CONTENT: MISTRIAL DECLARED IN CIVIL RIGHTS TRIAL OF EX-OFFICER INVOLVED IN BREONNA TAYLOR’S DEATH

James Brown, docuseries, daughter, Deanna, Brown, godfather of soul, Hip-Hop,
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 20, 2024

James Brown’s Daughter Reminds People That Her Father Influenced Hip-Hop And R&B Artists

James Brown's daughter, Deanna made it known that his influence is responsible for the sounds and some of the artists we celebrate today.

A docuseries about the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, was recently released on A&E, and while discussing the project with People, one of his daughters has stated that if it weren’t for her father, hip-hop music and certain R&B stars wouldn’t exist.

In an exclusive interview with the media outlet, Deanna Brown discussed the four-part docuseries James Brown: Say It Loud that premiered on Monday, Feb. 19, with the second part airing on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. EST. The documentary highlights the musical contribution of the “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” singer to the culture of music in general and hip-hop and R&B specifically. Deanna outlines his contribution for those who may not realize his influence. She makes clear that the Godfather of Soul has influenced some of music’s most popular artists.

“There would be no hip-hop. There would be no rap because he’s the most-sampled artist,” Deanna stated. “There would be no Michael [Jackson], there would be no Usher, there’d be no Chris Brown — all these people who took from him.”

She has a valid point, but she didn’t stop there.

“I mean, where would it be? You could ask a lot of these musicians, they’ll tell you the same thing. It would probably be zero. I think LL [Cool J] says that in the documentary that the trajectory of music would be — he can’t even imagine where it would be without James Brown.”

Brown passed away at 73 years old on Christmas Day in 2006.

This docuseries is not the first biographical film on Brown. In 2014, “Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown” was released in April and was produced by Mick Jagger, the frontman for the legendary rock group The Rolling Stones. Later that year, “Black Panther” lead actor Chadwick Boseman played the role of the “Sex Machine” recording artist in the movie, “Get On Up.”

RELATED CONTENT: James Brown Honored At Historic Grand Opening Of Cincinnati Black Music Walk Of Fame

deportation, judge, visa, protests
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 20, 2024

Debt-Relief Company Pays $10.9M For Charging ‘Illegal Upfront Fees’

A student loan debt relief business accused of overcharging students will pay out over $10 million  to over 8,000 borrowers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Performance SLC is accused of charging thousands of students illegal upfront fees from 2015 to 2022, totaling more than $9 million, violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule. The company charged consumers fees to file paperwork for programs available at no cost from the United States Department of Education.

The debt relief company violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act, using deceptive tactics to convince applicants, referred by OneLoanPlace.com, to sign up for its services.

A staggering 8,571 consumers will receive a total of $10,936,618 from the CFPB’s victims relief fund and CFPB-administered redress. Payments were slated to be sent Feb. 15 through RUST Consulting.

The CFPB filed a complaint on November 5, 2020, in federal district court in California against Performance SLC, LLC (PSLC), Performance Settlement, LLC (PSettlement), which is a debt-settlement company, and Daniel Crenshaw, who owned and operated both companies as the CEO.

On April 29, 2022, the district court ordered Crenshaw to pay a civil money penalty of $30,000. BPSLC and PSettlement were originally ordered to pay $10,448,467.90 and $704,350.30, respectively, as redress for the people charged the illegal fees.

The order permanently bans PSLC from debt-relief services; bans Crenshaw from debt-relief services for five years; and permanently enjoins PSettlement from obtaining referrals from companies purporting to make or arrange loans.

There is a slight chance borrowers will not see a dime of the settlement gave the debt-relief company a loophole.

“This judgment will be suspended, conditioned on the defendants’ payment of the civil money penalty, among other things, and based on the defendants’ demonstrated inability to pay.”

Those who believe they are entitled to a refund should contact performance_info@rustcfpbconsumerprotection.org or call (888) 396-6086.

RELATED CONTENT: U.S. Poor Face Economic Hit As Government Shutdown, Childcare Cliff, Student Loans Converge

dubose|black network, James DuBose, ITBN
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 20, 2024

Culture Shift: James DuBose On ‘In The Black Network’

James DuBose opens up about the launch of In The Black Network and its recent expansion to ITBN Africa.

James DuBose opens up on “The Culture Shift” about the launch of his In The Black Network and its recent expansion to ITBN Africa.

With a focus on amplifying quality content from Black and African creators, ITBN is shifting the culture forward through its work to unify the diaspora one piece of content at a time. The AVOD streaming service highlights Black voices and original stories that are culturally significant and relatable for all audiences.

Recognized as a forward-thinking and visionary leader, DuBose is renowned for creating influential content over the last two decades that has reshaped the culture and amplified Black individuals’ voices and diverse experiences worldwide. From executive producing syndicated entertainment shows like “Dish Nation” and E! Network’s “WAGS: Atlanta,” to creating hit projects under his DuBose Entertainment banner, including “Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is,” “Tiny and Toya, Toya: A Family Affair,” “Hell Date,” “Comic View,” and many more, DuBose has diligently built a foundation centered on his four core principles: inspiring, educating, uplifting, and entertaining Black audiences.

With the launch of ITBN and ITBN Africa, DuBose is looking to promote Black talent and stories globally.

“I’m trying to build In The Black to be our Black Tubi. To be a place that, you don’t have to download five or six different Black apps to see Black content,” DuBose tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“We want you to come to one place, and that’s internationally, that’s locally, that’s US, that’s every market that you could think of, Caribbean, and so forth, to come one place and stay.”

DuBose launched In The Black Network in October 2023 to serve as a Black-owned and Black-led streaming platform committed to amplifying Black content and its creators. Now, with the expansion into ITBN Africa, the network has added 70 hours of programming that represents the vibrancy of African cultures.

Launched on Feb. 5, ITBN expanded to include a rich slate of African independent TV series, films, and documentaries, including award-winning titles “A Light Through Coloured Glass,” “GOBE,” “My Bald Self,” “Mummy Dearest,” and “Bachelor’s Eve.”

“You know how difficult it is for us to get anything greenlit in Hollywood to get anything on air,” DuBose said. “And that was one of the main things we wanted to make that process a lot easier. Because there’s a great deal of talent in our culture.”

As Hollywood faces growing criticism for drawing back pledged support of diverse creators in 2020, DuBose hopes ITBN can serve as a resource for Black visionaries looking to amplify their content.

“This is what this is about. So it doesn’t matter whether you have a name or you don’t have a name. If you have quality content that we feel resonates with the culture, we want to make that easier to get it on the platform,” he said.

You can watch In The Black Network online or through the ITBN app. Press play below to hear more about DuBose’s plans for the network and how his decades in television shaped his vision for the new platform.

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