Black Lives Matter Sues LAPD, Claims Violent Tactics Used During Traffic Stops
by Rafael Pena

December 25, 2023

Black Lives Matter Sues LAPD, Claims Violent Tactics Used During Traffic Stops

A lawsuit has been filed against the LAPD by Black Lives Matter over allegedly violent tactics employed during traffic stops.

A lawsuit has been filed against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) by Black Lives Matter and the Community Coalition of South Los Angeles over violent tactics employed during traffic stops involving suspected stolen vehicles.

The legal action was announced by members of these organizations outside LAPD headquarters on the morning of Dec. 19.

The lawsuit seeks to address broader issues related to police conduct during traffic stops, emphasizing the need for reform and accountability within the LAPD.

Leslie Johnson, a representative of the Community Coalition, emphasized that the case provides an opportunity to address the longstanding issue of police violence, particularly in the context of traffic stops. Attorney Rebecca Brown, representing Black Lives Matter and the Community Coalition, stated the objective is to halt the LAPD’s alleged unconstitutional policy of conducting violent and traumatic traffic stops based on information from police databases suggesting a vehicle might be stolen.

Plaintiffs Sheilanne “Shona” Sen and Shibani Balsaver claim that in February 2020 at least 10 officers pulled guns on them and pinned them to the ground after mistakenly identifying their U-Haul truck as a stolen vehicle in Los Feliz. “I was sure I was going to die,” said Sen, who shared how her trust in the police is now shattered.

Brown, referring to LAPD statistics, said approximately three-quarters of suspected stolen vehicle stops do not involve stolen vehicles. She cited a 2014 ruling by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, stating that LAPD tactics violated the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment.

“As this is a matter of ongoing litigation, we will respond to these allegations in the appropriate setting,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said.

Moore said the department’s tactics are constitutional and aimed at ensuring the safety of everyone involved in such incidents.

“I was treated as less than human that day. I was made to feel that my life had no value,” Sen said.

Myles Frost, Bowie State University, MJ: The Musical, graduation
by Mary Spiller

December 25, 2023

Broadway Star Myles Frost Graduates From Bowie State University

Myles Frost made good on his promise to his family to finish his degree at Bowie State University.

Tony Award-winning actor Myles Frost showed that he’ll never get too big to keep his promises to his mom. On Thursday, Dec. 21, Frost graduated from Bowie State University, dedicating his speech to the woman who inspired him. 

After taking a year to make a name for himself on Broadway, Frost returned to Bowie State University to get his degree in fine arts with a concentration in music technology. Frost won a Tony Award in 2022 for playing Michael Jackson in MJ: The Musical, but he knew he wanted to return to school.

“I said I’m going to take this risk,” Frost said, according to CBS News Baltimore. “I’m going to follow my heart and do what I’ve been called to do, and God will order my steps, and he most definitely has.”

In his degree acceptance speech, Frost acknowledged his mother.

“You have taught me and showed me what a strong Black woman is and what it means to raise a strong Black man, and I just pray that I made you proud,” Frost said.

He added that he has a lot of ambitions, both as a performer and as a graduate, but he’ll always be driven by his family first. 

“And, you know, just fulfill promises I made to my mother, my grandfather, my father of being the man I know I can be and just being the best version of myself that I can be.” 

Frost, 24, admitted that he was proud of himself for balancing his rise on Broadway with his intention to pursue a career after his Bowie State University graduation. 

“He’s demonstrating what it means to have good character to pursue your hopes and dreams,” Bowie State University President Aminta Breaux said. “He achieved his education with all of the achievements he’s made in his young career.”

Domingo, Netta Selene, body, scrubs, scents,
by Lauren Nutall

December 25, 2023

Introducing Brooklyn’s Newest Self-Care Skincare Company, Domingo

Netta Selene is changing self-care for the better.

The idea for Domingo arose in San Francisco in 2018. Netta Selene, the business’s founder, had spent 20 years in the tech industry working for some of the country’s biggest companies. However, after falling on hard times, she pivoted in a different direction, one that was as unfamiliar to her as it was exciting—entrepreneurship. From there, she conceived the idea of Domingo, Spanish for “Sunday.” 

With this brand, Selene wanted to pay tribute to the self-care routine people often adopt on Sundays while seeking refuge from the typical struggles of daily life. She envisioned a brand of luxurious body scrubs handcrafted with fine materials, and this October, her vision came to fruition. Debuting with four core scrubs—Baya, Coastal, Cashmere, and Wildrose—Domingo has since taken off. 

Each scrub caters to specific concerns at an affordable price. With its fruity scents of cranberry, fig, blood orange, and pink grapefruit, the Domingo Baya body scrub uses sugar granules to buff away signs of dullness and gently reveal rejuvenated skin.

The Coastal scrub wards off the appearance of aging with its combination of dead sea salt and aloe extract, and the Cashmere scent blends anti-inflammatory ingredients like oat oil with hydrating liquid silk. Wildrose uses shea butter and cocoa butter—both dry skin inhibitors—to combat ashiness and aging skin. 

Domingo’s products aren’t only made with the best ingredients but also with extreme care. Selene formulates each scrub personally to ensure the best quality. The business is making a difference in self-care with its delicate approach.

She has plans to expand Domingo in 2024 and hopes to eventually incorporate body butter, foaming shower oils, and dry oil body sprays.

The current full product line is exclusively available at https://www.domingo.nyc/.

Single Black Women
by Daniel Johnson

December 24, 2023

Fictive Kinships of Single Black Women: Challenging Assumptions About Marriage And Equality

One expert says fictive kinships have increasingly been practiced by single middle-class Black Americans.

According to a 2017 study, Black women had lower levels of wealth and higher levels of kinlessness as they age, but a new report from Fortune casts some doubt on the study.

Kris Marsh, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, said the earlier study draws fails to account for the social safety net tBlack women build over their lifetimes. In her book, The Loves Jones Cohort, Marsh argues that fictive kinships, or the practice of creating kinship with people who you do not share blood with, have increasingly been practiced by single middle-class Black Americans. 

The classifications that determine who gets coverage under Social Security and health insurance coverage, for example, according to Marsh and other experts, fails to account for the networks created by most Americans. Policy around singleness as it currently exists is detrimental to the economic well-being of American adults, but experts like Jessica Moorman, a professor at Wayne State University who specializes in Black women’s single socialization, say that policy solutions are simple and could lead to increased political engagement.

“Marital policies exacerbated [an] already grim economic reality. I would argue that because more than half of this country is unmarried, that is one of the largest political causes of voters we could possibly have, right” Moorman told Fortune. “All you need is half of all singles to get on the same page politically about something.” 

According to Moorman, Black women know their status and actively seek to create kinships out of friendships. “The women in my interviews were cognizant of the fact that they did not have a marital partner,” and sought to build “intentional communities of found family,” said Moorman.

Carlene Davis, a 57-year-old Black woman from Los Angeles, exemplifies Moorman’s identification of a trend among Black women. “My healthcare power of attorney is a friend who I’ve known since kindergarten,” Davis told Fortune. “I have a list in my trust of people to whom I have given HIPAA authorization.”

Bella DePaulo, a psychologist who studies the single experience, said “research shows that single people are more likely than married people to stay in touch with their friends, parents, siblings, and neighbors and exchange help with them.” While married people tend to insulate themselves, DePaulo said singles conceptualize their lives around friends.

As it relates to marriage, Geoffrey Sanzebacher, an economics professor at Boston University, said it reinforces the system of inequality that birthed it, telling Fortune, “Marriage is a result of inequality and then perpetuates that inequality going forward.”

Sanzebacher added that employers that treat marriage with regard to health insurance and Social Security disadvantages singles. “Right off the bat, you have this systemic choice to reward marriage because we allow two people, instead of one, to take advantage of this employer-sponsored benefit. Single people aren’t getting the same bang for their buck out of their social security contributions that a married person would.”

In California, in 2019 Davis co-founded Sistahs Aging With Grace and Elegance, a public policy project that focuses on Black women that is part of California’s Master Plan for Aging, the state’s guiding document regarding the support of Californians 60 years of age and older. Davis says her inspiration came from her desire to see more equity for aging Californians.

DePaulo told Fortune that the de facto link between marriage and better protections within systems like health insurance and social security benefits needs to change, because it is discriminatory based on arbitrary factors like marriage status.

“Everyone deserves the basics of human dignity,” she said. “A person’s value is not defined by their marital or romantic relationship status, and their rights, benefits, and protections should not be linked to those statuses.”

RELATED CONTENT: 37% Of Single Black Women Homeowners Live Alone, Why?

campus police, University of Washington police department, racial discrimination lawsuit
by Daniel Johnson

December 24, 2023

University Of Washington Police Department Guilty Of Rampant Discrimination, Officers Awarded $16 Million

A Black female UW police officer said she found a banana and a racist note near her locker.

On Dec. 21, a Kings County jury found the University of Washington liable for racist discrimination enacted by its university police department against five Black police officers. The officers were awarded $16 million.

The Seattle Times reported the six-week trial featured testimony from dozens of witnesses, including university president Ana Mari Cauce. Witnesses detailed various depictions of hostility and racism directed at the officers from their superiors.

“The University of Washington has turned a blind eye to the problems in its police department for far too long,” Toby Marshall, an attorney for the five officers, told The Seattle Times. “Our hope—and our clients’ hope—is that UW can no longer look away.”

“Our attorneys are reviewing options for our next steps, including the potential for an appeal,” the university said in a statement. “This case alleged issues that took place largely under previous leadership and went unreported through official channels.”

There were several clearly racist incidents detailed in the lawsuit, including one instance where a Black female police officer found a banana and a racist note near her locker as well as the use of racist slurs by department supervisors. According to the lawsuit, UW knew about these issues in its police department for years, but did little to nothing to address the problems. 

After a group of white officers succeeded in getting the department’s first Black police chief removed from his post, complaining that he was hiring too many Black police officers, the lawsuit alleged that a university probe into the department failed to even consider racism as a motivating factor in their conduct and complaints. 

In all, the 33-page long complaint contained 100 incidents of conduct, which the officers described as “rampant, pervasive discrimination and retaliation” coming from both superiors and fellow police officers. The lawsuit alleged that the department fostered a racist culture dating back decades, which was made worse when it hired John Vinson as the first Black chief in 2009. According to the lawsuit, “Their campaign eventually succeeded, and Vinson was forced out.”

The University of Washington won a previous trial in 2010, which officers brought in 2008, alleging rampant racial and sexual discrimination in the department.

The plaintiffs in the recent lawsuit were Hamani Nowlen, Russell Ellis, Gabriel Golden, Damien Taylor, and Karinn Young, who had been the department’s only Black woman officer during the time frame of the lawsuit.

Of the five officers, only Nowlen, whom the lawsuit alleged had a window shot out of his home in August 2021, shortly after the lawsuit was filed, is still with the department. 

RELATED CONTENT: NMSDC, University of Washington Foster School of Business Announce Partnership

T.D. Jakes, Diddy
by Daniel Johnson

December 24, 2023

T.D. Jakes Denies ‘False And Baseless’ Allegations of Attending Diddy Sex Parties

A 2022 vide of T.D. Jakes at Puffy's 53rd birthday party caused discussion on social media.

Through a representative, T.D. Jakes denied that he attended Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged sex parties.

“Recent claims circulating on pockets of social media about Bishop T.D. Jakes are unequivocally false and baseless,” said Jordan A. Hora, executive director of public relations and communications for the T.D. Jakes Group, T.D. Jakes Ministries, and The Potter’s House, The Christian Post reported.

Hora added that it was “disheartening to witness the proliferation of numerous deepfake photos and the distortion of words through false, sensationalized misrepresentations, encapsulating purported statements to falsely speculate and attack others, including Bishop Jakes.”

The response came from the viral claims of a YouTube channel, Tuff News TV, which caused Jakes’s name to trend across multiple social media outlets.

Toward the end of a 37-minute long video, host Germaine McKinley said he was sent an email from an unnamed source alleging Cassie somehow got Kim Porter’s “burner” phone and turned it over to investigators. The email, according to McKinley, also alleged that a USB device contained footage of one of Puffy’s “sex parties” and that Jakes was in attendance. 

According to McKinley, the source said in the email, “I’m also told that multiple male escorts corroborated the fact that T.D. Jakes [has] slept with multiple men at Diddy’s parties and abroad.” The unnamed source also claimed, “It’s also been said that a young male has acquired a lawyer to represent him as he is set to sue Jakes for an incident that took place when he was just 16 years old.”

The source also said that the 16-year-old, whose family attended Jakes’s Dallas megachurch until 2015, was allegedly forced by Jakes to perform a sex act on him. The source said that Jakes paid the child’s family to keep it quiet, but now that he is an adult, he intends to seek justice of his own. 

In addition, a viral TikTok video from user jusnene stitched together video of the allegations. The video circulated on TikTok and Twitter/X. It was viewed 11.1 million times on the latter platform by Dec. 22. 

In 2022, a video of Jakes at Puffy’s 53rd birthday party caused discussion on social media, but Derrick Williams, the executive vice president of T.D. Jakes Entertainment, who also attended the party, said that Jakes made a brief appearance at the party before immediately leaving to attend to other matters.

“Bishop Jakes was in L.A. for important business meetings, and we felt that a quick appearance at the former Chairman of Revolt’s birthday event was the respectful thing to do since Bishop Jakes’ sermons are aired on the Revolt Network,” Williams explained.

“We both greeted the family, Bishop Jakes recorded a brief celebratory birthday video and left immediately to take our other scheduled meetings,” Williams added. “Any accusation to the contrary is wholly unsubstantiated, unverified, and false.”

RELATED CONTENT: T.D. Jakes Partners With The Largest Black-Owned Real Estate Developer In Miami For Affordable Housing Project

Jay-Z, jerseys, roc-a-fella, the black album, 20th, anniversary, Mitchell, Ness, Tony Buzbee
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 24, 2023

Resolution for ‘Jay-Z Day’ Introduced By NYC Councilwoman

"Jay-Z Day," a resolution pushed by New York City councilwoman Farah Louis, awaits its official recognition.

New York City councilwoman Farah Louis, who represents Brooklyn, has introduced a resolution to officially recognize “Jay-Z Day” on December 4, the hip-hop icon and billionaire mogul’s birthday.

“The global phenomenon that is Jay-Z—born Shawn Carter—is widely known as an artist, mogul, husband and father, wealth builder and supporter of economic development and community causes,” stated Lewis as reported by the New York Post. “Dec. 4 as Jay-Z Day announces to the world how this Brooklyn son can be all things . . . Establishing an annual celebration to recognize a homegrown hero while proclaiming our municipal support is fitting.”

Jay-Z was born in Brooklyn and was notably raised in the Marcy Housing projects. He has consistently made reference to his upbringing in his songs, including his 2009 hit single, “Empire State of Mind,” featuring fellow New Yorker Alicia Keys.

His promotion of his birthplace has remained evident through not only his artistry, but his entrepreneurial endeavors. He was heavily invested in the Nets basketball franchise as it moved from New Jersey to the New York City borough. Jay-Z left as a minor investor of the team and its new hub, the Barclays Center, once his company, Roc Nation, started to represent players.

His inclusion in the economic development of the city overall, including the Manhattan-based 40/40 Club, set to reopen in February 2024, is one Louis hopes to forever celebrate through the passing of the resolution.

More recently, the Brooklyn Public Library paid tribute to the legendary entertainer-turned-entrepreneur with an exhibit, “The Book of HOV.” The installation detailed the life and career of the father of three and husband to Beyoncé, further cementing his place in the city’s history.

Jay-Z, 54, has yet to comment on the potential recognition.

RELATED CONTENT: Jay-Z Receives New Gold And Platinum Certifications On 54th Birthday

diabetes, obesity
by Daniel Johnson

December 24, 2023

Post-Pandemic Diabetes Rates Concern Medical Experts

Experts say there needs to be a broader and more substantive conversation about the obesity connection to diabetes.

According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 40% of Americans are pre-diabetic, which means that your blood sugar levels are elevated but have not reached the level to be categorized as type-2 diabetes. The CDC also says that around 10% of Americans have Type-2 diabetes, which means that approximately half of Americans have some form of diabetes. The Mayo Clinic says that common symptoms of pre-diabetes can range from excessive hunger, excessive thirst, and fatigue to frequent urination or weight gain. Still, many people are asymptomatic and thus unaware.

Fortune reports that obesity is a leading risk factor for diabetes, so much so that the statistics on obesity mirror the statistics on diabetes. The CDC says that around 42% of Americans were considered obese as of March 2020, and it is projected that by the year 2030, half of Americans will be obese. Dr. Nisha Patel, an obesity medicine doctor based in San Francisco, told Fortune that the millions of people in America who are unaware that they have diabetes or pre-diabetes are “like ticking time bombs.”

Obesity, while already a public health concern in America, was only accelerated by the conditions that the COVID-19 pandemic created. Dr. Disha Narang, an endocrinologist and obesity medicine doctor at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital and frequent collaborator with Patel, told Fortune, “I hear stories all the time that things were stable, then 2020 hit, and ‘I gained 50 pounds after that.’”

Narang added, “People’s activity changed a lot. The stressors were a lot different. The way we responded to stressors was a lot different. People often turned to food in times of stress—all of that combined.”

A 2023 study published in JAMA Network Open says that new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes jumped up 62% and type 1 diabetes diagnoses among American youths increased by 17% after the pandemic began, a strong sign that the pandemic and diabetes are linked. Furthering this association is data from studies that estimate between 1% to 4% of people who contracted COVID-19 were diagnosed with diabetes in the months after their infection; 1%, in this case, would represent more than 3 million people, which is quite significant. 

This development of young people contracting diabetes is concerning for Patel, who told Fortune, “It’s really quite disturbing because that’s an even longer time of exposure their body has to deal with. The indication is that more people will experience more complications at a younger age than they have previously. “The domino effect it creates is huge. It’s astronomical what the consequences can be.” 

According to Northwestern Medicine, Black American adults are 60% more likely than white Americans to get diagnosed with diabetes, and in 2012, Diabetes Journals said that 18% of Black people under 20 years old either had undiagnosed or diagnosed diabetes. Diabetes among the Black community has long been researched and studied, and the consensus is that since many Black people live in under-resourced areas, the socio-economic conditions of Black people put them at a higher risk for diabetes than white people. 

Dr. Kimbra Bell, a physician at Northwestern Internal Medicine, told Northwestern Medicine, “Our Black and Brown communities are more likely to have an abundance of fast food restaurants and markets stocked with unhealthy processed foods as opposed to our white counterparts, where there tends to be a greater number of grocery stores and markets with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables,” Dr. Bell said. “A lack of access to healthy, nutritious foods results in poorer health outcomes.”

Bell continued, “Deeply rooted social inequities that have existed since times of slavery play a huge role in the health disparities that are prevalent amongst our Black and Brown communities,” she said. “Every individual deserves an equal opportunity to try and live a healthy, full, productive life. When equal opportunity is not given to a class of persons based on the color of their skin, this leads to social inequities and health disparities.”

According to Bell, the inability to afford quality medical care and cost-effective prescriptions is another reason for the elevated rates of diabetes among Black Americans.

RELATED CONTENT: Sherri Shepherd On Health, Her Diabetes Journey, And Oprah Passing The Baton 

Black Santa, Houston, representation
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 24, 2023

Black Santa Houston Continues To Shine As A Symbol Of Representation In The Holiday Season

Black Santa Houston speaks to the power of representation through its platform.

While Santa Claus is a mythical religious figure, his presence as a diverse, inclusive symbol of Christmas is as important as ever. Black Santa Houston touches further on being a beacon of representation during the holidays.

The man behind the white beard in the Texas city is Kelvin Douglas, who took on the role after a desire from Magan Butler-Coleman to have her son take a picture with a Santa who looked like him. Although finding the perfect Black Santa only came after two years of searching, Douglas embarked on the role in 2019 to fulfill the need for the diverse youth of Houston.

His success since donning the big red suit has been massive, taking on the Christmas spectacle with pride as he has been featured on multiple platforms, including The New York Times and The Drew Barrymore Show. Of why his representation in this capacity has been pivotal, Douglas spoke to theGrio on what Black Santa means to not only children, but the community.

“It is crucial because it gives them that reinforcement that they can be anything that they want to be, and that’s important,” explained Douglas. “So when they begin to see Black Santas and Black doctors and Black lawyers and Black teachers, they know that they can also become that themselves — and even a Black president. It’s important that [Black children] always see themselves reflected in society.” 

Families have traveled from all over the country to get their Christmas pictures with the all-Black family of Santa Claus, as Black Santa Houston has since expanded to add more performers as Mr. and Mrs. Claus, in addition to securing a commercial space for the booming business. With Houston now servicing as the North Pole, this inclusive and uplifting Santa experience is providing an overdue representation for all.

For those wanting to carry on the joy at home, the company has also launched a sleepwear line, complete with the melanated figure printed on the clothes, so that Black Santa can continue to be part of the holiday tradition.

RELATED CONTENT: Black Moms Talk About The Importance Of Children Seeing Black Santa

G. Dep, Clemency
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 24, 2023

Harlem Shake Rapper G. Dep Granted Clemency By New York Governor

G. Dep, the rapper who helped bring the Harlem Shake dance to prominence, has been granted clemency by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul after serving 13 years for confessing to a 1993 cold case murder.

Popular rapper G. Dep, whose real name is Travell Coleman, has been in jail for more than a decade after walking into a police department in New York City and admitting to a murder. Now, he has been granted clemency by the Gov. Kathy Hochul.

According to the Associated Press, G. Dep is one of 16 incarcerated people who have been granted clemency by Hochul, her third time doing so in 2023. Hochul has stated that those granted this status are part of a select few who have made substantial efforts to make amends in society for their misdeeds.

“Through the clemency process, it is my solemn responsibility as governor to recognize the efforts individuals have made to improve their lives and show that redemption is possible,” says the government leader.

The hip-hop artist has made many strides in his years-long stint in prison, earning his associate’s degree and aiding in violence prevention classes and counseling programs for his fellow inmates. G. Dep has served 13 of his 15 years-to-life sentence and is now eligible to seek parole ahead of time, initially set for 2025.

His application for clemency was also supported by the prosecutor involved and the judge proceeding over his case for the 1993 murder of John Henkel. Henkel was killed by the now 49-year-old, who fatally shot him with three bullets while committing a robbery in East Harlem. However, the brother of the man killed has called the granting of clemency for G. Dep a “farce,” urging the prosecutor to reject his early release.

G. Dep gained fame and popularity for the notable “Harlem Shake” dance as well as hit songs “Special Delivery” and “Let’s Get It.” Originally part of Sean “Diddy” Combs’s Bad Boy Records label, his career waned following his debut album in 2001. After gravitating to petty crime and drug dealing, the weight of his conscience led to his confession in 2010.

RELATED CONTENT: Biden Grants Pardons and Clemency For Offenders Convicted With Marijuana Charges

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