by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 6, 2023

Texas High Schooler Suspended Over Locs Continues Facing Punishment

Darryl George has been suspended again in an ongoing dispute regarding his locs and whether his Texas high school's displinary action against him violates the CROWN Act.

A Black high schooler in Texas continues to face punishment for his refusal to cut his locs. He has been returned to in-school suspension after being se nt to an alternative school for a month.

According to NBC News, Darryl George has already spent most of the school year dealing with this dress code issue, which has kept him from joining his classmates regularly. After returning to Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, he was immediately suspended again, with the school saying his hairstyle does not abide by its dress code policy.

His family remains adamant that George is well within his rights to wear his hair in the traditionally Black hairstyle, and says the school district’s policy is discriminatory and violates the CROWN Act in the state. That legislation prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles traditionally worn based on one’s racial background.

Despite the family’s claims, the school argues that the CROWN Act never specified discrimination based on hair length and that the disciplinary action against George is due to his locs falling below his eyebrows and ears. The division on the issue has remained at a standstill, with George’s family refusing to back down. They have filed a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency and a federal civil rights lawsuit to seek justice on the matter.

“We are just trying to take it day by day. That’s all we can do,” shared the teenager’s mother, Darresha George, to The Associated Press. “We do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. But we are not giving up.”

Both parties are waiting for a state district court judge to verify whether or not the school’s policy also extends to hair length and if the school can punish male students whose natural hair form infringes upon the length requirement.

Oprah, weight loss, Oprah, WeightWatchers

by Jameelah Mullen

December 6, 2023

Oprah Surprises ‘The Color Purple’ Cast With Some Of Her ‘Favorite Things’

Oprah Winfrey is an executive producer of the upcoming film.

Oprah Winfrey had a special treat for the cast of the upcoming musical adaption of The Color Purple: purple Telfar bags filled with several boxes of tickets for the highly anticipated film.

The executive producer took to Instagram to share the special moment.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Oprah (@oprah)

“@telfarglobal is getting in on our Purple fun, so I had to make sure my @thecolorpurple family got their Purple bags with movie tickets from @fandango just in time to spread the Purple love” The Emmy Award winner wrote. “

“We are blessed, Oprah did our Christmas shopping for us.” said Taraji P. Henson, who plays Shug Avery in the film.

The Telfar bags were a part of Oprah’s Favorite Things list, which was released in November.

“Shop from this list, and you’ll support a wide variety of BIPOC-, women-, or veteran-founded companies. You’ll not only find terrific presents but also support the people who stepped out on a dream to make those gifts happen. Don’t you love that ?“

Telfar was also featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List in 2020. She surprised owner Telfar Clemens to share the news.

“I’m actually..like blown away” the designer said.

This is not the first time Telfar has received a celebrity stamp of approval. Beyoncé mentioned the brand in her song “Summer Renaissance.” According to Vogue Business, the shout-out caused Telfar to receive an 85 percent increase in views on the luxury retailer TheRealReal’s website.

Now in its 21st year, Oprah’s Favorite Things consists of 23 Black-owned businesses, the most ever to be featured on the list. Other brands include Bossy Cosmetics, Ami Cole, Red Bay Coffee, Sweet July (founded by Ayesha Curry), and Hamilton Cornerstore (created by singer Anthony Hamilton).

The original Color Purple movie was released on December 18, 1985, and is based on the Pulitzer prize-winning book by Alice Walker. The musical adaptation of the film will premiere in theaters on Christmas day.

Winfrey starred in the 1985 film and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

by Iman Milner

December 6, 2023

Family Outraged As Teen Killer Of 16-Year-Old Naima Liggon Takes Plea Deal, Will Serve Six Years In Juvenile Detention

The teen pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor manslaughter charge.

The family of 16-year-old Naima Liggon, who was fatally stabbed during a dispute at a Washington, D.C. McDonald’s, is outraged after prosecutor’s struck a deal that will keep her 16-year-old killer from standing trial for a first-degree murder charge.

The teen pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor manslaughter charge and will spend the next five to six years in a juvenile detention center, Fox 5 News reports. The punishment for the first-degree murder charge would have carried a much heftier sentence and would have required that the teen be tried as an adult.

Liggon’s mother, Joy, was irate following the court proceedings and said that though the family had been consulted about the plea deal, she felt that their concerns were not “incorporated into the decision.” The maximum sentence her daughter’s killer can now serve is confinement until her 21st birthday.

“What I can tell you is that it does not feel like justice that the person that took our daughter is going to be—possibly, at the maximum—in a detention center for five and a half years. It seems like it should be more than that,” she said.

Though she expressed her disappointment in the verdict, Joy LIggon was relieved that the case as well as the “sensationalized fiasco” she felt it had become—the incident that led to her daughter’s death was linked to a dispute over sweet-and-sour sauce by media outlets—was now over, The Washington Post reports.

“We would have liked go to trial for first-degree murder. I felt that is what my daughter deserved. But I also understand that a guilty verdict is a guilty verdict,” Liggon said. “It doesn’t look like our child was out in the street fighting over sweet-and-sour sauce. That was never the case.”

At a Dec. 4 hear, prosecutor Crystal Gaines explained that Naima Liggon was breaking up a fight between two other teens when she was fatally wounded. She was rushed to the hospital, where she died.

Judge Andrea L. Hertzfeld denied the defense’s request to have the teen defendant released to her parents while she awaits sentencing but did order her to be psychologically evaluated.

“This young person clearly needs services,” Hertzfeld said. “There are some issues here.”

An employee prepares a burrito bowl at a Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is scheduled to release earnings figures on February 6. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 6, 2023

Woman Offered Fast Food Job To Lessen Jail Time After Throwing Chipotle Bowl At Worker

A 39-year-old Ohio woman convicted for assault after throwing her Chipotle bowl at an employee is set to work in fast food to evade a longer jail stay.

In an unusual sentencing plea, an Ohio woman was given a lower jail sentence by working the same job as the person she was found guilty of assaulting.

Rosemary Hayne was arrested Sept. 5 after footage went viral of her assaulting Chipotle worker Emily Russell at the Parma, Ohio, location. Hayne was seen slamming her food down on the counter to confront the employee about her dissatisfaction with the meal before throwing it at Russell.

Hayne’s original sentencing at a Nov. 28 hearing found her guilty of one count of assault. In addition to paying a fine, she also was set to serve 180 days in jail. However, the circumstances surrounding the assault gave the judge an idea to teach the 39-year-old Hayne a lesson.

“You didn’t get your burrito bowl the way you liked it, and this is how you respond?” asked Parma Municipal Judge Timothy Gilligan, according to Fox 8. “This is not Real Housewives of Parma. This behavior is not acceptable.”

Hayne’s apology to Russell included her reasoning behind her unruly behavior. The food’s presentation, according to her, was “disgusting looking.”

“I bet you won’t be happy with the food you are going to get in the jail,” the judge retorted.

In order to avoid that reality, Gilligan offered Hayne jail credit if she worked at least 20 hours per week at a local fast-food restaurant for two months. The defendant agreed to do so. In Gilligan’s mind, the resolution saves taxpayers’ money and affords Hayne a “sense of empathy.”

“So I thought, why should the city taxpayers pay for her and feed her for 90 days in the jail if I can teach her a sense of empathy?” Gilligan said. “I also hope this deters others from this type of behavior.”

Russell no longer works at Chipotle. While it is unknown whether her employment in fast food is over, Hayne’s has just begun.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 6, 2023

Ye Wants Teachers’ Lawsuit Against Donda Academy Dismissed

The artist formerly known as Kanye West wants the teachers' claims to be thrown out by the court

Earlier this year, in April, two former teachers employed at Ye’s Donda Academy filed a lawsuit alleging that the school had labor violations and restrictive and unusual school rules for teachers and students. They were also the only Black teachers at the school. According to Radar Online, the artist formerly known as Kanye West has requested that the lawsuit against the school be thrown out.

The music producer also claimed that he was not involved in the day-to-day activities of the educational institution, which is alleged to have been rife with issues since its opening.

In the motion, Ye stated that the women, third-grade teacher Cecilia Hailey and fifth-grade teacher Chekarey Byers, who are mother and daughter, were not employed by him but by Donda Academy.

“Hailey and Byers also make clear that they were employed by Donda Academy, not Ye,” according to the recently filed document.

“The truth is, while Donda Academy was in operation as a school, Ye had nothing to do with Donda’s policies, practices, operations, and procedures relating to the payment of employee wages upon termination of employment or the content or timing of employee wage statements. Plaintiffs know that.”

Hailey and Byers worked at Donda Academy from January to March. They were allegedly let go without being given a reason on March 3. The two believe they were fired in retaliation for complaining about the conditions to the school’s administration.

The mother and daughter also allege in the lawsuit that the students were only allowed to eat sushi and that teachers and students were not allowed to wear jewelry.

The recent motion stated, “Hailey and Byers will point to their allegations regarding Ye’s control over the lunches served at Donda Academy or school uniforms, for example. But all of those allegations say nothing about Ye’s involvement in any Labor Code violation relating to Hailey’s and Byers’ wage statements or post-termination wages.”

The controversial entertainer wants the teachers’ claims to be dismissed and for them not to be allowed to amend their lawsuit.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 6, 2023

Gotcha! Stolen Phone Returned To Victim After Thief Realized It Was An Android

'Oh, that's an Android? We don't want this. I thought it was an iPhone."

There has been an ongoing battle between iPhone users and Android owners, and the fact that there’s loyalty (or disgust) amongst the users was proven again last week during an armed robbery in Washington, D.C.

According to KATV, a man was robbed of his belongings by two masked men, but when they realized the mobile unit was an Android, they promptly gave the victim back his phone.

The victim’s wife said that after she worked into the early morning hours, her husband wanted her to meet him outside of their apartment building, located in the 2400 block of 14th Street, NW, as he went to park the car. She said that after the vehicle was parked, one man, who was armed and wearing a mask, approached him. He took all the items he had in his pockets, took the keys to the vehicle, and then got in it and drove off. Another man, parked nearby in a Black BMW, also participated in the crime.

“As soon as he parked the car, two masked gentlemen came up to him, armed,” she recalled. “They robbed him, took everything he had in his pockets, took the keys to my truck, and got in and pulled off.

She alleged that one of the men, when realizing that the phone he had just taken was not an iPhone, immediately returned the Android to the robbing victim.

“They basically looked at that phone and was like, ‘Oh, that’s an Android? We don’t want this. I thought it was an iPhone,” she said.

The woman said she used the vehicle for work as an Uber Eats and Instacart driver.

“That was my income,” she said. “That was the way I made money. I did Uber Eats and Instacart, so that was our livelihood.”

The incident took place on Wednesday, Nov. 29.

Philadelphia City Council Sends Controversial Anti-Ski Mask Bill To Mayor’s Desk

by Daniel Johnson

December 6, 2023

Philadelphia City Council Sends Controversial Anti-Ski Mask Bill To Mayor’s Desk

Philadelphia has been experiencing higher than normal levels of violent crime.

On Nov. 30, the Philadelphia City Council passed an ordinance that effectively bans ski masks or balaclavas from being worn in public, a move that has drawn criticism and concern from both citizens and groups like the ACLU.

The Associated Press reports that the legislation passed by the Philadelphia City Council will head to the desk of lame duck Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, for approval or veto.

Philadelphia has been experiencing higher than normal levels of violent crime, like most metropolitan cities across the country, in part because social support programs were suspended during the pandemic. Though the legislation does make some concessions for First Amendment protections and gives religious exemptions, the ACLU is still concerned that the legislation tramples on the constitutional rights of citizens.

“Giving police the authority to stop civilians without suspicion of unlawful activity is unconstitutional,” Solomon Furious Woods, an attorney for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, told the AP.

Today I voted against this bill to ban ski masks in public spaces. I cannot in good conscience vote to further criminalize Black and brown young people in our city. https://t.co/bOOZi9Ct5q
— Councilmember Kendra Brooks (@KendraPHL) November 30, 2023

Philadelphia is not the only city considering how to best approach violent crime while ensuring that there accountability for officers who cross the line into police brutality. Washington, D.C., which has been experiencing a violent crime wave of its own, is also grappling with these tensions. To that effect, Mayor Muriel Bowser has been touting her proposals in the city’s Addressing Crime Trends Now Act (ACT Now) but many have voiced concerns that her reforms are not substantial enough to solve the violent crime facing the city.

As Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told WUSA 9, “The legislation the Mayor [Bowser] introduced deals very little, if at all, with what’s top of mind for residents which are homicides, carjackings, and robberies. Yes, there are some good ideas. But no this is not the short-term big change that we can see in regard to reducing the violent crime.”

Atlanta is also considering a ski mask ban.

Anti-masking legislation is not a new phenomenon. 15 states currently have some form of anti-masking legislation on the books.

The City of Philadelphia recently passed its own mask ban. Unlike Atlanta’s, however, Philadelphia’s ski mask ban provides protections for protesters.
— Atlanta Community Press Collective (@atlanta_press) December 6, 2023

Rapper Yo Gotti ‘Standing On Business’ At UCLA’s Anderson School Of Management

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 6, 2023

Rapper Yo Gotti ‘Standing On Business’ At UCLA’s Anderson School Of Management

Yo Gotti has officially enrolled in a business course at UCLA, as the Memphis rapper has begun his studies following his tour.

Yo Gotti is going from stages to schoolwork. The Memphis rapper has enrolled in a business course at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

The 42-year-old emcee, who is in a relationship with fellow rapper-entrepreneur Rev. Run’s daughter, Angela Simmons, posted a picture of himself on the Los Angeles campus to his Instagram.

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A post shared by Yo Gotti (@yogotti)

“Still learning…,” captioned the hip-hop artist, whose real name is Mario Sentell Giden Mims.

The course, “Corporate Valuation” will teach students about the various aspects of business, including IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and private firms for investments. According to the class description, students will meet weekly in the three-hour lecture to ” explore how real options affect investment decisions and how they can be identified and valued.” With Yo Gotti bringing his real-life business experiences and knowledge to the classroom, students will get a post-graduate-level course as he immerses himself in it with attendees. The entertainer-turned-entrepreneur is well-versed not only in the studio but also in the industry’s business side, discovering early on in his career the importance of understanding contracts.

Yo Gotti not only owns his own record label, Collective Music Group (CMG), but he also co-owns D.C. United, a soccer club based in the nation’s capital. His endeavors also expanded to the food industry and real estate. He is also known for his money moves, making headlines in August about staying away from private flying, instead flying first-class to save the extra cash.

However, despite this pursuit of expanding his entrepreneurial success, Yo Gotti is still giving the music to his fans. The rapper just finished his Gangsta Art Tour with fellow Memphis rappers such as GloRilla and MoneyBagg Yo, just in time to begin his studies. With this new accomplishment underway, the record executive is bringing his street smarts to the university as he begins learning in the traditional form.

California Teacher, Racist, Ableist Image, Black Child

by Stacy Jackson

December 6, 2023

Utah School District’s 2021 Settlement With DOJ Finally Revealed: Addresses Shocking Racial Discrimination And Harassment

The DOJ found instances where Black students in the Davis School District were referred to as 'apes' and the 'n-word.'

Davis School District gave a summary of its 2021 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) following evidence of “widespread racial discrimination and harassment” of Black students that was brought to public attention in October 2021.

Fox 13 reported that a summary of the settlement called for the enforcement of anti-harassment and anti-discrimination and proper training for education professionals after the DOJ found instances where Black students in the Davis School District were referred to as racial slurs like “apes” and the “n-word.”

The settlement agreed upon the creation of an office to process reports of harassment and discrimination, according to Fox 13.

“Some of the findings in the letter include pervasive use of the n-word and other racial epithets, Black students being called apes or being told their skin was dirty or looked like feces,” explained Heidi Alder, the legal consultant for the District. “The DOJ also determined that the district had not trained administrators and teachers properly on how to identify and respond to incidents of harassment.”

The settlement also provided that anti-harassment and anti-discrimination notices would be distributed to parents, students, and staff. Assistant Superintendent Fidel Montero said educating the District’s community members was a priority.

“We want to make sure that first and foremost that we’re educating them, and then to the children who experience harassment, any type of harassment, not just racial, we want to make sure we support them,” Montero told Fox 13.

Training, professional development, and other resources were other agreed-upon components in the settlement between the school district and the DOJ. Utah State Rep. Kera Birkeland stressed the importance of government officials handling racially motivated discrimination and harassment properly.

“My concern is when we don’t handle things like this well, it backfires. People, the divide becomes stronger,” Birkeland said. “The issue of ‘you don’t say things like that, they’re totally racially inappropriate’ go[es] out the window because now parents and kids are upset by the process instead of being able to be focused on what really needs to be focused on, which is completely inappropriate remarks.”

Finally, the settlement resulted in an agreement to create a system to report and respond to harassment complaints. Utah State Rep. Brady Brammer said, “What other things are weighed in favor of protecting the school district’s or the school’s actions or justifying them or not addressing the problems versus the parental and student rights?”

He added, “The vertical of the schools and the enforcement of problems within the schools is a major problem in the state right now.”

by Derek Major

December 6, 2023

Deion Sanders’ Top Recruiter Nick Williams Leaving Colorado For Syracuse

University of Colorado defensive line coach Nick Williams is leaving to coach defensive ends at Syracuse University.

University of Colorado defensive line coach Nick Williams is leaving the program to take a job at Syracuse University.

Sports Illustrated‘s BuffsBeat reports Williams announced he was leaving Colorado on social media, writing “Blessed,” along with a picture of himself and the Syracuse S logo on a graphic that read “Defensive Ends,” suggesting that is the position he will coach for the Orange.

https://twitter.com/CoachNickWill/status/1731749374785356164?s=20

Williams, who spent one year in Colorado with Sanders after leaving Texas A&M, was considered one of Colorado’s strongest recruiters. Before coaching at Texas A&M, Williams spent three seasons at the University of Georgia as a student and graduate assistant from 2018 to 2020, helping the Bulldogs to the No. 1 ranked recruiting classes in both 2018 and 2020.

For Sanders, this is another departure from his program since its 4-8 season ended. Nine players on the Buffaloes’ roster this season have hit the transfer portal. In addition to Williams, offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle, tight ends coach Tim Brewster, and former offensive coordinator Sean Lewis are also leaving.

Colorado’s season started with plenty of fanfare as the Buffaloes defeated TCU and in-state rival Colorado State in front of celebrity-laden crowds. However, once they got into Pac-12 play, Colorado struggled on offense and defense. Star quarterback Shedeur Sanders was sacked an alarming 52 times during the season.

“I am happy for Sean Lewis. I am happy for whomever he took with him. I am happy that he’s elevated,” Sanders said, according to SI. “Sean is a good guy. I have no quarrels with Coach Lewis. Coach Lewis did a phenomenal job in the time he was able to do his job. I am happy for him. I am happy for Nick [Williams] going to Louisville and prospering. I am happy for Brewster [Tim Brewster]. I’m happy for these guys.”