by Derek Major

November 30, 2023

Pronghorn Selects The New England Barrel Company As Its Next Seed Investment

Pronghorn selects The New England Barrel Company (NEBCo), a Black-owned whiskey company as the next seed investment

According to a press release shared with Black Enterprise, Pronghorn, a platform revolutionizing how to effectively diversify industries to include underrepresented groups, has selected the New England Barrel Company (NEBCo) as the next seed investment.

NEBCo, a Black-owned brand, features a group of spirits recognized for its rich flavor notes and warm finishes. NEBCo has quickly become a well-recognized brand by critics across the U.S. The brand includes a bevy of two-core batched bourbons and several limited, single-barrel offerings bottled from whiskies sourced from US-based distilleries, both large and small.

“New England Barrel Company, at its foundation, is about building community through a shared interest in great whiskey,” New England Barre Company Founder James Saunders said in a statement. “Our mission each day is to craft and distribute outstanding batched and single barrel releases that are affordable and offer them to the public at reasonable prices.”

The entry into the Pronghorn family arrives on the heels of the New York Spirits Competition, where NEBCo was named the “Best Single Barrel Bourbon up to 10 Years” for the company’s single barrel Select 5-Year Bourbon.

The award further cements the Black-founded brand as one of the leading whiskey brands globally. The investment in NEBCo is another step that Pronghorn is taking to achieve its overall goal of investing in 57 Black-owned spirits brands to generate $2.4 billion in economic value for the Black community by 2032.

Earlier this summer, Pronghorn announced it raised $200 million to invest in 19 Black-owned businesses and started several initiatives to help boost Black men and women in the spirits industry, including its HBCU Innovation Lab and the Pronghorn Spirits Academy.

In August, Pronghorn announced its fourth round of angel investments in three spirits brands: Abisola Whiskey, Los Hermanos Tequila 1978, and Alexander James Whiskey. The investments celebrated the rise of Black entrepreneurs across growing industries across the U.S. in honor of Black Business Month.

“It’s extraordinary to see the ways in which the Pronghorn family continues to grow,” said Pronghorn CEO and Managing Director Jomaree Pinkard.“ We are thrilled to be working with New England Barrel Company to further accelerate their business. Pronghorn’s capital investments and supercharging programs continue to refine its unique replicability to encourage and enable any company to effectively diversify any industry for historically underrepresented communities.”

Survey Reveals Black Parents Show More Concern When Children Test Low

by Atiya Jordan

November 30, 2023

Survey Reveals Black Parents Show More Concern When Children Test Low

Compared to white and Latino parents, Black parents showed more concern when their children tested lower.

A new report revealed that Black parents are more likely to act if their children were to perform poorly on math test scores.

According to a recent Gallup-Learning Heroes study, the gap between parents’ perceptions of their child’s performance may be widest among Black and Hispanic parents. Considering that 73% of Black parents are confident that their children score Bs or better, compared to 75% of Hispanic parents, research supports that the academic achievements of students of color are lower than other groups.

“When parents can consider information beyond report card grades, including data from various standardized tests, they have a more complete picture of their child’s academic progress,” according to the report.

In the study, survey respondents had to assume that their children brought home a B in math and had scored below grade level on two standardized math tests. Results showed that nearly three-quarters of Black parents (72%) reported that they would be “extremely or very concerned” about the low performance, compared to Hispanic and white parents (56% and 52%, respectively).

When parents are informed about their child’s academic challenges, they are more likely to engage with teachers and schools to support their child’s development. Learn more in our latest report with @BeALearningHero. https://t.co/C1XRckl9IE pic.twitter.com/ZG6mwEXgVR
— Gallup (@Gallup) November 19, 2023

In response, Black parents reported a higher likelihood to “definitely” take action than the national average of parents. For instance, 81% said they would advocate support with teachers, and 80% said they would inquire about their child’s math grade level status.

On the other hand, 57% of Black parents reported they would access free online learning resources to help their children, 25% would get an in-school tutor, and 17% would prefer a private tutor.

Hispanic parents also report a greater likelihood of taking action, particularly accessing free online resources (48% vs. 38%) and getting an in-school (33% vs. 25%) or private (24% vs. 17%) tutor.

“While 89% of parents of all racial and ethnic backgrounds report their child is performing at or above grade level in math, less than half of White fourth graders (48%) and less than one-quarter of Black (15%) and Hispanic (22%) fourth graders score as proficient or better in math,” Gallup reported based on scores on The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

National assessment data indicate a significant decline in math scores for Black 13-year-olds than white 13-year-olds between the 2019-2020 and 2022-2023 school years.

As the performance perception is widest among students of color, Gallup suggested parents evaluate their child’s performance using data from standardized tests, year-end tests, and other exams to “fully understand their child’s achievement.” The report also considered that standardized tests have been under deep study and controversy for their racial and cultural biases against mainly Black and Hispanic students. This note highlights its impact on the perceived learning gap and limits performance-based opportunities for students of color.

Ari, Lennox, ill fuck you up, don't play with me, fan, water bottle

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 30, 2023

Ari Lennox Applies ‘Pressure’ To Fan Who Threw Water Bottle On Stage

The DMV came out of singer Ari Lennox after a fan threw a water bottle on stage during a recent performance.

Lennox was performing an opening set on Rod Wave’s “Nostalgia” tour in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Nov. 29, and gave an empowering speech before going into her hit song “Pressure.” But just as she started singing the song, a water bottle flew past her face and struck her in the arm, TMZ reports.

The incident garnered an enraged response from the DC native, who immediately started cussing out the culprit.

“Bi*ch! Don’t fu*king play with me because I’ll fu*k you up. Who the fu*k did it?” she exclaimed in a clip shared online .

https://twitter.com/itsKenBarbie/status/1730212872519639090

She pointed in the direction the bottle came from and continued her rant.

“Who the f*** did it?! I’ll f*** your a** up,” she shouted in the microphone as security joined her on stage to find the culprit.

“I’m a real a** b**** and I will f*** your s*** all the way up.”

“Don’t you ever disrespect a beautiful Black woman on a fu***ng stage like that I will f*** your a** up,” she added.

Security escorted Lennox off the stage before the encounter continued to escalate. There’s no word if the rowdy fan was removed from the venue.

Lennox is the latest performer to get attacked by a thrown object during a live show. Drake was lucky enough to catch the book thrown at him during his “It’s All A Blur” tour. But singer Bebe Rexha was badly injured after a fan threw a cell phone at her during the New York City stop of her “Best F*n Night of My Life” tour in June.

In July, Cardi B faced battery charges after throwing her microphone at a fan who threw a cup of water during her performance in Las Vegas. Concertgoers have been facing criticism for the item-hurling antics that have increased over the last year.

South Africa’s 4-Day Work Week Experiment Shows Few Employees Took Fridays Off

by Iman Milner

November 30, 2023

South Africa’s 4-Day Work Week Experiment Shows Few Employees Took Fridays Off

More than 28 companies participated in the experiment.

The South African four-day workweek pilot program has returned positive results while proving that many employees don’t opt to call off on Fridays as many predicted, Bloomberg reports. Less than 1 in 4 workers opted for a week ending on Thursday.

More than 28 companies participated in the experiment, with many offering flexibility on what days employees could choose not to work. The six-month study allowed workers to experience a four-day workweek without any loss of pay for unworked days. Before the trial, participants underwent a planning and work practice conducted by 4 Day Week Global, including two months of workshops, coaching, mentoring, and peer support. Some 71% of the employees who participated in the trial were women. Most participants worked in professional services, IT, marketing, and financial service industries.

Researchers at Boston College also partnered on the initiative as implementing a four-day work week has become a focus of employers looking to maximize the productivity of their workers, Clockwise reports.

“The results have been impressive. While hours didn’t fall by the full eight per week, employees did see improvements in virtually all our measures of well-being, stress, burnout, fatigue, anxiety, mental health, work-family balance, sleep problems and exercise frequency,” said Professor Juliet Schor, a lead quantitative researcher at Boston College. “One of the strongest results is a large improvement in self-reported productivity, without much increase in work intensity.”

Employees had to commit to delivering the same output for participation in the experiment with a 20% cut in time spent at work. Though many companies took skeptical stances about whether or not the trial would remedy the growing productivity challenges in South Africa, 92% of the participating employers decided to keep the scaled-down work schedules permanently.

“This research represents a pivotal moment not just for South Africa but for the entire continent and global community,” said 4 Day Week Global CEO Dr Dale Whelehan.

RELATED CONTENT: 9 Savvy Ways to Conquer a Workday of Chaos

by Rafael Pena

November 30, 2023

13-Year-Old Foster Child Sentenced to Two Years In Prison After Running Over Foster Mother With Car

The foster child was only 12 years old at the time of the incident.

A 13-year-old British foster child has been sentenced to two years in custody after causing the death of his foster mother in a hit-and-run incident.

The incident occurred on April 5, when the boy, then 12, ran over 60-year-old Marcia Grant with her own car. Prosecutor Gary Crothers revealed chilling details of the aftermath, stating, “Is she dead? Looks like I got my first kill.” The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was arrested an hour later and used expletives while threatening to kill a police woman’s family.

The boy had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving in Sheffield Crown Court, and prosecutors dropped a murder charge. The victim, Marcia Grant, had been a foster mother since 2016 and was highly regarded in the Greenhill area of Sheffield, Northern England.

Grant’s daughter, Gemma Grant, emotionally addressed the court, describing her mother as someone who “wanted to pull the world into a hug” and uplift those facing adversity. Expressing deep sorrow, Gemma Grant added, “We will never forgive him and will carry this trauma with us always.”

The boy, now 13, had planned to visit his family when he stole Marcia Grant’s keys, later claiming he grabbed a kitchen knife for self-defense. As he started the car, Marcia Grant attempted to intervene, standing behind the vehicle to block it. Despite pleas from her husband, Delroy Grant, the boy shifted into reverse, causing fatal injuries.

Prosecutor Mark McKone revealed that the boy apologized as he fled the scene, expressing panic and stating, “I never intended to hit her or cause her any harm. I’m very sorry for what has happened.” Prosecutors argued there was no evidence of intent to harm Marcia Grant.

The boy, who asserted he had been a “gangster” since the age of 9, will be held in a secure youth center due to his age rather than an adult prison. Additionally, he was disqualified from driving for six years.

The family of Marcia Grant expressed disappointment with the legal outcome, releasing a statement on the South Yorkshire Police website. They believed there was “clear premeditation to do serious harm” and voiced their frustration with the justice system.

Michael Jackson’s Sex Abuse Lawsuit One Step Closer To Trial

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 30, 2023

Michael Jackson’s Sex Abuse Lawsuit One Step Closer To Trial

The sexual abuse lawsuit filed by Wade Robson against the late King of Pop Michael Jackson is inching closer to trial.

Robson’s civil case against Jackson’s estate has a trial conference set for February 28, 2024, Radar Online reports. During the hearing, Judge Mark A. Young will set a trial date for Robson’s case.

Robson, 41, appeared in HBO’s 2019 docuseries Leaving Neverland where he shared alleged accounts of being molested by Jackson at the Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, CA when he was seven years old. Robson claims his sister was sleeping in another room at the time the alleged abuse took place.

He also alleges the abuse continued for seven years.

“We can never tell anyone what WE are doing,” court documents say Jackson allegedly told Robson.

“People are ignorant and they would never understand that we love each other, and this is how we show it. If anyone were to ever find out, OUR lives and careers would be over.”

In August, the California Court of Appeals reversed a 2021 decision that tossed out Robson’s lawsuits against Jackson’s MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures. Robson spent two weeks at Neverland Ranch and returned to his native Australia after the stay where he allegedly continued his relationship with Jackson through faxes and frequent telephone calls that lasted for “hours each week,” the lawsuit states.

The former choreographer claims Jackson encouraged him to call him “Dad” while Jackson referred to him as “Son.” Robson claims he realized he had been systematically abused years later after suffering multiple nervous breakdowns along with feelings of extreme stress, anxiety, fear, depression, and insomnia.

Jackson’s late lawyer, Howard Weitzman, previously shut down Robson’s claims citing the two times Robson testified under oath to experiencing no abuse from the singer.

“This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him,” Weitzman said.

“Now, nearly four years after Michael has passed this sad and less than credible claim has been made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is.”

The upcoming trial might finally put an end to the case.

by Rafael Pena

November 30, 2023

California Governor Newsom Allocates $299M Toward Homeless Encampments

California Gavin Newsom announced on Nov. 27 that an additional $299 million in grant money will help local governments clear homeless encampments.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Nov. 27 that an additional $299 million in grant money will help local governments clear homeless encampments, with a particular focus on areas near state highways and interstate highways, according to NBC News.

The funding aims to provide housing options for individuals impacted by homelessness.

This latest grant, labeled “encampment resolution” money, adds to the existing $414 million allocated from the state’s Encampment Resolution Fund. Established through Assembly Bill 140 in 2021, this fund is designed to assist local jurisdictions in offering more re-housing options for people living in encampments near highways.

“Since day one, combating homelessness has been a top priority. Encampments are not safe for the people living in them or for community members around them,” Newsom said in a statement.

Approximately half of the newly announced funds will be dedicated to clearing encampments on what the state terms “rights-of-way”: public roads, highways, and interstate highways owned and maintained by Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation.

“The state is giving locals hundreds of millions of dollars to move people into housing and clean up these persistent and dangerous encampments,” Newsom said, according to KRON4. And we are doing the same on state land, having removed 5,679 encampments since 2021.”

Cities, counties, and continuums of care are eligible to apply for the grant money through the California Interagency Council on Homelessness until next June. The funds will support street outreach teams and foster collaborations between local governments and Caltrans to clear encampments.

“Through the Encampment Resolution Grants, Caltrans is working to connect people experiencing homelessness on its right-of-way to more secure and stable housing situations offered by local partners,” Caltrans Deputy Division Chief Alisa Becerra said.

Becerra emphasized the importance of collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to creating genuine solutions to aid those who need it most.

by Derek Major

November 30, 2023

African And Caribbean Countries Partner To Seek Reparations For Slavery

The African Union is partnering with Caribbean countries to form a “united front” in an effort to persuade European nations to pay reparations for “historical mass crimes.”

The African Union is partnering with Caribbean countries to form a “united front” to persuade European nations to pay reparations for “historical mass crimes.”

The Guardian reports the partnership between the 55-member African Union and the Caribbean Community of 20 countries was forged at a summit in Ghana earlier this month and will aim to intensify pressure on European nations that enslaved people to engage with a growing reparations movement.

A draft proclamation circulated after the conference did not specify whether the reparations would come in the form of money or property. It did say the African Union would explore “litigation options” and work with the United Nations to determine “whether acts of enslavement against Africans constituted serious violations of human rights at the time they were committed.”

A finalized version of the proclamation is expected to be released in the coming days.

Reparation efforts have been growing across the world, including the United States. In Illinois, Evanston will give $25,000 each to almost 140 residents by the end of the year, and several have already begun receiving payments. In California, a reparations task force suggests Black residents may be owed a total of more than $800 billion for decades of over-policing, disproportionate incarceration, and housing discrimination.

“The entire period of slavery meant that our progress, economically, culturally, and psychologically, was stifled. There are legions of stories of families who were torn apart … You cannot quantify the effects of such tragedies, but they need to be recognized,” Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said at the opening of the conference.

Akufo-Addo added the “entire continent of Africa deserves a formal apology from the European nations involved in the slave trade” and that no amount of money can heal the damage caused by the slave trade, but this is a matter the world can no longer hide from and must confront.

Earlier this summer, African Union delegates traveled to Barbados to begin discussions on how to work with Caribbean nations in the effort, and an official from the British Foreign Office attended the conference. However, when UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was asked whether he would offer an apology for his country’s role in slavery, he said “no,” adding that “trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward and is not something we will focus our energies on.”

Some strides have been made across the world. German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed “shame” and asked for forgiveness for the colonial atrocities his country inflicted on Tanzania. In 2021, Germany officially acknowledged committing genocide during its occupation of Namibia and announced financial aid worth more than £940m ($1.1 billion)

Notorious Haitian Drug Trafficker Guy Philippe Deported By U.S. Government

by Iman Milner

November 30, 2023

Notorious Haitian Drug Trafficker Guy Philippe Deported By U.S. Government

Philippe is the former police chief of the Haitian city of Cap-Haïtien.

Haitian drug trafficker and alleged coup leader Guy Philippe has been deported by the U.S. government following a four-year legal battle connected to a money laundering charge, ABC News reports.

He was released from prison Sept. 7 and returned to Haiti on Nov. 30.

Philippe, who is the former police chief of the Haitian city of Cap-Haïtien, was accused of leading attacks on law enforcement while living in exile in the Dominican Republic. He also allegedly played a pivotal role in the 2004 rebellion against former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. After being arrested during a public appearance in 2017, Philippe was extradited to the U.S., where he was made to answer for charges of cocaine trafficking conspiracy and money laundering before a federal court in Miami.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison after entering a guilty plea on the charge of money laundering.

Authorities claim Philippe’s high-ranking position with the Haiti National Police allowed him to protect drug shipments in exchange for money. He allegedly received up to $3.5 million in bribes, ABC News reports. There are concerns about what Philippe’s return to the reportedly gang-controlled country will mean for Haiti. There are mounting fears around the potential escalation of violence.

“One would have to wait and see what his return means, if anything at all,” Alex Dupuy, a Haiti-born sociologist and former professor at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., told ABC News. “He’s not going to be necessarily the principal actor in the drama that’s going on in Haiti and the awful political situation.”

The U.S. government’s choice to return Philippe to Haiti amid ongoing tensions between gangs and political leaders could move power away from the former coup leader, according to Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics expert and professor at the University of Virginia.

“Whether those kinds of ties will be revised, it’s not clear. What is very clear is that Guy Philippe has always seen himself as some sort of a messianic figure who should lead Haiti,” Fatton said.

Black businesswomen, Black History Month, boss, imposter syndrome, career, work

by Atiya Jordan

November 30, 2023

Black Women In Leadership Is Still A Slippery Slope: Here’s Why

Black women are still struggling in the workplace.

In a new report, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation has “observed a disconcerting pattern where Black women leaders are vacating their roles” in the nonprofit sector. The data was collected after analyzing Black women’s experiences and innovative solutions to offset the “mounting barriers and challenges to their leadership.”

The Washington Area Women’s Foundation listened to 32 presidents, CEOs, and executive directors. Of the group, 90% of respondents said that they experienced “detrimental effects on their health and well-being,” such as chronic stress, fatigue, elevated blood pressure, and mental health concerns. Almost 70% of respondents “agreed or strongly agreed” that the state of Black women’s leadership has been vulnerable in recent years.

On behalf of the foundation, President and CEO Tamara Wilds Lawson wrote that Black women’s “words call us to take collective responsibility for ensuring Black women and Black gender-expansive leaders have the resources and support they deserve to thrive in this sector which relies so heavily on their valuable labor.”

Throughout the global pandemic and public health crisis, Black women have been elevated into senior leadership roles, especially in the healthcare and social services sector. Amid a racial reckoning, Black women leaders have even been hired with the “expectation of addressing organizational deficiencies that their predecessors were unable to overcome without added support or resources.”

Based on the data, the foundation determined an underlying issue for such a shaky infrastructure. Black women expressed the “fundamental absence of trust in their leadership” across fundraising, board engagement, staff management, and wellness policies. The women cited the lack of mentorship, community, support networks, and opportunities to express vulnerability without their leadership being undermined.

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A post shared by Washington Area Women’s Foundation (@thewomensfndtn)

For example, the report noted that the “current D.C. public and nonprofit sector environment produces a scarcity mindset,” discouraging Black woman-led organizations from shying away from working in collaborative spaces.

After hearing from the Black women, the foundation outlined specific ideas to provide Black women and Black gender-expansive leaders with the support, resources, and infrastructure they need to thrive as they lead.

A study by McKinsey & Co. found that women of color significantly lag behind their peers’ progress, including in representation in leadership positions.

In response, the women in the foundation’s study envision a space “curated and convened for and by Black women, not others who do not share the same experiences.” Ideas included rejuvenating retreats, cohort leadership development programs, regular conventions and events, and learning institutes for graduate-level programs tailored to Black women leaders.

According to Sucheta Misra, vice president of DE&I at North Highland consulting company, women have difficulty showing up authentically in their leadership styles. In turn, women tend to code-switch to fit into the corporate mold.

“This issue becomes exacerbated for women of color because they see so few women of color in leadership positions across the board, and therefore, they don’t have many in-person or even figures in media to look to as leadership models,” Misra said.

Furthermore, the foundation discussed Black women leaders’ challenges with accessing adequate funding, inadequate board governance, and persistent underpayment and undervaluation. The report suggested training for funders and philanthropic leaders and establishing an unrestricted general fund to support Black women leaders.

“Black leaders call for an urgency to identify and dismantle systemic disparities within the public and nonprofit sectors to improve their ability to create positive and meaningful change so that they can not only lead but thrive. Let’s follow their lead,” the report concluded.