• Education

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 8, 2023

David E. Talbert ‘Next Fellowship’ Will Send HBCU Students To USC School Of Cinematic Arts

David E. Talbert is paying it forward to the next generation of filmmakers with his HBCU fellowship in partnership with USC.

---

Filmmaker David E. Talbert is paying it forward to the next generation of creators with his new HBCU fellowship in partnership with the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

The “Jingle Jangle” creator has launched the HBCU Next fellowship program that will bring aspiring filmmakers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Summer Program and expand their prowess in filmmaking, Deadline reports. With a goal of evolving the media landscape by championing the next generation of diverse storytellers, students will learn the culture within screenwriting and filmmaking to help provide more authentic portrayals of the Black experience.

Talbert created and funded the program alongside his wife and producing partner Lyn Sisson-Talbert to amplify the educational experience for film students of Color.

“Our overall objective is to foster an environment for students from HBCUs and USC to engage in cultural exchange, learning from one another’s experiences and backgrounds, and to provide access to an education conducive to giving Black storytellers a pipeline to the entertainment industry,” Talbert says.

“The industry gets to benefit from the uniqueness and authenticity of stories that that they might not be privy to.”

As part of the program, students will receive mentoring from Talbert on directing and screenwriting, as well as receive access to courses in advanced screenwriting, advanced directing, animation, producing editing, and gaming. HBCU graduates will also speak to HBCU Next scholars including Forest Whitaker, Tim Story, Ruth Carter, J.B. Smoove, and Anika Noni Rose.

As an HBCU alum, the “This Christmas” director knows firsthand how enriching the college experience can be despite the lack of access to entering into the industry post-graduation.

“Having graduated from an HBCU, and working in the business for over 30 years, I understand it’s never the artistry or intellect, but the access, that keeps people of Color from finding their way in,” he said. “HBCU Next was created to bridge that gap. Our Next is now.”

• News

by Lauren Nutall

November 8, 2023

A New Film Follows A Vietnam Veteran Who Was Denied The Purple Heart Medal For His Race

Jerry Smith Sr., cousin of the late Emmett Till, was denied the Purple Heart Medal on account of his race, but a new short film aims to change this.

---

Jerry Smith Sr., a cousin of the late Emmett Till, was denied the Purple Heart Medal on account of his race, but a new short film aims to change this, according to a recent press release. 

The Purple Heart Medal is awarded to United States Armed Forces members who have been injured or killed in combat. Smith and his family have long maintained that he deserves the honor but have been repeatedly denied, an injustice that has been controversial for years. This has triggered a Change.org petition and now a movie. 

The 9-minute short film, titled In Honor of a Purple Heart, follows Smith’s journey from foster care to becoming a Vietnam War veteran.

“I want to have an effect on the people I come in contact with. I want to be a motivation for them and make them aware you can survive anything as long as you believe. Be thankful for what you have and what you don’t have, don’t worry about it. You’re still alive,” Smith says in the video. 

Smith’s experiences with racism date back to when he was just a boy, living in the rural South during the Jim Crow era. As a young Black foster child, he was rarely told of his value in the world. Rather, he was taught to feel inferior to his white counterparts, a sentiment that was only further supported by the 1955 murder of his 14-year-old cousin Emmett Till, who was falsely accused of whistling at a white woman and found murdered in a river shortly after.  

Smith, too, was subject to false allegations as a teenager, which resulted in him losing a scholarship to Kansas State University. He was forced to flee and wound up enlisting in the military during the Vietnam War. While serving, Smith sustained an injury from a Punji stick, a spiked device often used in war. However, he was denied the Purple Heart Medal and was told that Black people don’t receive the honor.  

Eric Scott Johnson, a producer of the film, spoke about its significance. “The film has won awards at festivals, but this is about something more important,” he said. “This is about Jerry Smith Sr. getting what was wrongfully withheld from him solely due to his race.”

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 8, 2023

Assisted Living Facility Employee Arrested After Allegedly Beating Elderly Resident Who Has Dementia

---

An employee from an assisted living facility in Florida has been arrested after she was accused of beating an elderly woman who has dementia.

According to Click Orlando, Kassandra Aihe, a 24-year-old employee at The Gardens of Eastbrooke, an assisted living facility in Casselberry, is looking at a charge of battery on a person at least 65 years of age. The incident occurred on Oct. 27. She was arrested on Nov. 2, taken to the Seminole County Jail, and bonded out the following day.

The alleged abuse was captured on surveillance video showing Aihe physically attacking the elderly resident. The employee is seen taking the victim back to her room. As she was doing so, the resident became combative, and Aihe was seen grabbing the victim’s hair and forcefully dragging her into the room. The victim was reportedly badly battered and bruised.

The resident could be heard screaming in the room for about five minutes until another employee came to the room.

In a written report by Aihe, she admitted that she hit the resident’s face with an object and then slammed her face against the wall. That action led to the resident’s face bleeding and displaying facial injuries. Another employee who came to intervene also wrote that Aihe hit the victim in her report.

Investigators said that two days later, on Oct. 29, the resident was brought to the hospital after showing severe bruising. The medical staff said that there were fractures to her nose and face. Police officers appeared at the facility to arrest Aihe later that week.

Fox News reported that according to the police report, Aihe went “beyond her scope of duty by pulling [the patient’s] hair to control her and pushing her to move her to her room physically.”

Police officials said that the patient’s husband would be pursuing charges against Aihe on his wife’s behalf.

RELATED CONTENT: Nursing Home Owners Stole $83M From Medicaid and Medicare, AG Letitia James Alleges in Lawsuit

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 8, 2023

Atlanta Judge To Determine If Prosecutors Can Use Young Thug’s Lyrics As Evidence In YSL Trial

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville will determine if lyrics by Young Thug can be used at YSL trial.

---

The RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) trial of Atlanta hip-hop recording artist Young Thug starts following jury selection. Now, the judge assigned to the case has set a hearing scheduled for Nov. 8 to determine if the lyrics the rapper has used over the years can be used as evidence of the crimes he and his crew have been accused of.

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, prosecutors have told Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville that Young Thug is the leader of the gang YSL, an acronym for Young Slime Life and that he and other members of YSL are participants of and responsible for violent crimes in Atlanta. Yet, the defense attorneys for Jeffery Lamar Williams, known as Young Thug, state that the letters of YSL stand for Young Stoner Life Records. The label is home to Young Thug and Gunna and was previously home to YoungBoy Never Broke Again (NBA YoungBoy) and Lil Baby.

The label was started in 2016, but the prosecutors allege that the street gang, which is associated with the Bloods, has been around since 2012.

Prosecutors want to submit lyrics for various songs over the years as evidence of some of the crimes Young Thug and YSL are accused of, according to the outlet. They state that the lyrics are “highly pertinent” to the state of mind of the defendants who have recorded those songs. Prosecutors admit that they have spent nine years going over the lyrics and social media posts of YSL associates, but they also say that other evidence of their alleged crimes has also been collected.

To try to further utilize the song lyrics in their presentation, they also made references to the manifestos written by Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and Timothy McVeigh (responsible for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing), according to a report by Billboard.

Yet, defense attorneys for YSL members intend on having experts testify that rap lyrics are frowned upon by most Americans due to racial bias.

“There’s a strong legal test of when a lyric can be used as evidence,” Georgia State College of Law professor Mo Ivory said.

There have been efforts to disallow prosecutors to use lyrics written by rappers to be used against them in a court of law.

Last year, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, presented the “Restoring Artistic Protections Act,” or “RAP Act.” If passed, it would limit the use of lyrics as permissible evidence in federal court.

RELATED CONTENT: Young Thug YSL Trial Secures Jury Selection After 10 Months

• News

by Atiya Jordan

November 8, 2023

Fabian Nelson Claims Victory In Mississippi State House As First Openly Gay Legislator

On Nov. 7, Fabian Nelson took his place in the Mississippi House District 66 as the state's first openly gay lawmaker.

---

In August, Fabian Nelson made history when he was elected as the first openly gay Democratic lawmaker in Mississippi. Now, he’s officially claiming victory in the State House.

On Nov. 7, the realtor from Byram, Mississippi, took his place in the House of Representatives District 66 after winning the general election, the Advocate reported. Nelson looks forward to offering a fresh voice in the state legislature.

After winning the Democratic primary election runoff on Aug. 29, a surprised Nelson told NBC News: “I still think I’m in a dream. I’m still trying to process it and take it in. It’s still shocking to me, I have to be honest.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fabian Nelson Representative Elect MS HD66 (@fabiannelson4housedistrict66)

The small business leader will now represent a district that includes part of Byram, Salem, and Terry. While in office, he plans to increase healthcare access for low-income people by pushing for Medicaid expansion, advocating for economic development, and improving the workforce by fully funding education, BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported. 

“I am fortunate to have worked in the community for the past 11 years,” Nelson wrote in his 2020 endorsement. “In order to effect lasting change, first-time homebuyer education, access to affordable housing advocacy, and parity in housing ownership for low-income populations will remain a viable part of my service if elected.” 

A native of Yazoo, Mississippi, Nelson has been a proud foster parent and owner and managing broker of Mississippi United Realty for the last 15 years, according to his campaign website. He has dedicated his work to teaching homebuying, financial literacy seminars, and mentoring small businesses in South Jackson and Byram.

The Victory Fund and the Human Rights Campaign were among Nelson’s endorsers. They provided campaign, fundraising, and communications support.

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Annise Parker released in a statement: “At a time when bigotry in politics is on the rise, voters in Mississippi House District 66 have chosen a different path. Fabian’s victory is a testament to his dedication to his community and his tireless work earning the support of voters on the campaign trail.”

“Today, we celebrate with all the Mississippians who long for a better future that’s free of discrimination and hate. We look forward to seeing Fabian take his place in the Mississippi House of Representatives and get to work making the Magnolia State a more welcoming place for all.”

Before Nelson’s feat, Mississippi and Louisiana were the only states that had never elected an LGBTQ+ state lawmaker.

RELATED CONTENT: NFL’s First Openly Trans Cheerleader, Justine Lindsay, Talks First Season As Carolina TopCat

• HBCU

by Daniel Johnson

November 8, 2023

Steinbridge Group Sets $100 Million Commitment To Create Attainable Housing For HBCUs

Davis believes that HBCUs and his company can develop a mutually beneficial relationship because he sees that HBCUs are sitting on resources which can be used to create wealth and income for themselves.

---

The Steinbridge Group is making a $100 million commitment in an effort to address long-standing funding inequities at the nation’s HBCUs to produce attainable or affordable housing.

Earlier in 2023, President Joe Biden’s administration admitted in a joint letter with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack that HBCUs had “not been able to advance in ways that are on par” with white land grant institutions in those states due “in large part due to unbalanced funding.”

According to Forbes, The Steinbridge Group looks for assets that have been underutilized or undervalued in order to flip them and create wealth. Steinbridge partners with institutions focused on a mission aligned with theirs. HBCUs generally fit this bill, and to sweeten the deal for the institutions, Steinbridge wants to create programs that will help students of those institutions reach their goals of homeownership. 

“The company’s goal is to demonstrate that private capital can be used to do tremendous good and still make a good return. While the model opens the door for Steinbridge to partner alongside an array of local groups like community hospitals, churches, or local nonprofits, HBCUs stood out as clear investment pursuits,” Tawan Davis, Steinbridge’s founder and CEO, told Forbes.

Davis believes that Black colleges are rife with opportunity to be developed.

“Many of them have land, untapped assets, workforces, and degree programs that can be financially leveraged,” he said.

Davis believes that HBCUs and his company can develop a mutually beneficial relationship because he sees that HBCUs are sitting on resources which can be used to create wealth and income for themselves. He told Forbes, “The HBCU investments will prioritize partner ownership. HBCUs are expected to keep meaningful ownership of the project and retain the flexibility to be sensitive to student and local needs.” 

He continued, “To that end, some HBCUs might employ it as an incentive to attract the best workforce. Others may desire to build affordable housing opportunities. The end vision is for colleges to keep tangible ownership of projects, collect revenue, and generate long-term value for their stakeholders.”

Nekiya Young, who studies the connection between geography and HBCUs, says that HBCUs are important to the communities they exist in.

“Because HBCUs are in the heart of diverse communities, their level of responsibility is automatically heightened solely because residents look to these cultural institutions to analyze and provide solutions for their neighborhoods’ unprioritized or neglected problems,” Young told Forbes.

Davis wants to allow those in the neighborhoods where HBCUs exist to participate in his project should they so choose.

“I’d like to figure out a way to build a bridge to transition [in neighborhoods surrounding HBCUs]. I don’t know if Steinbridge has the resources to stop gentrification, but we can build a bridge to transition by allowing the people who are in the neighborhoods to participate and stay if they’d like, and then own a home in that very same neighborhood,” Davis said.

RELATED CONTENT: Tawan Davis Partners With PNC Bank To Help Boost Homeownership In Philadephia For Working Families

• Women

by Stacy Jackson

November 8, 2023

Meet The Early 20th Century Black Female Inventor Who Created The Central Heating System

You can thank Alice Walker, a Black woman and 20th century inventor, for creating the central heating system this winter.

---

The next time the temperature drops to unbearably low levels and you decide to turn the heat up on your thermostat, you can thank a Black woman named Alice H. Parker for her ingenious plan to change how we heat our homes today.

Parker was born in 1895 in Morristown, New Jersey. She was a Black inventor in the early 20th century who created a central heating system that used natural gas. According to the Michigan Chronicle, her invention made heating homes safer and quicker.

Before central heating, people relied on coal-burning stoves and open fireplaces to warm cold homes. Parker wanted to create a way for heat to disperse throughout a home while also improving the efficiency and safety of how homes were heated.

Her unique idea to use natural gas provided a more abundant and cleaner resource. The revolutionary invention helped reduce the use of coal and decreased the risks associated with older methods of generating heat in a residential space. Natural gas was a resource that was seldom used as a method to provide warmth in homes. 

Parker was one of the few Black women inventors of her time. In 1919 she received a patent for her central heating system. People no longer had to gather around stoves or fireplaces to get warm. 

Winter is almost here, which means the cold weather is quickly approaching. Parker’s invention and its impact on how people stay warm in their homes during the colder months were recognized, studied, and refined by engineers and manufacturers, which led to the central heating systems our houses use today.

• Leadership

by Stacy Jackson

November 8, 2023

Former Chicago Sun-Times CEO To Be Interim CEO For National Association Of Realtors

---

The former Chicago Sun-Times CEO and a media industry leader, Nykia Wright, will serve as interim CEO for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) starting on Nov. 20.

The transition comes as the organization faces a federal class-action lawsuit for allegedly artificially inflating commissions paid to real estate agents, TheGrio reported. 

The outlet reported that on Oct. 31, a federal Kansas City, Missouri, jury ordered the NAR and some known real estate brokerages in the U.S. to pay damages of nearly $1.8 billion. A jury found that the NAR “conspired to require home sellers to pay the broker representing the buyer of their homes in violation of federal antitrust law.” Approximately 500,000 home sellers in Missouri and nearby towns are the plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit that filed in 2019, TheGrio reported. 

Wright, a startup innovator, has experience with “operational turnarounds, change and transformation, and process design and improvement for private equity acquisitions” and “initiating organizational redesigns,” among other things, according to her LinkedIn profile page. 

Wright was instrumental in transforming digital operations at the Chicago Sun-Times. According to The Grio, the interim CEO said in a statement on Nov. 2, “I am honored to join the organization at this important moment when the opportunity to make a difference in the evolving real estate landscape has never been greater.” 

The Chicago-based organization’s present CEO, Bob Goldberg, will be an executive consultant to Wright while the association undergoes the change. Goldberg said, according to TheGrio, “After announcing my decision to retire earlier this year, and as I reflected on my 30 years at NAR, I determined last month that now is the right time for this extraordinary organization to look to the future.” Ahead of his planned retirement date of Dec. 31, Goldberg will hand over interim responsibility to Wright after working at the NAR for 30 years.

RELATED CONTENT: Black Female Real Estate Legal Expert Makes History, Becomes Progress Residential’s New General Council