Simone Biles And Jonathan Owens Show Off Newlywed Bliss In Adorable Fall Photos
Simone Biles is truly a married woman! The all-star athlete posed for a fall photo shoot with newly wedded husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens, to celebrate the season.
The couple, who were married in April, have been in a honeymoon phase as they have gushed over one another in their social media pages and to the media. In the photo shoot, taken in Green Bay, Wisconsin—Owens plays for the Green Bay Packers—the spread detailed the newlyweds in coordinating outfits in the midst of the autumnal scenery.
The most decorated gymnast ever rocked an all-black look, with an oversized leather blazer. Owens, her partner since 2020, wore a black and white plaid jacket. In one photo that detailed their bling, the superstar couple showcased Biles’ sparkling ring.
The NFL safety shared additional photos, complete with outfit changes, to his own account, captioning his round of pic as “enjoying all seasons with you.”
While both are heavily involved in their own sports, Biles shared withToday in September about supporting her husband at his games.
“It’s been really fun supporting what he loves to do,” the Olympic gold medalist added. “Obviously, he’s in Green Bay right now so my season just ended. I’m super excited to get out there to Green Bay for the holidays to support him.”
While the legendary athlete prepares to gain even more accolades at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Biles is putting herself first and enjoying all the facets of her life.
“This time around, it’s being intentional, going to therapy, making sure everything is aligned, so that I can do the best in the gym and be a good wife, good daughter, good friend and all of the good things,” she said.
United Nations Body Calls For Reparations Across Black Diaspora
As the movement for reparations across the United States gains traction, the United Nations has called for a global progression on the matter in a report by the Permanent Forum on People Of African Descent.
On Oct. 30, the United Nations body released the report that urged countries across the world to push for reparations as a way to rectify the injustices plaguing the international Black community for centuries.
The report was detailed in a press conference the following day led by Chairperson of the Forum Epsy Campbell Barr. The rising trend of racialized violence, in addition to the ongoing systemic discrimination, led the group to formally urge countries to enact legislation that promotes the upliftment of this marginalized diaspora, The Root reported.
“Indeed, the legacies of colonialism and slavery and apartheid are still alive today and have a real impact in the life of millions of people of African descent around the world,” Barr told reporters. “It makes them–us–more exposed to violence and death as a result of encounters with law enforcement officials. It also makes them more exposed to wealth disparities, as they also bear the burden of interregional and transgenerational trauma, coped with the profound impact that racism and racial discrimination have on both cyclical and mental health.”
The forum was established in August 2021, as a “consultative mechanism for people of African descent,” according to its website. The advisory body provides recommendations to the Human Rights Council to “improve the safety and quality of life and livelihoods” for all whose racial backgrounds stem from Africa.
In ensuring its recommendations apply to Black people whose diverse identities can be impacted by other forms of prejudice, Barr also detailed that migrants, those with disabilities, and who are part of the LGTBTIQ+ community are especially in need of these same protections and reparations.
For its long-term goals, the forum has also requested the inclusion of reparations in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, as well as an extension to the International Decade of People of African Descent. As the pressure on governments to facilitate and legalize reparations grows across the world, with U.S. cities such as New York City in support, the ideal may finally come to fruition.
Stormi Steele Finds Success With Body Glaze On TikTok Shop While Handling ‘Love And Marriage Hunstville’ Drama
Stormi Steele, CEO and founder of Canvas Beauty Brand and star on OWN’s Love and Marriage Huntsville, is again making waves in the beauty industry with her latest creation, Body Glaze.
The new Canvas Beauty product went viral on TikTok over Labor Day weekend and became the platform’s fastest-growing product and creator brand.
“One of my gifts, I can make content that converts,” she tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I’m very good at telling people and showing people in content and video format why they need a product, what it does, and getting them excited about it.”
After introducing Body Glaze to TikTok Shop, hundreds of creators flocked to showcase the product, which resulted in tens of millions of views for Body Glaze across the platform. It’s a new way Steele has reached consumers, but not new to her innovative approach to marketing her self-made beauty products.
At just 35 years old, Steele is a self-made woman who launched Canvas Beauty inside a modest 100-square-foot kitchen in 2018. Through personal formulas and a keen understanding of the ever-evolving social media landscape, Steele has solidified her position as a trendsetter in the beauty industry.
Stormi Steele’s hair products are already a staple in stores nationwide, including CVS, Walmart, Target, and Sally Beauty. With the Body Glaze poised to surpass the success of her hair serum, which has generated over $30 million in sales in just a few years, Steele continues to demonstrate her prowess in the cosmetics industry.
All the while, she’s become a standout on Love and Marriage Huntsville with an unapologetic approach to handling business while demanding respect from her peers. Season 6 saw her bump heads with Marsau and LaTisha Scott after participating in their Black Business Expo.
Her husband, Courtney Beasley, soon got involved and exchanged a few words with Marsau, which further ignited their feud. But despite all the drama on the show, Steele focuses on the representation and inspiration she provides to women and young girls.
“I’m more so focused on who I want to represent for, and I want to represent girls who are from no-stop towns like me who didn’t think, like, even having the opportunity to do something of this capacity was even possible,” she says.
“I just keep my mind on that and as far as getting into it with my personal life and stuff and making a decision to do it I don’t I don’t regret it. I feel like it’s all good I’ve been through the fire of the other side of Love and Marriage.
Press play below to learn more about Stormi’s success with her Body Glaze on TikTok Shop and how she prepared for the Love and Marriage Huntsville Season 6 reunion she filmed that day.
Guerdy Abraira On Navigating Breast Cancer While Filming “The Real Housewives Of Miami”
Guerdy Abraira gets candid about navigating breast cancer in "Real Housewives of Miami" Season 6.
Guerdy Abraira is back for The Real Housewives of Miami and has a serious story to share.
The new season will follow the renowned event planner, wife, and mother as she learns that life never goes as planned. The Guerdy Design owner starts she season with grim news about her breast cancer diagnosis.
Faced with the possibility of chemotherapy, Guerdy leans on her husband, Russell, her two sons, and her friends for their support. She soon realizes that some friendships are not as trustworthy and strong as she thought.
Speaking with BLACK ENTERPRISE, Guerdy gets candid about her journey and what it was like navigating the experience while filming a reality show.
“It was surreal. And I was in complete denial, shock, whichever emotion,” she tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Viewers will get an inside look at Guerdy navigating “the discovery phase” of breast cancer, a disease that impacts one in eight women, she says.
“It’s going to affect a lot of people. And I just can’t believe I did it, but I knew I had to do it,” Guerdy says of sharing her journey on the show.
The Haitian-born and Paris- and Miami-raised event planner had never seen someone candidly share a cancer diagnosis on a popular show like Real Housewives. But she was up for the task.
“It made me realize like, ‘If I don’t share, then who is? Who is?’ No one shared this story from beginning to end ever on TV in such a way,” she said. “Or unless you go to a documentary and stream it on Netflix, this is reality TV.”
It gets real at the end of Season 6 episode 1 when Guerdy tries to dismiss a petty verbal spat with Larsa Pippen because of her diagnosis that she is not ready to share publicly with the group just yet. Larsa appeared confused at the time, but Guerdy explains where she was coming from.
“I’m talking to Larsa specifically, but it’s not about, ‘I mean, you, Larsa,'” Guerdy explains. “It was more like, ‘Girl, like stop with this BS because this is nothing compared to what I’m going through.'”
In the end, Guerdy’s breast cancer journey brought her closer to her cast mates, even if she realized some people aren’t that shoulder to lean on in serious situations.
“Closer in the best of ways, whether it being closer than now, I’ve seen you for who you are and I don’t like it, or it’s like, wow, you came through for me and wow, like the commendable type of stuff,” she explains.
Press play below to learn more about Guerdy’s work in raising awareness for breast cancer and be sure to catch The Real Housewives of Miami on Bravo Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
NiLu: The Harlem Boutique With A Gift For Every Occasion And A Taste Of Community
NiLu contains an extensive collection of merchandise from Black woman owned brands.
In 2015, Katrina Parris established NiLu in Harlem, a boutique with a mission to create an inclusive environment for creators to collaborate and provide shoppers with access to distinctive and culturally rich products.
“Harlem was a gift desert,” she said in a press release. “Raising a young family, and finding a place for gifts for birthdays or housewarmings outside the drug stores was hard. We needed a place that was local and had quality merchandise but represented the culture.”
In the eight years since the doors of the boutique opened, Parris had built a community and a following. Parris parlayed the features her boutique flower shop gained in O Magazine and New York Wedding to change her business’ focus from flowers to a flagship community store. Parris and her husband also changed the name of her business to reflect their children’s names. From Nigel and Luke, the pair came up with NiLu.
“We love representing Harlem through international gifts, many from local makers in the community and beyond,” Parris said.
NiLu has morphed into a brick-and-mortar location located in the middle of Harlem, selling everything from accessories and gifts to home goods. NiLu contains an extensive collection of merchandise from Black woman-owned brands, including Sheila Bridges, Adjourn Teahouse, and Harlem Candle Company.
The store will host a number of events during the holiday season, including a self-care session featuring Harlem Chi, which is composed of alternative healing and acupuncture, on Nov. 10. On Nov 16, Harlem Candle Company will hold a new fragrance trunk show at the store.
The store will observe National Monopoly Day through an event hosted by the creator of Harlem-opoly, a board game celebrating Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance, on Nov. 19. On Nov. 21, the store will be hosting a shop-n-sip event in addition to promoting Folkus Wrapping Paper, a Black-owned business specializing in gift wrapping needs.
Finally, on Dec. 5, the store will host a Kwanzaa shopping and educational event.
Colorado has struggled mightily to run the ball all season long. The team's leading rusher, freshman Dylan Edwards only has 262 yards on 58 carries
Deion Sanders, the head football coach at the University of Colorado Buffaloes, took a different approach to motivate his team: a wildlife video of buffaloes.
According to Sports Illustrated, Sanders encouraged his players to embody the spirit of buffaloes rather than cattle, drawing a distinction between the two by emphasizing the buffalo’s remarkable ability to run toward a storm, not away from it. This analogy was aimed at instilling a sense of resilience and determination in his team.
It was a sure sign of coach searching for anything to motivate his team, including making a mid-season switch to a new offensive coordinator.
Colorado has struggled mightily to run the ball all season long; the team’s leading rusher, freshman Dylan Edwards, only has 262 yards on 58 carries. Shedeur Sanders, meanwhile, has thrown the ball 346 times for 2,600 yards and 22 touchdowns. This indicates either one of two things usually. Either the team is often playing catch-up, or it is a team that is so ineffective at running the football that it has abandoned the run game altogether.
Typically, this might work if you have better athletes than your opponents, but at the Power Five level, everybody has good to great athletes. It’s not going to work for long, if it works at all.
Compounding these issues are the problems defensively; the team has given up 279 points on the year, the third-worst total in college football. Colorado’s inability to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks has only magnified the issues present on its back end, with the general exception of Travis Hunter. As a result, Colorado has had problems in the second halves of games, either closing a gap once it gets beyond two or three scores or holding opposing teams at bay using their running game.
“I have the utmost thought process that those guys are going to step it up tremendously,” he said. You’re going to see a more cohesive, more aggressive, more physical and well-prepared group than ever before this weekend. I really do believe that.”
Former President Obama Weighs In On The Israel-Hamas Conflict
In a tone similar to the one he assumed throughout much of his presidency, Barack Obama tried to strike the middle ground on a polarizing topic.
Barack Obama called the Israel-Hamas war a “moral reckoning for all of us.” In a tone similar to the one he assumed throughout much of his presidency, Obama tried to strike the middle ground on a polarizing topic.
“All of this is taking place against the backdrop of decades of failure to achieve a durable peace for both Israelis and Palestinians,” he said at the Obama Foundation’s Democracy Forum. “One that is based on genuine security for Israel, a recognition of its right to exist, and a peace that is based on an end of the occupation and the creation of a viable state and self-determination for the Palestinian people.”
As The Hill reported, Obama did acknowledge that it is difficult for people not to have strong feelings given that we live in the age of social media.
“Now, I will admit, it is impossible to be dispassionate in the face of this carnage,” Obama said. “It is hard to feel hopeful. The images of families mourning, of bodies being pulled from rubble, force a moral reckoning on all of us.”
President Joe Biden has been less than willing to embrace a ceasefire, which many humanitarian organizations have been calling for so aid can reach Gaza. Fourteen senators have already called for Biden to speak out for a ceasefire.
A joint statement released by the senators, who included Ed Markey, Mark Warner, and Chris Murphy, echoes the statement of former President Obama, “The failure to adequately protect non-combatant civilians risks dramatic escalation of the conflict in the region and imposes severe damage on prospects for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.”
On Twitter, users were critical of Obama’s remarks, and they have been extremely critical of Biden’s response.
Quintessential Obama move here where he briefly seems to show guilt for his role in Israel’s genocidal project only to try and diminish that guilt by arguing that “everyone” is complicit and that really it’s just a super complicated issue and “everyone” has blood on their hands https://t.co/2NQSROBWAJ
Meet Dr. Joy Spence: First Woman To Become A Master Blender
Dr. Spence Joy spoke to ESSENCE about what it means to be "successful" in this day and age.
Renowned master blender Dr. Joy Spence was welcomed by the James Beard Foundation in New York City during the Appleton Estate Extraordinary Dinner Series on the weekend of Oct. 30. Afterwards, she sat down for an interview with Essence about her experience being the very first woman to earn the title of master blender in the spirits industry — dedicating her four decade long career to uplifting other women in the industry.
A master blender is someone who develops specific blended spirits using a combination of spirits with different characteristics.
The Appleton Estate Dinner, an invite-only cultural hub for fusion food and alcohol, is a partnership between the Appleton Estate and the Women’s Leadership Program with the James Beard Foundation. The program seeks “to champion gender and racial equity by supporting women throughout the lifecycle of their careers.”
Dr. Spence told Essence that she was honored to be a part of something with a mission so similar to hers.
“James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion the standard of good food anchored in talent,” she said.
She continued, “The Women’s Leadership Program really aims to champion gender and racial equality by supporting women through their careers, and Appleton Estate is so excited to have partnered with them on this project because they do amazing work to ensure that there are more women in leadership across the industry in the US. And they share our vision and desire to celebrate people and perspectives, paving the way in the food and beverage industry, which is very, very important to us.”
As a proponent of success and ambition, Dr. Spence shared her wisdom on what it means to make history. She waved off the appeal of winning awards in favor of making the biggest impact that she can.
She said, “For me, success means being an agent of change for women in the spirit industry. Having been the first female master blender in the world, I’ve been able to open the doors and give opportunities to other women to become master blenders in the industry. So, for me, I became an agent of change. And I’m so proud of that and proud of the fact that so many women now have been appointed master blenders.”
She prides herself on supporting women in every avenue of their careers that she can, as by remaining consistent, she can uplift the next generation of trailblazers to make their mark.
In fact, she admitted that some of her most rewarding work that she’s ever been a part of has been working one on one as a mentor for women in STEM who are “passionate about [their] craft despite challenges.”
“That’s just my dream to elevate as many young women as possible who want to pursue a career in STEM,” she explained.
She teaches young women to “Focus on your craft, be passionate about your craft, always act as a sponge for knowledge, always willing to learn and explore new experiences and benchmark against your competition… Combine your chemistry, technology, or whatever it is with your unique artistry and take it to the next level.”
5 Women Allege Kansas City Police Officers Raped Black Women With Impunity
Five Black women filed a federal lawsuit on Nov. 3, 2023 alleging that Kansas City Police Department officers, including retired detective Roger Golubski, engaged in a pattern of harassment and sexual assault against Black women.
Five Black women filed a federal lawsuit on Nov. 3 alleging that Kansas City Police Department officers, including retired detective Roger Golubski, engaged in a pattern of harassment and sexual assault against Black women. According to KCTV, the lawsuit likens the officers’ conduct to a protection racket signed off on by the local government. According to one of the women, Golubski told her, “Report me to who, the police? I am the police” after he had allegedly raped her.
According to the lawsuit, which has been made available on Scribd, “Jim Crow was designed to ensure emancipation was an illusion and white supremacy remained the de facto law of the land. It stripped Black citizens of their civil rights, made it easier to arrest them, and guaranteed it was harder for them to win their freedom in courts. Jim Crow ensured a Black woman’s body was no more entitled to police protection than a Black man’s neck. But Jim Crow was not restricted to the rebellious Confederate states. It also poisoned the Free State, despite its Capitol’s mural of John Brown raging against the injustice of white supremacy. This case evidences the Free State’s infection. For decades, the Unified Government gave its law enforcement, personified by Detective Roger Golubski, permission to terrorize, abuse, and violate its Black citizens.”
Golubski, though a prominent figure in the lawsuit, is far from the only officer named. In all, the lawsuit includes eight officers, composed of three police chiefs and five detectives. Thomas Daley, James Swafford, and Ronald Miller comprise the former police chiefs, while Golubski, Terry Ziegler, Michael Kill, Clayton Bye, and Dennis Ward are the detectives named in the suit.
The lawsuit also attempts to hold the city responsible, referred to in the lawsuit as the Unified Government.
According to the lawsuit: “The Unified Government permitted this unlawful terrorization by the KCKPD. With the full knowledge of supervisors, including the Chiefs of Police, official government authority was used to gain leverage over and coerce submission from vulnerable Black women. These victims were then forced to obey Defendants’ demands, including submitting to sexual assault and fabricating evidence to enable the KCKPD to operate its protection racket and cover for their criminal co-conspirators.”
In 2022, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported that Golubski was at the center of another lawsuit, brought by Lamonte McIntyre, who served 23 years in prison for a double murder in 1994. He sued Kansas City for $93 million in damages, and in the suit, he alleged that a former detective–Golubski–framed him for the crime.
McIntyre alleged that the same Unified Government that the women are attempting to hold accountable for Golubski’s conduct were also responsible in his case. The city eventually settled for a fraction of that amount sought by McIntyre, paying $12.5 million. However, neither the department, the Unified Government, nor Golubski were required to admit any wrongdoing as a condition of the settlement.
In 2022, CNN reported that Golubski had been charged with conspiracy to run a sex trafficking ring with a local drug dealer in the 1990s as well as the rape of a teenage girl and a woman while “acting under the color of law” which means he used his badge to commit those particular sexual assaults. According to CNN, it was not until Team Roc, the social justice minded arm of Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation, used a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post to call for the Justice Department to investigate both Golubski and the Kansas City Police Department that the case received national attention. At the time, Team Roc referred to it as “one of the worst examples of abuse of power in U.S. history.”
Conservative Judges Halt Investigation Into Former Law Clerk And Friend Of Clarence Thomas For Racist Texts Saying ‘I Hate Black People’
Crystal Clanton was exposed for sending a text to a friend in 2017 saying that she "[hates] black people."
The Federal Court investigation into racist text messages sent by a conservative activist and law clerk, Crystal Clanton, encountered a disruption when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas went to bat for her.
Clanton, who’s most known for her conservative rhetoric while acting as a leader at Turning Point USA — Charlie Kirk’s conservative youth non-profit organization that mobilizes teens into right wing activists — has been brought into the media limelight after the New Yorker magazine unearthed a racist text message that she sent to a friend when she was 20 years old.
The text messages, which were later confirmed by The Washington Post, read, “I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. Like f*** them all.”
Other concerning messages spitting similar vitriol were listed.
Clanton quickly defended herself against the accusations. She told the New Yorker, “I have no recollection of these messages and they do not reflect what I believe or who I am and the same was true when I was a teenager.”
Following the rise in media attention surrounding the released text messages, a 2022 panel of federal judges ordered an investigation into Clanton’s past.
The order for the investigation was met with push back from those who she made connections with in the conservative legal world. She lived with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Virginia “Ginni,” for a time. Additionally, after she finished law school she obtained clerkships with two different federal judges: Judge Corey Maze and Judge William Pryor.
According to Reuters, Pryor and Maze both argued that the federal panel that ordered the investigation had no legal standing to do so and requested it be dropped immediately.
Most notably, Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas — who’s been sitting on many of the most controversial decisions in the past decade, personally wrote a letter to the 2nd Circuit on Clanton’s behalf. He claimed that Clanton was caught in an act of “defamation” and that it was allegedly completely out of character for Clanton to say something like that.
“I know Crystal Clanton and I know bigotry,” he wrote. “Bigotry is antithetical to her nature.”
The overwhelming support from her colleagues has resulted in the initial misconduct investigation being dropped.
