by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 25, 2023

Jason Weaver Teaching Film Industry Masterclass At SC State University

Actor Jason Weaver is sharing his expertise with SC State University students as part of an Industry Insiders Masterclass.

From Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 the veteran film and television star will be on the HBCU campus conducting a three-day workshop for aspiring trailblazers in the entertainment industry, The Charlotte Observer reports. “From Dream to Screen: SCSU Industry Insider Masterclass Featuring Jason Weaver” aims to teach students how to establish and build a lifelong career in film and television.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the one and only Jason Weaver to our campus!,” the school captioned a video announcement on Monday, Oct. 23.

“Join us in celebrating this incredible visit as they share their wisdom and experiences with our Bulldog community. 🎓💡 Get ready for an inspiring workshop filled with insights and inspiration.”

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Weaver, who currently appears as “Rashad” on the Showtime original series “The Chi” and is best known as the singing voice of “Simba” in the animated Disney classic “The Lion King,” shared his excitement for the venture.

“This masterclass is designed to build the next generation of trailblazers in the film industry with a profound understanding of the entertainment business,” Weaver said in the video announcement.

“Our goal is to empower students to establish and nurture a lifelong career in the dynamic world of film and television by offering valuable insights into how the film industry actually works and creating an experience for aspiring actors and allowing them to dissect and perform scenes and get feedback and constructive critique.”

A former child star turned working adult actor, Weaver has maintained a consistent presence on and off screen over the last three decades. He rose to fame playing a young Michael Jackson in “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” and after lending his vocal prowess to the popular “Lion King” hit “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” as well as young Simba in “The Lion King: Readalong.”

He starred as Marcus Henderson in the sitcom “Smart Guy” and played the role of Teddy in the 2004 cult classic ‘”ATL” starring T.I. and Lauren London. With more than 30 years in the business, Weaver is the perfect candidate to educate SC State’s HBCU scholars on how to explore potential career pathways within the entertainment industry.

Sarah, Raymond, white, Cheryl, black, horse, jockey

by Stacy Jackson

October 25, 2023

‘Serena, Venus of Her Time:’ Book Released About America’s First Licensed Black Female Jockey

The story of Cheryl White, who was the first licensed Black female jockey in America, is being told in a new book titled, “The Jockey and Her Horse,” which was released on Sept. 5.

White’s story is told by her brother Raymond White, Jr. and Sarah Maslin-Nir, a reporter from The New York Times. Together, they authored the book for middle school-aged children to feel inspired by the thoroughbred racer and to follow their dreams, KVPR reported.

If you’re scratching your head because you haven’t heard of White before, it’s because “Black excellence” hasn’t always been “a part of the American narrative,” Maslin-Nir said in the interview with KVPR. Maslin-Nir said she met White’s family a couple of years ago in 2021. The New York Times reporter came up with the idea to write a book about the jockey and to create a toy so that the next generation of children would know White’s story.

KVPR noted, “The Breyer model horse company, a legacy model toy company, made the first ever real Black equestrian in its 75-year history, and it is a little Cheryl and her winning horse, Jetolara.” The toy comes with the book “as a gift package,” Maslin-Nir said.

According to the outlet, White got her jockey license to ride in America in 1971, and she was the first Black female to do so. According to her brother Raymond Jr., she had 750 career wins, and he described his sister as the “Serena and Venus [Williams] of her time.”

Maslin-Nir said that back then, White was marginalized and “pushed out of the sport of thoroughbred racing to a degree,” probably because of her race and gender. As a result, White’s career consisted of smaller events like “riding in California at the county fair circuit.”

The legendary Black female jockey passed away in 2019, the news outlet reported.

U.S Mortgage Rates Soar To Highest In More Than 23 Years

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 25, 2023

U.S Mortgage Rates Soar To Highest In More Than 23 Years

*Originally Reported by Reuters

Oct 25 (Reuters) – The interest rate on the most popular U.S. home loan last week jumped to the highest since September 2000, marking its seventh straight weekly increase and driving mortgage applications to a 28-year low, a survey showed on Wednesday.

The 7.9% average contract rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage during the week ended Oct. 20 was up 20 basis points from the prior week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

“Mortgage activity continued to stall, with applications dipping to the slowest weekly pace since 1995,” MBA vice president and deputy chief economist Joel Kan said. “These higher mortgage rates are keeping prospective homebuyers out of the market and continue to suppress refinance activity.”

The cost of borrowing to buy a house has risen even as the Federal Reserve has put its inflation-fighting rate-hike campaign on pause, after lifting its benchmark policy rate from near zero in March 2022 to 5.25-5.50% in July of this year.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage is up 81 basis points since then, tracking a similar rise in the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, the main benchmark for longer-term U.S. borrowing rates.

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 25, 2023

Master’s Degree Program For Black Scholars Offers Free Tuition

*Originally reported by Blacknews.com

Nationwide — Wade Institute of Technology (WIT), an experiential Silicon Valley-based college for students of African descent pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, announced its open enrollment application period for a tuition-free master’s in engineering management.
he program integrates engineering courses with human-centered classes in leadership and management concepts. The goal is to prepare graduates for broad-based management and leadership roles in technology.

One of the hallmarks of the program is its ability to meet incoming students where they are. The coursework is adaptable to accommodate students who have STEM undergraduate degrees as well as those with bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts disciplines.

“The low representation of African Americans and students of African descent in the STEM ecosystem is appalling,” said WIT Executive Director Booker T. Wade, Jr. “With free tuition and our innovative, project-based approach we intend to prepare our students to not only meet the current demand for multidisciplinary professionals in the field of engineering, but to do so without the crippling debt that sidetracks so many Black graduates from pursuing their dreams.”

e program will include elements from aeronautics and astronautics; material sciences; leadership principles; project management; and biomedical, computer, electrical, mechanical, systems, civil, and environmental engineering. Student project opportunities include aviation training and earning a private pilot’s license, monitoring and testing watersheds, and exploring internships with NASA.

In addition to free tuition, free housing will be available for the first 10 students who enroll. Space is limited and interested students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Details about the program and the application process can be found at https://wit.university/masters-in-engineering-management/

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 25, 2023

Department Of Justice Starts Investigation Into NBA For Alleged Antitrust Violations Against Ice Cube’s BIG3

Former N.W.A. member, Ice Cube has been beefing with the NBA (National Basketball Association) for years by stating that the league is anti-BIG3. Now, reportedly, the United States Department of Justice is taking a look into the allegations that Cube has lodged against the NBA.

According to TMZ, the government agency launched an inquiry into the allegations several months ago to see if the NBA is engaging in anticompetitive behavior towards the league that O’Shea Jackson, AKA Ice Cube started with Jeff Kwatinetz.

It’s being reported that some current NBA players want to play in the BIG3 but are not being allowed by the NBA, although they can play in other leagues not associated with the NBA like the Drew League in California.

The DOJ is investing the NBA for alleged “anticompetitive behavior” targeted at the BIG3, per TMZ.

“Some current players have expressed a desire to play in [the BIG3] in the offseason… as the Big3 sees it, the NBA has prevented guys from doing so.” pic.twitter.com/fM6f4l8o5e

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 24, 2023

The league is made up of mostly retired NBA players.

Cube has also alleged that the NBA has discouraged potential sponsors and broadcast networks from getting in bed with them. They believe that the NBA unfairly targets his league and that NBA owners have been discouraged from making investments in the BIG3.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass has spoken about the league being supportive of Cube’s league but denies the allegations of them interfering with potential sponsors and preventing television networks from working with the BIG3.

He told TMZ, “Those claims are not true.”

“We have been supportive of the Big3 since its inception, but we declined to invest.”

A source has also revealed that Cube and Kwatinetz have already spoken to the Department of Justice earlier this year about the NBA’s alleged actions against the BIG3. They also informed the media outlet that the DOJ has already reached out to several NBA owners about this.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 25, 2023

Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders Praises Kenan Thompson’s SNL Portrayal: ‘It Was Good’

Throughout his playing and coaching career Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has shown his charismatic. So, Saturday Night Live mainstay Kenan Thompson had plenty of material to capture to portray the energetic football coach in a recent skit.

And, yes, Sanders gave actor a good grade for his performance.

Thompson appeared wearing a white Colorado hoodie and baseball cap and mimicking Sanders while being questioned by fellow SNL player Colin Jost. They also included a clip of when Sanders performed on the show during his football-playing career when he released the record, “Must Be the Money.” The song sampled Secret Weapon’s hit single, “Must Be the Music,” and was released in 1994 on MC Hammer’s label, Bust It Records.

“It was good,” Sanders said, according to the Associated Press. But not quite good enough: Sanders noted his son Shilo does a better impersonation.

“I’m a fan of Kenan, let’s get that straight,” Coach Prime said at his weekly press conference. “I love him. I love what he’s brought to comedy, over what? It gotta be over a couple of decades now, it seems as though,” said Sanders, who noted that he loved hosting SNL in 1995, fresh off his Super Bowl season with the San Francisco 49ers.

Thompson, who first came to attention in the mid-90s as a cast member on Nickelodeon’s skit show, All That, has been a SNL cast member since 2003. Check out his Coach Prime below:

Although the Buffaloes have a winning record of 4-3, its record n PAC-12 (Pacific-12 Conference) play is only 1-3. Despite the so-so record, the team has already surpassed expectations—and last season’s record. Last year, the Buffaloes only recorded one victory against 11 losses and sported a 1-8 record in conference play.

The now-unranked Buffaloes will next face the No. 23 UCLA Bruins which is 5-2.

Che Flores, referee, WNBA, trans, non-binary,

by Daniel Johnson

October 25, 2023

Che Flores Becomes NBA’s First Openly Non-binary Trans Referee

Che Flores is the NBA’s first openly non-binary trans official. Flores, who has been officiating full-time in the league since 2022, revealed their identity to colleagues during preseason meetings in September.

Flores told GQ it was essential to openly represent because of the impact it could have on others.

“One piece I was missing for myself was that no one knew how I identified,” the basketball expert explained. “Being misgendered as she/her always just felt like a little jab in the gut. I can go through the world and even my job a lot more comfortably. I just think of having younger queer kids look at somebody who’s on a high-profile stage and not using it. And I’m not using the league to an advantage in any way. This is just to let young kids know that we can exist. We can be successful in all different ways.”

Flores is the first non-binary trans official in any major American professional sport.

They started refereeing high school games at their father’s request following graduation from Cal State Northridge. At first, Flores balked at being a referee but decided to try it.

Flores told GQ, “Once I was on the court, I fell in love with it.”

Eventually they would make their way to the Wubble (the bubble for WNBA players at IMG Academy in Florida), where they made connections that got them into summer referee camps. Flores shared their impression of the camps with GQ: “We would come in, and then every referee would assess every other referee, and we would all decide collectively who would move on and who would literally get voted off the island. It was like ‘Survivor’ with referees.”

Flores flourished in the Wubble, mastering several sets of rules in one calendar year, which veteran referee Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling described to the magazine, saying, “I mean, our [NBA] rule book is 70 pages long, and it’s written by lawyers. It’s not easy reading. You take that combined with the NCAA women’s rules, which are different also than NCAA men’s rules, which are different [from the G League’s and WNBA’s rules]—being able to do all of that within one calendar year just really speaks to [Che’s] intelligence and mental nimbleness.”

The league will also look to Flores as the standard-bearer for the NBA and how they address any security concerns that come up.

Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s head of referee training and development, told GQ, “To some degree, we’re going to have to grow in this area together. Che will have to be the communicator to let us know when and where they are feeling these kinds of issues.”

The referee, who has a 14-year career history, worked championship games at all levels, from the women’s NCAA National Championship to the G-League Finals to the WNBA Finals.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, American Academy Of Pediatrics , vaccines

by Iman Milner

October 25, 2023

Black Businesses, Political Leaders Show Early Support For Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In 2024 Presidential Race

In recent weeks, presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has seen growing support from Black business and political leaders as calls for other Democratic nominees grow louder alongside Biden’s low approval numbers, a press release states.

Events in Washington, D.C., and New York, hosted by the SuperPAC American Values 2024 (AV24), were thrown to celebrate the candidate’s official entry into the presidential race. Attendees lauded Kennedy’s stance on issues ranging from reparations to prison and police reform policies and health equity for people of color.

“I’m a 30-year attorney and founder of the Women of Color for Kennedy 2024. I have been practicing law and, specifically, as a trial lawyer in healthcare. And for me, the most valuable aspect of Kennedy’s campaign is his work in healthcare, specifically in medical freedom,” said Jo Saint George, an attorney whose clients face hurdles in these areas.

“I represent over 150 individuals in New York and around the country who’ve been fighting for their medical and religious liberties to choose what goes in their bodies. And Kennedy has fought for decades for that right,” she continued.

“Not only that but also for environmental rights for African Americans, environmental equity and protections are critical for our community; health equity and being able to make the right choices for each family is the No.1 quintessential value in our community. Why? Because we are impacted disproportionately by chronic disease. And, so for me, as a lawyer who watched Mr. Kennedy for decades from afar, advocating for myself and the community at large on those two key issues is why I’m supporting him.”

Among Kennedy’s other supporters are local business owner and AV24 leader Justin Faust, lobbyist Joshua Lopez, political analyst Clay D’Souza, and political consultant Alpheaus Marcus. These and other Black leaders honed in on the candidate’s fight for racial healing as well as his commitment to “uplift Black voices.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the nephew of former U.S. President and civil rights advocate John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963; and the son of Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968.

“My grandfather, John D. Slade, endorsed John F. Kennedy, Jr. in 1960. My dad, Kenyatta Slade, endorsed Ted Kennedy in 1980, and here I am endorsing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2023,” said crypto professional John Slade during the AV24 dinner held in Kennedy’s honor.

shannon sharpe, stephen a. smith, first take, espn, skip bayless

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 25, 2023

Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe Taking ‘First Take’ To HBCU Alma Maters

ESPN’s “First Take” is heading on the road to capture some HBCU football games.

The sports network has announced that the show will host and showcase two games from the alma mater of hosts Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe in November. “First Take’s HBCU Homecoming” will take place at Savannah State on Nov. 6 and the following day, Nov. 7, at Winston-Salem State.

.@stephenasmith and @ShannonSharpe talk about what it means to return to their alma maters for HBCU Homecoming 🏈@savannahstate | @WSSURAMS pic.twitter.com/U0P0gF9aQC

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 23, 2023

“I’ve been a part of a whole bunch of exciting things throughout my years on First Take. But this may take the cake. To have back-to-back days at HBCUs—on campus, LIVE—providing Black colleges with national television exposure is sensational within itself,” said Smith, who attended Winston-Salem State, in a written statement. “But for the two universities to be the alma maters of Shannon Sharpe and myself…I just can’t express how excited I am. Shannon can’t wait. Neither can I. This is going to be some of the greatest moments of my career. And I know Shannon feels the same. Buckle Up! Here we come!”

According to HBCU Legends, Smith played basketball as a Winston-Salem State student in 1991.

“If somebody would have told me when I stepped onto that Savannah State campus that I would one day return to my alma mater in this capacity, I would have laughed. This is incredible, and to be able to come back this way means so much to me, and I am so very excited. I have to thank Stephen A. for making this happen, and I have to thank ESPN and Disney for making this possible. We get to be a part of showing the world how great HBCUs are, and that is very special. We’re coming home!” said NFL Hall of Famer Sharpe, who played his collegiate career at Savannah State.

While there, Sharpe was a three-time All-SIAC (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) player before leaving to join the Denver Broncos after being selected in the 1990 NFL Draft.

Both games will have giveaways for fans attending and are open to all staff, faculty, and students.

Daycare Worker In New Orleans Is Accused Of Allegedly Burning An Infant's Hand

by Daniel Johnson

October 25, 2023

Former Daycare Worker In New Orleans Accused Of Burning An Infant’s Hand Maliciously

A New Orleans daycare worker arrested on Oct. 3 is accused of deliberately burning an infant’s hand using a bottle warmer. Twenty-seven-year-old Victoria Saulter was charged with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, and her bond was set at $35,000.

According to Fox 8 Live, a 6-month-old baby girl was dropped off at McMillan’s First Steps Child Care around 7 a.m. on Sept. 22. At 3:50 p.m., the daycare called her mother to inform her that her child’s hand had been burned.

After she was taken to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, doctors revealed that the child was at risk of losing range of motion in her hand. Staff informed her mother that video evidence showed Saulter dipping the infant’s hand into the scalding hot water twice.

Detective Caitlyn Smith wrote in her report of the incident, “The subject (Saulter) is seen removing a bottle from the bottle warmer … (and) is then observed leaning over and placing the 6-month-old victim’s left hand into the bottle warmer twice. The victim is heard crying from the audio, and (Saulter) is heard saying, ‘Good job.’”

P.W. Reed, director of operations and the principal at the school, told the outlet, “We do have the autonomy to make sure that we’re vetting even more carefully. That we’re watching more carefully every single thing that we’re doing. Our directors are going into classrooms. We have observationists that are going into classrooms, and we’re going to keep doing the due diligence that we’ve been doing for 36 years.”

Joe Raspanti, a legal analyst for Fox 8, said of Saulter’s alleged act, “It can be generally just gross negligence. But here there was specific intent, and that level of psychopathy needs to be looked at very carefully by the district attorney. […] “It never ceases to amaze me how dark the hearts are of some of our citizenry. What that report says is very disturbing.”

Raspanti added, “This one seems to be egregious than most and I think it’s incumbent upon the DA to consider that.” If convicted, Saulter will face up to 40 years in prison.