by Derek Major

October 13, 2023

PGA Tour Criticized For AI-Generated Images Of Golfers Of Color Showing Them In “Rugged” Backgrounds

An artificial intelligence ethicist is questioning the PGA Tour for its negligence in using AI images of golfers of color.

In a TikTok video, Paige Lord noted images of white golfers in which AI generated the bottom half of the photo, and the backgrounds had them in neutral gray. However, the AI images of two minority golfers, Tony Finau and Collin Morikawa, had what Lord described as “rugged backgrounds.”

@aiethicswithpaige

Was there bias in the @PGATOUR AI headshots? #ai #pga #golf #pgatour #aiethics #algorithmicbias #reaponsibleai #ml #aiml #greenscreen

♬ original sound – Paige | AI Ethicist

“I think it’s important to address two things related to this,” Lord said in the video. “The first one is that there’s bias in AI and that AI is largely beholden to whatever it has been trained on. So, for example, if the image completion portion of this AI has been trained on photos of people of color standing in what might look like a dilapidated area, then it might complete a photo of a person of color standing in a dilapidated area.”

Lord added that the PGA Tour’s social media management is responsible for ensuring they are not posting harmful images and thus needs to do better.

“If they’re going to be leveraging artificial intelligence, take a look at what the AI is producing and ask the question about whether or not they want to put that out there in the world,” she said. “Because even if they didn’t aid the AI in creating this — they just put it into the prompt like they did it for everybody else — they still have to understand that AI has bias and that it is their responsibility at the end of the day.”

The photos were posted on the PGA Tour’s Instagram account. The images aren’t the Tour’s only issue regarding diversity. The PGA Tour currently has four Black golfers, Tiger Woods, Harold Varner III, Cameron Champ, and Joseph Bramlet, who make up less than 0.5% of the 250 tour regulars.

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Several HBCU schools have golf programs featuring both men’s and women’s teams, including North Carolina A&T State University, where former NBA Sixth Man Of The Year and Finals Champion J.R. Smith plays after attending college following his retirement from the NBA.

combs, jessie, d'lila, Bryce, James, Bronx, LeBron, Ohio state

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 13, 2023

Did LeBron James’ Son Bryce Take Diddy’s Daughter To Homecoming Dance?

Diddy’s twin daughters Jessie and D’Lila Combs, appear to have attended their homecoming dance with two athletes. One happens to be LeBron James’ son.

Bryce James, 16, posed for a homecoming dance photo with the twins and Junipero Serra High School sophomore quarterback Nicolas “Boogie” Johnson. From the looks of the photo, James and Johnson were Jessie and D’Lila’s dates for the night, the DailyMail.com reports.

The twins’ date night with the high school athletes is pretty on brand: Jessie and D’Lila are cheerleaders at Sierra Canyon. In August, Bryce announced his plans to transfer from Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles to Notre Dame High School located in Sherman Oaks, California.

LeBron’s youngest son received an offer from Ohio State University this last weekend after taking an unofficial visit to the school to meet with basketball coach Chris Holtmann, CBS Sports reports. He shared the scholarship offer in a tweet expressing how “blessed” he is to possibly play for the Buckeyes one day.

Blessed to receive an offer from Ohio state #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/C2JFXfCEoj

— Bryce James (@bryce_james23) October 7, 2023

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard and high school junior is currently a three-star prospect in the 247Sports 2025 recruiting rankings. He also has several NIL deals with major brands.

In addition to a scholarship offer from Ohio State, Bryce also has an offer from Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Ohio State, located in Columbus, is less than two hours from St. Vincent-St. Mary in Cleveland, where LeBron James attended high school.

LeBron’s eldest son, Bronny, 18, also visited Ohio State last year before deciding to play college basketball at USC. Over the summer, Bronny shocked the sports community when he suffered a cardiac arrest during basketball practice in July.

After a stay in the hospital and testing, it was determined that Bronny has a congenital heart defect. The college freshman has since recovered and is waiting to return to the court.

The Honey Pot And Other Period Care Brands Are Fighting Back Against The ‘Tampon Tax’

by Iman Milner

October 13, 2023

The Honey Pot And Other Period Care Brands Are Fighting Back Against The ‘Tampon Tax’

Some of the industry’s leading period care brands are joining forces to help combat what they say is the unfair “tampon tax” added to menstrual product purchases, including the Black-owned and popular The Honey Pot, Essence reports.

On Oct. 11, in celebration of the International Day of The Girl, Honey Pot, along with August, Cora, DIVA, Here We Flow, LOLA, Rael, and Saalt, announced The Tampon Tax Back Coalition, which will provide refunds to consumers living in states where a “luxury” tax is imposed on period care purchases. Those supporting the brands, both online and in-store, can visit a website created by the coalition, send photos of their receipts, and be reimbursed the amount paid in taxes via Venmo or PayPal within 48 hours. The website states that refunds will be granted for purchases made within 10 days of the submission date.

For The Honey Pot owner Beatrice Dixon, the coalition’s purpose is larger than just state tax; it’s also about bridging the inequity gap for those needing period care, the outlet reports.

“I would venture to say that most people probably don’t know that they’re being taxed the luxury tax, and I would even venture to say that the majority of humans don’t even know that that’s a thing,” she said. “Because it is ridiculous that we’re taxed on luxury taxes if we can’t help having a period. It’s called the tampon tax even though it really affects any menstrual care products that you buy.”

Currently, 21 states still enforce a “luxury” tax on period care products, with Texas being the latest state to abolish it in September, according to Essence.

“Every woman knows that these products are not optional,” said Texas state Sen. Joan Huffman. “They are essential to our health and well-being and should be tax exempt.”

by Mary Spiller

October 13, 2023

Swizz Beatz & Timbaland Tease ‘Verzuz’ Return At BET Hip Hop Awards

At the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards on Tuesday, Oct. 10, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland were presented with the Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award. During their joint acceptance speech, the musical pioneers announced that their platform Verzuz would be making its comeback soon.

Fifty-one-year-old Timbaland said, “I always dreamed I’d be on stage accepting an award about hip-hop. Doing music back in Virginia, I never thought I’d make it, but I’m here.”

He proudly shared that he and Swizz Beatz would continue Verzuz. “Me and my brother created something special, and it ain’t over. Black-owned, Verzuz, me and Swizz Beatz. I’m glad to share this with my brother,” He said.

Swizz shared Timbaland’s excitement about the show’s comeback. He described that Verzuz was going onto bigger things and that they would be showing viewers something that they hadn’t seen before with the show.

“Like Tim said, we own Verzuz again. We got quiet for a minute, but we’re gonna come back strong and show you what it is. That wasn’t just something for the pandemic; that’s something for the world,” Swizz said.

According to Billboard, Verzuz has had some of its biggest and most successful battles in the past few years. It features Jeezy against Gucci Mane and even Brandy battling Monica.

Swizz Beatz formerly teased that Verzuz was undergoing an extensive restructuring process to make it more interesting and prepare for its awaited relaunch. In a March interview, he explained, “What we’re doing right now is taking the first half of the year to reorganize. It became so big that we had to restructure how we were doing things, how we’re moving, how we want to relaunch. We feel that it’s so unique that when we come with what we’re getting ready to come with, people will understand me and Tim’s decision on how to move as entrepreneurs and as creatives.”

He finished by saying that he thinks the new launch will prove to be trendsetting for the industry.

RELATED CONTENT: Timbaland Promises A Verzuz Return In 2023

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 13, 2023

Bay Area Restaurants Implementing ‘Vomit Fees’ For Brunch Patrons

During the first week of October, several brunch establishments in San Francisco and Oakland have taken an unusual step by introducing “vomit fees” for patrons who might have overindulged during their brunch, as reported by KRON.

Kitchen Story, a well-known restaurant in Oakland, has decided to implement a $50 cleaning fee for diners who, perhaps unwittingly, overindulge in their bottomless mimosas. The fee applies to anyone who enjoys the five varieties of bottomless mimosas. To ensure everyone is aware of this policy, a sign prominently displayed conveys a clear message:

“Dear all mimosa lovers, please drink responsibly and know your limits. A $50 cleaning fee will automatically be included in your bill if you happen to regrettably lose your mimosas in our public areas. Thank you so much for understanding.”

According to SFGate, Home Plate in San Francisco has also established a similar fee structure. They issue a $50 penalty for any incident that may arise due to intoxication.

“It was really tough cleaning,” said Chaiporn Kitsadaviseksak, co-owner of Kitchen Story. “People were scared of COVID. And this was happening a lot. My workers don’t want to do that. It got better. Now [customers] know they have to pay. They understand.”

Not all dining establishments have taken the same approach. Some have opted to limit the time customers can enjoy limitless sparkling wine and orange juice servings, thereby addressing excessive consumption from a different angle.

The introduction of “vomit fees” is not an entirely new concept. In 2021, a Canadian restaurant, Tamasha Indian Resto-Bar, revealed to blogTO.com that they had instituted a $50 vomit fee on New Year’s Eve, a practice it has continued. Interestingly, the restaurant reported that it has not encountered a single incident since implementing this fine.

In addition to these restaurants, ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft have also established provisions for drivers to levy cleaning fees on passengers—from $20 to $150—in the event of similar incidents.

Shanquella Robinson’s Family Won’t Have Her Body Exhumed As They Still Have ‘More Questions Than Answers’

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 13, 2023

Shanquella Robinson’s Family Won’t Have Her Body Exhumed As They Still Have ‘More Questions Than Answers’

It’s been a year since Shanquella Robinson’s mysterious death during a vacation in Mexico and her family still has “more questions than answers even at this point.”

New details reveal the reason why Robinson’s body has still not been exhumed as her family continues their fight for justice. Their family attorney Sue-Ann Robinson says there are no plans for a third autopy due to the inconsistencies in the first two.

“As of right now, a decision has not been made to do a third autopsy,” Sue-Ann told Radar Online.

“I don’t think a third autopsy is necessary for the exact reason I’m saying. It’ll still be more compromised than the second one.”

Shanquella’s family was initially told by friends that the 25-year-old died from alcohol poisoning but an initial autopsy performed in Mexico labeled the cause of death as a severe spinal cord or neck injury. A second autopsy conducted in North Carolina by the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office had inconsistencies with the first report and claimed there were no injuries to Robinson’s spine, but it did find a hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.

Videos that surfaced online after Shanquella’s death showed her being physically assaulted by one of the members of her travel group. Many on social media have speculated if the woman who was seen beating Shanquella is the one responsible for her death.

In April, federal prosecutors told Shanquella’s family there wasn’t enough evidence for a prosecution.

“The discrepancy with the autopsy has to do with the fact that the FBI had local Mecklenburg County coroner do an autopsy after the body had already been embalmed for transport for burial,” Sue-Ann explained. “Of course, it’s different.”

Mexican authorities issued an arrest warrant last November for an unnamed suspect in the murder of Shanquella. Extradition proceedings were underway but have since reached a screeching halt as Mexico waits on the U.S. to proceed.

Shanquella’s family isn’t backing down without a fight and Sue-Ann says the public can get involved by “contacting the secretary of state and asking him to assign someone to prioritize the case.” That’s where the family is “applying pressure,” the attorney states.

They’re also taking part in community initiatives to honor Shanquella’s memory.

“They’ve established a foundation, SBR Helping Hands, to kind of do projects for the community that go back to things that Shanquella was passionate about,” Sue-Ann shared.

“The youth, community activities, and supporting high school students and things like that to kind of, not fill the void, but not allow it to take them down. But they’re human.”

“There’s days where they don’t want to leave the home,” she added. “They want Shanquella back.”

Van Jones, political pundit, worthy, Jeff, Bezos

by Iman Milner

October 13, 2023

Van Jones Reflects On $100 Million Gift From Jeff Bezos, Vision For Empowering Communities

Political pundit and author Van Jones’ life took a turn for the unimaginable when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos awarded him $100 million in 2021. Two years later, Jones is reflecting on the lessons he’s learned and the multitude of opportunities his newfound wealth has afforded him.

In an interview on the popular finance podcast Earn Your Leisure, the 55-year-old longtime CNN contributor and Color of Change founder spoke candidly about the road he’s traveled since receiving the once in a lifetime gift.

“I realized, I was gonna put myself in an early grave because you have insurmountable opportunities,” he said, according to AfroTech. “You also could have insurmountable obstacles. You could also have insurmountable opportunities. The door’s just opening and opening and opening and opening, and that can stress you out and that can also bring a lot of haters and a lot of criticism.”

It was through a renewed focus on overall wellness that Jones found his way to clarity. And now that he’s adjusted to life as a multimillionaire, the Yale Law School alumnus also has a clear view of how he plans to use his affluence.

“We’re worthy, we’re worthy to be in these rooms,” Jones said. “We’re worthy to move capital. We’re worthy to imagine whole industries. …We could make every Black neighborhood into ‘Wakanda’ with the best technology in the world. Every Black kid could have an AI tutor better than Harvard, MIT for free. All of these things, we’re worthy to have those dreams, and we’re worthy to fight for them and not just fight for them, just to manifest them and say, ‘This is what is going to be in my community.’”

Bezos also gave money to chef José Andrés in 2021 and gave each 10 years to invest their riches. Jones donated an undisclosed amount to Philadelphia-based non-profit Beat The Block, a paid training program that works with men ages 18 to 24 on accomplishing personal and professional goals, according to US Weekly.

“We found an unbelievable program [Beat The Block] that was incentivizing peace on the streets by going to folks who were hanging on street corners, getting in trouble and saying, ‘We will pay you for a 100 days to get off the street corner [and] come up with a plan for your life,’” Jones said. “My theory now is that the financial incentives to do bad are very high in a lot of the communities I care about and the financial incentives to do good are very weak. That’s what I want to go after.”

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 13, 2023

DJ Vlad Claims Tupac Murder Suspect Took Money For Exclusive Interview And Backed Out

YouTuber DJ Vlad claims he gave Keefe D money for an exclusive interview to discuss the raid of his home in July that led to his arrest in Tupac Shakur’s unsolved killing. In a recent interview with comedian Faizon Love, DJ Vlad said Keefe D took the money and ran.

While closing the discussion with Love, DJ Vlad said Keefe D approached him about doing a third interview with VLAD TV. In previous interviews, Keefe D revealed information pertaining to the murder that many believe led to his recent arrest. Keefe D contacted Vlad, who claimed he paid Keefe a deposit to secure the interview that never took place.

Keefe D, who had authored a book, has given numerous interviews over the years discussing his involvement in the unsolved murder. It’s been rumored that he has made money from various media outlets doing so.

DJ Vlad said, “We were actually supposed to do a third interview. He had reached out to me after the house got raided along with his co-writer. He wants to talk more and I’m like, ‘OK, I mean if you want to talk, all right,’ but I think what happened was, I gave him a deposit for an interview. And I found out he went to a couple of other platforms and got deposits as well and he just pretty much just kept it.”

Yet, DJ Vlad said he didn’t mind because he had made a “lot of money” off the previous interview.

Shakur, 25, was shot multiple times in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson boxing match on Sept. 7, 1996. The rapper died in the hospital six days later.

Keefe D previously placed the killing of the “Me Against the World” lyricist on his nephew, Orlando Anderson, who was seen on video in a confrontation with Tupac. Anderson was killed less than a year after Tupac’s murder.

Florida Students Face Felony And Misdemeanor Charges After High School Brawl

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 13, 2023

Florida Students Face Felony And Misdemeanor Charges After High School Brawl

According to ABC News, 11 students found themselves in handcuffs following a large-scale brawl during a school day at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida, near Orlando. The commotion unfolded Monday, Oct. 9, around 1 p.m., prompting a rapid response from two school resource officers.

According to an official statement from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, these officers, part of a system that assigns at least two school resource deputies to each campus within Flagler County, immediately attempted to quell the fight and return spectators to their classrooms.

Authorities describe a chaotic sequence of events in their statement:

“During the fight, a female student pushed (a deputy) so they could attack another student.”

Simultaneously, another deputy observed a male student charging at a school staff member, swinging his arms and ultimately landing a punch on the staff member’s shoulder. Another school administrator, engaged in guiding a student away from the confrontation, fell victim to the melee as another male student physically accosted them before being escorted to the Dean’s Office.

In the aftermath, 11 students found themselves in police custody. Three now face felony charges, including resisting a law enforcement officer with violence and battery on a school official.

The remaining eight students “have had affidavits submitted to the State Attorney’s Office, recommending charges for misdemeanor offenses,” according to the local police.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly decried “the lack of respect” demonstrated by the students and emphasized the consequences of their actions. He urged parents to instill respect and conflict resolution values in their children. Staly lauded the swift response of the school resource deputies and Matanzas High School staff in managing the volatile situation.

Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore echoed the sentiment, affirming that such behavior is intolerable and doesn’t represent the broader student body. Moore called on parents and guardians to reinforce positive choices and the importance of seeking success. An ongoing investigation is underway.

Omarosa, political plans, White House, Donald Trump, jail, president, policies

by Stacy Jackson

October 13, 2023

Ex-White House Employee Omarosa Shades Former President Trump’s Political Plans

The outspoken Omarosa Manigault Newman threw big shade at former U.S. President Donald Trump regarding his political plans to return to the White House as head of state.

Trump’s ex-employee said to “Page Six” in an exclusive interview, “I think it would be very hard for Donald Trump to run for president from jail.”

Newman was referring to the 77-year-old political figure’s plans to run for president in 2024 amid the current legal battles about him mishandling sensitive government documents. Newman, the former director of African American outreach for Trump’s 2016 campaign, made the comment while discussing her appearance on the new reality competition series “House of Villains.”

The 49-year-old appeared in E!’s premiere of “House of Villains” on Oct. 12. And she’s already bringing the shade. She said about one of her castmates, reality star Corinne Olympios, “It was so sad because Corinne didn’t know much about politics, so it was hard to have a conversation with somebody who wasn’t plugged in to politics,” “Page Six” reported.

Newman added, “I don’t even know that she could spell ‘White House.'”

The “House of Villains” contestant was all for participating on the show from the get-go.

“When [my] agency called me and pitched it to me, I thought, ‘This sounds like old-school reality TV.’ [We’re] getting back to the roots, in a house living with people you don’t know, strategizing, conniving, and backstabbing,” Newman told “Page Six.”

Newman came on the scene in “The Apprentice” in 2004, where she met Trump. She later appeared on “The Celebrity Apprentice” and “The Ultimate Merger” before Trump invited her to work at the White House. Newman reflected on the start of her relationship with the former chief of state in an “Entertainment Tonight” interview.

“For me, I just can’t believe I fell for a con man, a con man who turned out to be the biggest fraud,” she said.