Julia Fox, Kanye West, Uno, boob job, memoir, Down the Drain

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 11, 2023

Julia Fox Claims Ye Offered To Cop Her New Boobs During Game Of UNO

Actress Julia Fox, 33, revealed more about what life was like in her short-lived relationship with Kanye West, who now goes by Ye. In her newly released memoir, Down the Drain, she divulged that Ye once offered her a boob job while they played a game of UNO.

The former couple began dating in January 2022. Their whirlwind romance ranged from gifts of Birkin bags to now, apparently, a potential breast augmentation. After refusing to sign an NDA on their relationship, Fox is bearing it all about her time with the Chicago-born rapper.

“We spen[t] the day playing UNO and a game that involves highlighting positive words in the dictionary,” she detailed in excerpts shared with The Guardian.

During that moment, Ye told her, “I’ll get you a boob job if you want.”

Fox, shocked by the random offer, declined the gift. It was one of many antics that popped the actress’ bubble of what this relationship could mean for the rising media personality.

While Fox and Ye’s chaste entanglement made headlines and boosted the then-nobody’s mainstream image, the two parted ways in February 2022. the memoir dives into their dynamic after being together for nearly a month. Fox remains adamant that she had “good intentions” in getting with the father of four.

The model claimed that Ye influenced her fashion game heavily. She revealed they often met with a stylist to coordinate her outfit before stepping out in public. The media circus, Fox realized, was partly orchestrated by the “Jesus Walks” rapper as he dealt with his high-profile divorce from ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

Fox said she was “being used as a pawn in this grand master plan to get back at his ex-wife… That’s humiliating. That’s a really shitty position to be in.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 11, 2023

Many Not Happy with University of Colorado Football’s “HBCU State Of Mind” Shirts

Deion Sanders went from being the head football coach at Historically Black University Jackson State University to taking that role at the University of Colorado (UC). It hasn’t been a totally smooth ride, witness the discontent over a T-shirt.

The shirts, which display the slogan “H-B-C-U State of mind” with the ‘C-U” in the university’s buffalo logo, made waves on social media. HBCU Gameday tweeted video of a content creator reminding viewers that the HBCUs can only be historically Black, and that designation is not just granted to schools that feature a lot of Black athletes and public figures.

HBCU twitter has been feeling a way about this Colorado Buffalos shirt pic.twitter.com/f5LCBDlSKZ

— HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) October 3, 2023

Many HBCU advocates believe the shirts are disrespectful to actual HBCUs. The University of Colorado Boulder officially listed that African-American students make up only 2.7% of its fall 2023 enrollment class.

Some supporters have claimed that just because the shirts signal that UC is adopting a “state of mind” that does not mean it is co-opting the experience. Others argue that the very affiliation is cultural appropriation.

It is perfectly fine if you opted for a PWI over an HBCU. It starts to get weird when Black people are hell bent in turning their PWI mindset, experience, etc. into anything HBCU related — especially since you decided against attending. It’s not homage, it’s disrespect. https://t.co/avNQTieHj4

— Krystal Franklin (@krysfranklintv) October 3, 2023

“It is perfectly fine if you opted for a PWI (predominantly white institution) over an HBCU, ” shared journalist Krystal Franklin, who identifies as a Grambling State alumnus. “It starts to get weird when Black people are hell bent in turning their PWI mindset, experience, etc. into anything HBCU related—especially since you decided against attending. It’s not homage, it’s disrespect.”

Rising Home Costs Make Homeownership A Hurdle Amid Federal Interest Rate Changes

by Daniel Johnson

October 11, 2023

Rising Home Costs Make Homeownership A Hurdle Amid Federal Interest Rate Changes

As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, interest rates for homes adjusted by the Federal Reserve are having an adverse effect on the home market, but new data illuminates just how bad the problem is becoming.

As Fortune reported, the initial cost of homeownership is so high that it would take a combination of pay rising by 55%, interest rates falling by 4%, and home prices falling by 35% just for it to be attainable for most Americans.

According to Andy Walden, vice president of Enterprise Research at ICE Technologies, “But just imagine house prices falling 35% or your boss giving you a 55% raise. Not likely, right? Those are massive movements that we’re talking about. None of them are going to happen in a vacuum. None of those one single factors is going to make the move.”

Sam Khater, chief economist at Freddie Mac, says the biggest problem affecting the market is low inventory.

“Unlike the turn of the millennium, house prices today are rising alongside mortgage rates, primarily due to low inventory,” Khater told Fortune. ”These headwinds are causing both buyers and sellers to hold out for better circumstances.”

On Zillow, a marketplace style listing of homes in a given area or zip-code, the average price of homes listed increased by 4% between the months of July and August; and though there has been a small increase in the number of homes available, according to the website’s data, this does not necessarily mean that there is relief coming to the housing market.

Walden said that it is a trend worth monitoring, however, even if it may not be a prediction that the market is about to improve immediately,

“We’ll be watching that inventory data really, really closely,” he said. “That’s really going to tell us where home prices are going late this year.”

According to data from Black Knight, a real estate data firm now owned by ICE, a quarter of new home buyers are paying at least $3,000 a month on their loans for their new homes as recently as July. What this means in real-time is that they are paying $800-$1,000 more a month, in addition to paying at least 60% of their income on mortgages alone. The result is that fewer people are actively searching for homeownership and that trend, experts say, is likely to continue unless these factors that are driving up the cost of homeownership change to benefit the majority of Americans.

Homeownership is the most unattainable for Black and Latino Americans, as their rates of homeownership were 25% lower than the rates for white homeownership in 2022, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. The end of pandemic-era housing assistance programs, they say, has helped create a housing market that is largely prohibitive.

by Derek Major

October 11, 2023

Study By North Carolina A&T Links Hypertension, Low Energy Availability In Black Athletes

A pilot study conducted by North Carolina A&T State University researchers reveals a correlation between high blood pressure and low-energy availability in Black Division 1 athletes.

Twenty-three Division 1 male and female athletes from four sports (volleyball, track and field, football, and basketball) were involved in the study, which used a blood pressure cuff, an eight-point analysis device to measure body composition, and a treadmill stress test to evaluate cardio-respiratory fitness. After five minutes of rest, researchers measured and evaluated each athlete’s blood pressure.

According to the American Heart Association, hypertension is defined as a systolic reading of 120 mmHg or more and/or a diastolic of 80 mmHg. Stage I hypertension is considered to be in the 139 mmHg systolic over 89 mmHg diastolic range.

“We used the revised American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology blood pressure standard,” Troy Purdom, study lead and assistant professor in North Carolina A&T’s Department of Kinesiology, told Andscape. “The reason why they were revised in 2018 was what they found was considered pre-hypertensive, which in the old guidelines used to be just a general warning sign. It turned out in a five-year followup there’s a high percentage [chance] that those with pre-hypertension became hypertensive.”

Low-energy availability is the underconsumption of energy or nutrients to meet physical demands by the body. Low-energy availability can have negative effects on one’s cardiovascular health and can affect physical activities.

The athletes also completed a food recall interview to assess their nutrition levels and were required to log for three days their daily nutritional intake and include food content, the time of day they ate, and the amount of food consumed. After they logged their intake, a sports dietitian performed a five-step review of their food records.

Of the 23 athletes studied, 13 were shown to have hypertension. Within the group, 87% were found to be calorically- and nutrient-deficient in micronutrients. Purdom believes the numbers suggest a nutritional link between the athletes and hypertension. However, it’s not the quality of the food. The study suggests that athletes who do not eat enough are 10 times more likely to have hypertension.

“Calories are the fuel that we put in our bodies that helps our bodies run off of energy,” Purdom said, according to Andscape. “So if we don’t eat at adequate energy, we are going to see high blood pressure as a result, so much that we found a moderate relationship among our sample that the less they eat, the higher their blood pressure will get.”

As a result of the study, Purdom is now working with NC A&T Athletic Director Earl Hilton to evaluate the cardiovascular function of the university’s athletes over time. NC A&T is also currently looking for a sports dietician who has experience working with Black athletes and athletes with chronic conditions such as hypertension as well as nutritional support staff.

by Lauren Nutall

October 11, 2023

Black Man Wrongfully Arrested After Misused Facial Recognition Files Lawsuit

According to a new civil lawsuit, a Black man was wrongfully arrested following law enforcement’s misuse of facial recognition technology in Louisiana.

Randal Quran Reid, 29, was going to visit his mother on Nov. 24, 2022, when he was stopped by police officers in DeKalb County, according to his complaint.

“They told me that I had a warrant out of Jefferson Parish. I asked, ‘Where’s Jefferson Parish?’ because I had never heard of that county,” Reid told ABC News. “And then they told me it was in Louisiana. Then I was confused because I had never been to Louisiana.”

The arresting officers had two warrants for Reid’s arrest from Jefferson and East Baton Rouge Parishes in Louisiana but did not reveal any details to the victim. “I asked them why I was being locked up…And then they just kept telling me that it was out of their jurisdiction, and they didn’t really know,” he said. Following his arrest, Reid was transported to a DeKalb County jail.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office had been searching for an individual accused of credit card fraud upwards of $10,000 in the Jefferson and East Baton Rouge area. According to the complaint, law enforcement used facial recognition technology to identify Reid as a suspect and subsequently issued warrants for his arrest.

Gary Andrews, Reid’s lawyer and senior attorney at The Cochran Firm in Atlanta, spoke about the incident, “The facial recognition technology] spit out three names: Quran plus two individuals. It is our belief that the detective in this case took those names … and just sought arrest warrants without doing any other investigation, without doing anything else to determine whether or not Quran was actually the individual that was in the store video.”

The lawsuit lists Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy Andrew Bartholomew and Sheriff Joseph P. Lopinto, III as defendants.

Reid is not the first victim of inaccurate or abused facial recognition technology. Previously, Black people and other people of color have complained about using facial detection, leading to false arrests and unfair termination. One instance in Jan. 2020 occurred when automotive employee Robert Julian-Borchak Williams, a Black man, was called into the Detroit Police Department to be arrested. Initially, Williams believed that he was the victim of a prank. That is until he later arrived at his home only to be arrested by two police officers in front of his wife and two children, according to the New York Times.

The officers refused to inform Williams of his crime. Instead, they only showed him a paper with his image and the words “felony warrant” and “larceny.” When his wife asked where they were taking him, one officer told her to “Google it.” Williams was one of the first documented incidents involving faulty facial recognition technology.

Williams’ distressing ordeal, as well as Reid’s, are just two of many accounts. Facial detection has proven unreliable many times, particularly for Black people. “There’s always risk when you go to jail, but I felt more in danger when I was being detained because I know it was for something I didn’t do,” Reid said. “I lost faith in the justice system to know that you could be locked up for something that you’ve never done.”

Joey Bada$$, mentorship, mentoring, Black men

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 11, 2023

Joey Bada$$ Unveils New Mentorship Program

Joey Bada$$ is expanding on his talents to be a beacon of support for Black men. On Oct. 10, the hip-hop artist announced his new mentorship program, with industry trailblazers like himself providing guidance to future leaders.

The founder, whose real name is Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, took to Instagram to share the philanthropic news, stating that he has amassed an “impressive network” across a variety of fields to best benefit their inaugural cohort.

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A post shared by JOZIF BADMON (@joeybadass)

“I’m excited to announce that I’ve been silently working on a free mentorship program for men of color in the US & Canada called @impactmentorship,” shared the actor and rapper. “…I recruited an impressive network of incredible mentors in the areas of ART, CULINARY, FASHION, FILM/TV, MEDIA MUSIC, and SPORTS.”

Impact Mentorship offers mentees one hour a month for an entire year to connect with experts in media, music, sports, and culinary arts, for insightful support and development. It is catered to men of color 18 and older in an effort combat the lack of professional opportunities offered to the demographic. Building the bridge to success, Impact Mentorship seeks to “provide a path” to freedom for its members.

The platform upholds this belief, as issued in their mission statement, that reads, “We believe wholeheartedly that mentorship can help provide a path to professional and financial independence. In addition to career guidance, one of the most critical gifts the mentees receive is confidence.”

In a era where Black male mental health is at its highest need of advocacy, Impact Mentorship aims to empower and inspire men to believe in their passions. Scott was announced as the first of many high-profile mentors to be part of this groundbreaking program, as they all hope to spark change in their community.

Applications are accepted from Oct. 15-29; and the 28-year-old strongly encourages submitting early, as they anticipate a high demand of potential mentees.

Black & Scholared, Kamirria Wallace, Howard University, HBCU,

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 11, 2023

Howard Grad Makes History With HBCU Apparel Line That Inspires Higher Education In The Black Community

Kamirria Wallace, a Howard University graduate turned entrepreneur, is championing higher education within the Black community with Black & Scholared, her fashion-forward collegiate apparel brand.

The number of Black students enrolling in higher education has been historically lower than their counterparts. Recent research has shown that enrollment rates have increased from 17.9% in 2010 to 22.6% in 2023; however, according to The Census American Community Survey, the number still falls short of the national average recorded at 32.9%.

Kamirria is on a mission to flip those statistics through her purpose-driven fashion brand. In 2020, she started Black & Scholared to build an HBCU legacy for her daughters. The company has magnified its mission three years later, offering collections of officially licensed HBCU collegiate apparel designed to celebrate and encourage higher education within the Black community. Items in the collections range from sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hoodies to totes, hats, and alums lapel pins.

But Black & Scholared is not just for current and past students. Kamirria has stayed true to the motivation for starting the business by nurturing aspirations for higher education in toddlers and youth with the company’s youth collection.

For Kamirria, Black & Scholared is more than just a business. She is committed to helping Black students finance their dream of higher education. Consequently, Black & Scholared offers a scholarship fund to help students with tuition and living costs. She said: “education is the key to decreasing the wealth gap in the Black community. As an HBCU graduate, I can attest that a sense of belonging is important to student success. That’s why we also support our HBCU partners with a portion of our profits.”

When Kamirria started Black & Scholared, she only had one HBCU license. However, the business has expanded to include licenses for 7 HBCUs, including Howard University, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Hampton University, Virginia State University, and Texas Southern University. With over 100 HBCUs nationwide, Wallace plans to expand the company’s license to include more institutions.

She said: “We want to support institutions that provide education and the environment for Black students to thrive. We are building a brand, but we are also building a legacy.”

Since the company’s inception, Black & Scholared has reached over 500K scholars and contributed over $30,000 to the HBCU community. The brand is currently sold online and in major retail stores, including Foot Locker and Barnes & Noble College HBCU campus bookstores.

For further information, visit BlackandScholared.com

This news first appeared on blackbusiness.com

Founders Of Two Black-Owned Travel Companies Partner To Offer Affordable Trips To Tanzania and Zanzibar

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 11, 2023

Founders Of Two Black-Owned Travel Companies Partner To Offer Affordable Trips To Tanzania and Zanzibar

*Originally Published By Blacknews.com

Nationwide—Kenya Davis-Paramore, founder and CEO of iButterFly Travel Experience has partnered with Paul Allen Billings, founder and CEO of Tanzania 4 Less, both prominent Black-owned travel companies, to provide affordable vacations to the African countries of Tanzania and Zanzibar. This collaboration has garnered excitement among travel enthusiasts seeking budget-friendly trips for the upcoming holiday season.

The partnership solidifies their commitment to delivering exceptional and affordable vacations to both countries.

With the goal of unlocking dream vacations at an unbeatable value, the partnership aims to enable travelers to explore the diverse landscapes, wildlife, and vibrant cultures of Tanzania without straining their budgets. The collaboration also introduces ﬁnancing options to make trips to Tanzania and Zanzibar more accessible.

Both travel companies offer tailor-made experiences for travelers with varying interests and budgets. Their vacation packages, ranging from 4 to 15 days, cater to individual preferences, whether it be an awe-inspiring safari adventure or a luxurious beach getaway.

To celebrate their partnership, iButterFly Travel Experience is offering a 9-day trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar. This exceptional package allows travelers to spend Christmas in the Serengeti, surrounded by captivating wildlife, and welcome the New Year on the idyllic beaches of Zanzibar.

Kenya Davis-Paramore, CEO of iButterFly Travel Experience, expressed her excitement about the partnership, stating, “We are thrilled to announce its new and exciting partnership with Visit Tanzania 4 Less. We stand together as a beacon of expertise and personalized service. Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction has earned us the trust and loyalty of countless travelers over the years.”

She continues, “This combined effort enables us to offer even more exclusive and curated travel adventures. We have the privilege of turning travel dreams into reality, and our journey has been marked by memorable adventures and cherished moments. We look forward to creating many more. Don’t Just Live Life… Experience It!”

Paul Allen Billings, President of Visit Tanzania 4 Less, echoed the same enthusiasm, stating, “We are thrilled to announce that with our partnership, dreams of traveling to Tanzania will no longer be unattainable. At both companies, we are committed to providing personal care and exceptional service to our fellow Americans. This exciting collaboration aims to revolutionize the travel industry, ensuring that dream vacations to Tanzania and Zanzibar are within reach for a wider audience. Get ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime without compromising on quality or budget.”

About
iButterFly Travel Experience is renowned for its personalized and immersive travel experiences, while Visit Tanzania 4 Less is a leading safari company based in Arusha, Tanzania, offering comprehensive services and packages in both Tanzania and Zanzibar. Together, these companies bring expert knowledge and affordability to Tanzanian adventures.

For more information and booking inquiries, contact iButterFly Travel Experience at 844-423-5983 or visit VisitTanzania4Less.com

For press inquiries, contact visittanzania4less@gmail.com

Black Woman Veteran, Confidence Coach Unveils “Inner Strength Journal” To Help Women Uncover Their Inner Warriors

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 11, 2023

Black Woman Veteran, Confidence Coach Unveils “Inner Strength Journal” To Help Women Uncover Their Inner Warriors

*Originally Published By Blacknews.com

Blending Military Resilience with Confidence Coaching, this Revolutionary Journaling Approach is Designed to Empower Women of All Ages and Backgrounds

Nationwide — Moniek “Mo” James, a Black woman veteran and Confidence Coach, has launched a groundbreaking journal called The Inner Strength Journal. With years of experience in creating safe spaces for women to explore their inner wisdom, she aims to help women discover and nourish their inner strength and trust their gut.

Self-help tools and resources are widely available, but few can claim to combine the resilience and discipline of military training with the nurturing and empowering approach of Confidence Coaching. Mo’s unique background allows her to fill this gap, focusing on the specific challenges faced by women and underrepresented communities.

Mo comments, “Creating and publishing this journal wasn’t something I planned to do. In summer 2022, my family left Arizona and moved back to the East Coast and this move proved to be the most adventurous transition we’d faced as a family. I had to tap into a new depth of resilience and courage.”

She continues, “Once we were settled, I started thinking about how I could offer something to the women in my community to support them as they navigated their own seasons of disruption. Self-trust is essential for building confidence, but for the woman who doesn’t know who she is and hasn’t had to stretch her fortitude, that’s harder to learn how to do. I created The Inner Strength Journal to serve this phase of that woman’s journey.”

What people are saying:

“I bought this journal and wanted to be sure I didn’t just define or answer the prompts with short answers. If you’re ready to expand your mind and really dig deep to find your inner strength this is the journal you’ve never seen before. Add this journal to your collection without worry of disappointment.” — Girosalee H.

It is more than just a diary — it’s a carefully curated self-coaching tool filled with prompts, activities, and self-assessments. These are designed to instill confidence, promote emotional intelligence, and foster courage, empowering women to take charge of their lives.

Mo utilizes her rich experience in Confidence Coaching to bring emotional depth to this transformative journal. “The journal is like a DIY Confidence Coach, guiding you through your fears and insecurities, and offering a pathway to trust your own wisdom,” she says

The Inner Strength Journal is available on Amazon via its official website at InnerStrengthJournal.com

For more details about Mo James’ coaching services, visit TheConfettiCollective.com

Also, be sure to follow her company on TikTok and Instagram.

For press inquiries, contact info@theconfetticollective.com

Will SMith, Summer Time, BET Hip Hop Awards, Fat Joe, Bronx

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 11, 2023

Fat Joe Tried To Get Will Smith To Perform At The BET Hip-Hop Awards

Fat Joe, the executive producer of BET Hip-Hop Awards, revealed to People that he attempted to convince Will Smith to perform at the Oct. 10 show.

The “Lean Back” rapper wasn’t sure how Willy from Philly would have been received given his 2022 Oscar debacle, where he slapped presenter Chris Rock and was banned from the Oscars for 10 years. Smith, 55, has kept public appearances to a bare minimum since attacking Rock.

Fat Joe, 53, was hyped about the Oscar-winning actor potentially performing his 1991 mega-hit “Summertime.” Although it would have been a surprise if he had pulled it off, Smith turned it down as his schedule didn’t allow the time necessary to perform.

“He’s filming Bad Boys,” Fat Joe said.

“But we tried. We try to pull off a miracle if we can. We try to pull a cloud out of the sky.”

Before the show aired on BET, Fat Joe promised to pull out all the stops in his return as the award show host.

“It’s going to be sick. Overall, it’s a dream come true for me. It’s the second year I’m doing the Hip-Hop Awards, but I always think back to being in junior high and doing the talent shows and then Apollo Theater Amateur Night and it all leads to this. And so it’s an honor for me.”

Fat Joe recently returned to his hometown borough of the Bronx to donate over $100,000 in clothing to kids for the current school year, including sweatsuits, tracksuits, t-shirts, shorts, and sneakers on Sept. 2 as he hosted a back-to-school clothing drive at The Eagle Academy for Young Men.

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He made the same gesture at I.S. 219 New Venture School and at the elementary school he attended as a youngster, P.S. 146 Edward Collins.