by Stacy Jackson

September 20, 2023

White High School Teacher ‘Scared’ After Students Report Her For Teaching About Race

A South Carolina English teacher was scared to return to the classroom after her students claimed her lessons on race made them feel “ashamed to be white.”

Six months after being reported to the district’s school board, English Language and Composition teacher Mary Woods described feeling “scared” on the first day of school. The 47-year-old white educator returned to Chapin High School on Aug. 7 after being accused of making her all-white advanced placement class feel “ashamed to be white” because she assigned the students Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me in February. The New York Times bestseller is a deep dive into the Black American experience.

Woods claimed she felt “betrayed” after two students emailed complaints to a school board member four days after she assigned the Coates book. The emails were obtained by The Washington Post. One student wrote, “I feel, to an extent, betrayed by Mrs. Woods. I feel like she has built up this idea of expanding our mind through the introduction of controversial topics all year just to try to subtly indoctrinate our class.”

Two parents also reportedly complained. Woods was instructed not to continue with her original plans for the rest of the school year.

Now that the new school year is underway, Woods has to contend with the fragility of her students and grapple with the fear and angst she feels from the unwarranted callout. She texted a fellow educator, “Will you walk in with me? I’m scared.”

The self-professed white liberal teacher was not the first to face backlash for addressing race in academics. BLACK ENTERPRISE reported last year that hostile parents forced Cecelia Lewis, a Black woman middle school educator, out of her position in Georgia. The white parents were reportedly angry about rumors that the Cherokee County School District planned to teach critical race theory (CRT) even though CRT is only taught at the college level.

Ironically, the Chapin High School students are seemingly the only students who felt their teacher made them feel “ashamed to be white.” A 2021 study from Inside Higher Ed revealed that white students didn’t feel demonized, targeted, guilty, or ashamed after studying the history and cultures of other races. Moreover, those students opined that what they learned humanized their peers.

Black Student Suspended Over Locs; School Says It’s the Dress Code, Not Racial Discrimination
by Jaimee Ratliff

September 19, 2023

Black Student Suspended Over Locs; School Says It’s the Dress Code, Not Racial Discrimination

A Black student at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, has been suspended twice for wearing locs because school officials said he violated the district’s dress code.

Darryl George, 17, has served an in-school suspension since August 31 because his hair falls below his eyebrows and earlobes, the Associated Press reports.

The high school junior wears his dreadlocks pinned up to adhere to the school district’s dress code, which states that male students’ hair must not extend “below the top of a t-shirt collar or be gathered or worn in a style that would allow the hair to extend below the top of a t-shirt collar, below the eyebrows, or below the ear lobes when let down.”

Despite the student wearing his locs up, both the principal and vice principal, of Barbers Hill stood by the suspension.

Greg Poole, who is white and has been district superintendent since 2006, maintains that the hair policy is rooted not in racism but in a sense of collective responsibility and is a lesson on sacrifice. “When you are asked to conform … and give up something for the betterment of the whole, there is a psychological benefit,” Poole said. “We need more teaching [of] sacrifice.”

Darresha George, Darryl’s mother, vehemently disagreed with the district’s assertion that her son’s hair negatively imposes upon the learning of his fellow students.

“My son is well groomed, and his hair is not distracting from anyone’s education,” she said. “This has everything to do with the administration being prejudiced toward Black hairstyles, toward Black culture.”

For George and the men in his family, their hair honors those who came before them and connects them to the God they serve, said Darresha George. “Our hair is where our strength is. That’s our roots. He has his ancestors locked into his hair, and he knows that.”

School officials stand by the district’s dress code and informed her that they plan to put her son into an alternative school if his “violations” continue, according to the AP.

Barbers Hill High School is one of two in the district and has a 35 percent minority enrollment. It made headlines in 2020 when school administrators barred then-senior DeAndre Arnold from returning to school and attending his graduation ceremony unless he agreed to cut his dreadlocks. Arnold left Barbers Hill and graduated from nearby Sterling High School.

The state’s CROWN Act, intended to prohibit race-based hair discrimination and bar employers and schools from penalizing people because of their hair texture or protective hairstyles, was enacted on September 1, the AP reported. The move made Texas one of 24 states to have set the law into action.

George served his suspension on September 15.

Lawmakers passed a federal version of the CROWN Act in the House of Representatives last year. Still, they failed to do so in the Senate, leaving the decision up to individual state legislature.

Brannon Johnson, rowing
by Stacy Jackson

September 19, 2023

West Philly Rowing Champion Operates Only Black-Owned Rowing Club In America

West Philadelphia rowing champ Brannon Johnson runs BLJ Community Rowing, the only Black-owned and -operated rowing club in America. She also trains other Black rowers how to carve out their own spaces in the predominantly white sport.

According to BLJ’s website, the club started with an initial mission to use rowing as a vehicle for change. BLJ’s priority is to bridge the gap between the traditional rowing world and the diverse West Philly community by removing boundaries, providing access and creating opportunities within the elite sport.

“I definitely stumbled into my mission,” Johnson told 6ABC, “and I love that it’s not about me. I love that it’s about this community.” Johnson said that holding each other accountable and pushing one another to do better and be better is major in the space she has created.

The rowing maven has traveled the world to race and train in the sport. “I had better options because rowing was available,” Johnson said. It afforded her the opportunity to meet many different kinds of people. “I didn’t see anyone that looked like me around the sport, so … it’s important to me that I give that option to as many people as … possible in the Black and brown communities.”

One of Johnson’s students attested to the trainer’s ability to help with overall confidence on and out of the water.

“It’s definitely been nice having somebody to look up to and somebody that holds me accountable,” high school rower Kaiya Johnson said.

Rowing coaches Asiyah Harrison and Jaden Oates have both observed the lack of Black presence in the sport. Harrison praised Johnson for her outstanding contributions and for showing her what it’s like to be an entrepreneur and “a Black woman in such a white male-centered space.” Oates said his high school rowing team, which is predominately Black and Hispanic, embraces other rowing teams of color whenever they cross paths.

“It’s not that many of us,” he said.

BLJ Community Rowing offers adult and youth programs. Churches, schools, companies, and organizations are welcome to participate in the corporate program, where employees can learn about and practice camaraderie, teamwork, health and wellness.

BLJ is located at 2200 Kelly Drive in Philadelphia, in front of St. Joseph University’s boathouse along Kelly Drive.

RELATED CONTENT: Meet The Black Woman Behind the Unique Paint, Sip and Sail Boating Experience #BlackBusinessMonth

Brandy Norwood, Cinderella, cinderella, descendants, rise of red, money, Disney, Disney original
by Stacy Jackson

September 19, 2023

Singer Brandy To Drop A Christmas Album

Brandy Norwood is reportedly preparing a Christmas album to be released this year, and A&R executive Jaha Johnson gave fans a little sneak peek inside the studio session. According to a video posted to Johnson’s Instagram Story, Norwood has tracks lined up for an upcoming Christmas album.

According to Vibe, Johnson wrote via his Instagram Stories September 13, “One of my favorite things to do is sequence the album. Christmas will never be the same.”

The video exposed 11 potential tracks that Johnson sequenced on a whiteboard. Song titles included “Feels Different,” “Celebrate My Baby,” “Someday at Christmas,” and “Silent Night.”

Norwood’s vocals graced the background, singing her rendition of “The Christmas Song,” another title that appeared on the whiteboard of songs.

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A release date has not yet been confirmed, but the whiteboard song selections could be an extension of Norwood’s Christmas gig, which she announced last year. In March 2022, the actress revealed her starring role in the Netflix original film Best. Christmas. Ever.

“Get ready for the Best Christmas Ever. I’m so excited to join this phenomenal cast for this special holiday film coming soon to @netflix,” Norwood captioned an Instagram post.

The comedy, directed by Mary Lambert, follows Norwood’s character, Jackie, as she faces a twist of fate that connects her with an old college friend who tries to prove Jackie’s life isn’t so perfect. The friends eventually have to make things right when the holiday comes close to shambles.

Fans can catch Norwood on Netflix starring as Jackie when the comedy film releases on November 16.

RELATED CONTENT: Brandy’s Daughter, SY’Rai Smith, Says Brandy Will Executive Produce Her EP

New York, Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer
by Sharelle B. McNair

September 19, 2023

Senate Prepares For New Looks After Majority Leader Eases Dress Code

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is now allowing legislators to come as they please to Senate chambers with a relaxed dress code, NBC News reports. Notices went out to the Senate sergeant-at-arms and certain staff members on September 15, stating the change would go into effect September 18.

Prior to the new policy, the Senate enforced an informal dress code, requiring lawmakers to dress in business attire. Because the policy isn’t a formal one, many legislators have been seen in athletic wear, denim, shoes and no socks, vibrant wigs and more.

Some lawmakers turn heads with their keen fashion sense; some, like John Fetterman (D-PA), who wears a hoodie and baseball shorts on the Senate floor, challenge the status quo. According to the Associated Press, Fetterman often kept off the Senate floor in his casual gear, voting from doorways in order to avoid trouble.

As for Schumer, we won’t be seeing him in more relaxed attire. “There has been an informal dress code that was enforced,” he said in a statement. “Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit.”

Professional attire standards in politics have been trending for the past few months. In February, state representative Justin Pearson (D-TN) was criticized for wearing a dashiki on his first day on the Tennessee House floor. His appearance seemingly threatened Republican lawmakers, prompting them to respond to a tweet of Pearson wearing the garment with his fist raised.

“If you don’t like rules, perhaps you should explore a different career opportunity that’s main purpose is not creating them,” the GOP account tweeted.

Numerous conservative officials have expressed their disdain for casual dress on the Senate floor. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted off on Twitter, calling the former dress protocol “one of society’s standards that set etiquette and respect for our institutions. Stop lowering the bar!”

Presidential candidate and Florida governor Ron DeSantis also addressed the change, blaming it on Fetterman, according to Florida’s Voice. “We need to be lifting up our standards in this country, not dumbing down.”

The new dress code applies only to elected officials. People on the legislator’s staff will still be required to wear business attire, as will outsiders who walk onto the Senate floor.

Micheal Jordan, Brightness In Black,storyCorp, Jordan Bran
by Daniel Johnson

September 19, 2023

Earliest Known Game Shoes Worn By NBA GOAT Michael Jordan Sell For $624,000

Michael Jordan’s autographed Air Ship shoes from his fifth NBA game have sold at auction for $624,000. Goldin Auctions sold the shoes for $525,000 before adding a buyer’s premium to cover costs related to the auction, according to Bleacher Report.

During Jordan’s rookie season in 1984, he wore Air Ships while Nike was still creating his now iconic Air Jordan brand. Goldin Auctions founder Ken Goldin used a process known as photo-matching to identify the shoes as the ones Jordan wore during a matchup with the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 1, 1984. Jordan may have worn the shoes as early as his NBA debut.

By contrast, a pair of Jordan’s game-worn shoes from Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Jordan’s final finals appearance, sold for $2.28 million at a Sotheby’s auction in April 2023. Jordan autographed those shoes as well before giving them to a ball boy after the game.

https://twitter.com/GoldinCo/status/1701264644520706325?t=oxmNNkjSEqqhOdCuLqe2PA&s=19

A former Nuggets ball boy, Lewis first sold the shoes at another auction for $1.47 million and revealed the story of how he got them.

He had asked Jordan during a shootaround if he could have the shoes following the game, but Jordan declined, telling Lewis that they were too expensive to part with. After the game, however, when His Airness saw Lewis, he not only gave him the shoes, he signed them as well. On one shoe, he addressed TJ personally, signing it “My Very Best To TJ Michael Jordan,” and on the other, Jordan signed his name. (Jordan’s stat line in that game was mediocre by his standards: only posting 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.) The significance of the shoes remains that they are the earliest known shoes that Jordan wore in his career. 

Jordan was named an NBA All-Star during his rookie campaign (to date, only 45 players in the history of the league have accomplished this feat) and won Rookie of the Year before giving the Boston Celtics an incredible 63 points in a playoff game. Jordan’s Hall of Fame career would eventually establish him as one of the greatest players in NBA history. 

(In that auction, run by Sotheby’s, a few other pieces were also sold, such as the shooting shirt Kobe Bryant wore before he torched the Toronto Raptors for 81 points. Also included was Tom Brady’s uniform from the 2004 NFL Championship and Pele’s jersey worn in his 1975 debut for the New York Cosmos.)

RELATED CONTENT: Michael Jordan Is Now The Richest NBA Player Ever After Selling Hornets Franchise

Two L.A. Models Found Dead In Less than a Week
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 19, 2023

Two L.A. Models Found Dead In Less than a Week

Nichole Coats‘ family last heard from her as she prepared for a date Friday, Sept. 8. The following morning, the Los Angeles-based model could not be reached by family or friends.

On Sunday, the 32-year-old model was found dead by her relatives in her downtown apartment. Coats was bloodied and her leg was in a kicking position, according to KTLA 5. 

“I couldn’t recognize her,” said Coats’ aunt, May Stevens. “I believe it was murder, I really do…That’s not somebody who just laid in their bed and died.”

Her family seeks answers as Coats was well-loved. They are frustrated by law enforcement’s lack of progress in the matter. “This is senseless, and I want some answers because my daughter is gone,” said Coats’ mother, Sharon Coats.

Police are also looking for a connection between her and another model’s death.

On Sept.12, model and real estate agent Maleesa Mooney was found dead in her apartment, less than three miles from Coats’ residence. The 31-year-old’s body was discovered after concerned relatives asked local police to perform a wellness check after family members couldn’t contact Mooney.

Coats’ cause of death is still being determined, but Mooney’s death was classified as a homicide. The women’s deaths are eerily similar, and friends and family of the women feel this may be the work of a serial killer.

“I don’t know who she went out with or what transpired there,” Sharon Coats told KTLA. “I have no idea but I’m going to find out. So if you’re out there, you’re going to get caught. You’re messing with the wrong person.”

Coats’ loved ones have started a GoFundMe to crowdsource funding for her funeral arrangements, with more than $15,000 raised so far, well above the $10,000 goal.

RELATED CONTENT: California Man Suspected of Being a Serial Killer Charged with Seven Counts of Murder

Cleveland Police Officers Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Stealing Over $14K During Traffic Stops
by Jaimee Ratliff

September 19, 2023

Cleveland Police Officers Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Stealing Over $14K During Traffic Stops

Two former East Cleveland police officers have been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of robbery and one count of theft in office.

Willie Warner-Sims and his partner Alfonzo Cole were accused of stealing over $14,000 from drivers they pulled over during traffic stops. 32-year-old Sims and 35-year-old Cole took advantage of six civilians between July 2020 and July 2021. The officers were caught after a complaint was filed with the East Cleveland Police Department by a 21-year-old man who claimed the pair took $4,000 from him during a routine traffic stop at a local gas station on July 8, 2021. The money pocketed was intended to cover funeral services for the man’s recently deceased mother. It would later be discovered that Sims conducted another traffic stop on July 8 in which he forcibly removed a driver from his vehicle before ransacking it and stealing $781. Sims and Cole were arrested the day after the reported theft.

An investigation into the officers found that both Cole and Sims participated in several similar crimes and forgery of higher-ranked law enforcement over one year.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Russo criticized the former police officers during their sentencing. “The one person that the public should be able to have confidence in … would be your emergency services, your police officers, your firefighters, your EMTs.”

Russo continued, “You’ve shaken the confidence of the public in the criminal justice system and the trust they put in police officers.”

A department-wide investigation into the East Cleveland Police Department uncovered corruption, fraud, money laundering, and records-tampering leading up the chain of command to Police Chief Scott Gardner, proving that Cole and Sims are just one part of a larger law enforcement problem in the area.

“When a[n] individual who is a police officer has taken that oath, he, in essence, is in a criminal category of his own,” Russo continued. “He, in effect, is a traitor to the system. He’s far worse than your normal burglar or robber or criminal.”

In addition to his two-year sentence, Cole was ordered to pay a $40,000 fine.

RELATED CONTENT: TSA Agents Caught Allegedly Stealing From Passenger’s Luggage

HBCU, Universal music group, scholarship, medical, practitioner,
by Sharelle B. McNair

September 19, 2023

Universal Music Group Launches Scholarship Program At HBCU Medical Schools To Foster Opportunities For Black Practitioners

On September 14, Universal Music Group (UMG) launched an HBCU scholarship program for aspiring doctors through a new initiative called Task Force for Meaningful Change (TFMC).

Focusing on forming new opportunities that will widen the scope of Black practitioners, the program is slated to work with the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Meharry Medical College in Nashville, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in California.

According to Black Engineer, prolific national public health experts from numerous fields, including Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. and Dr. Camara Jones, sit on TFMC’s Public Health Advisory Board. They work together to target what they call a “Super Priority.” With the guidance of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the board and TFMC identify how the issue impacts Black and underprivileged communities.

The SVP of UMG and executive director of TFMC, Dr. Menna Demessie, said their efforts are geared toward fighting racist practices in public health and making a positive change.

“Our efforts to direct our philanthropic efforts in a way that combats racial disparities in public health is directly informed by the insights of experts like Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Jones,” Demessie said. “Our TFMC members really understand our mission, and they understand the power of music – as well as our collective ability – to leverage our position as industry leaders to make positive social change.”

The scholarships will help ease the financial burden of over 50 students at each school, where some have already identified the type of student that qualifies.

Morehouse College will provide the funds to students who need financial assistance to help serve marginalized urban and rural communities, guaranteeing health equity for those who need it most.

The Meharry School of Medicine will reward students who excel academically, thrive in leadership service, and are dedicated to servicing underserved populations.

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Henry G. Marsh, mayor, Saginaw, Michigan
by Lauren Nutall

September 19, 2023

The First Black Mayor Of Saginaw To Be Honored With A 1,050-Square-Foot Mural

The late Henry G. Marsh will be honored for his contributions as the first Black mayor of Saginaw, MI, with a 1,050-square-foot mural.

Though he passed away in Saginaw in 2011, almost 50 years after he was first elected as mayor in 1967, Marsh’s legacy as a World War II veteran and civil rights advocate will endure in the form of a painting. Local Frankenmuth artist Stephen Hargash has been tasked with creating the mural in Marsh’s likeness. The artwork will be located in what is now known as Henry Marsh Plaza. 

“He was a key figure in Saginaw, and to get the opportunity to honor him makes me feel good,” Hargash told M Live. Though Hargash never met Marsh, the artist interviewed several people to better understand the late politician’s character.

“I had to really delve into who he was and talk to people and read research to kind of formulate a picture of how I wanted to represent him,” he said. 

Descended from an enslaved grandfather, Marsh was born poor in Knoxville, TN. After being honorably discharged following a three-year service in the U.S. Army, Marsh graduated from Knoxville College. He later attended the University of Michigan’s law school until transferring to Wayne State University Law School to be near his wife, Ruth Eleanor Clayton. The couple had three children: Thomas, Walter, and Terésa. 

The former mayor broke boundaries throughout his term in Saginaw. Marsh was in office during the tumultuous 1960s, which saw a rise in racially motivated attacks and political unrest, so much so that he armed himself with a rifle after several threats of violence were made against him and his family. In 1961, the trailblazing politician was elected to the city council. In 1967, in response to escalating violence in the South, Marsh established a 200-member coalition. Ministers, business owners, activists, and people from all walks of life joined together to form the Committee of Civil Rights, a group Marsh considered one of his most outstanding achievements. He was elected to the mayor’s seat that same year and served as the city’s leader until 1969. 

This mural aims to capture Marsh in all his glory. Beyond his role as a passionate mayor, he was also a devoted family man and was defined by more than just where he came from.

In a 2009 interview with M Live, Marsh spoke about becoming one of the first Black leaders in Saginaw.

“I think I was a trailblazer, and I say it without vanity. I was nationally known. Not quite like the gentleman down in Washington, but I was pretty well publicized during that period of time,” he said. “Despite the fact that my whole background was black and Southern, I had self-assurance and confidence that enabled me to take a position and say things that others would not. As essentially the only black lawyer in Saginaw, I felt I was the spokesman for the black community.”

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