baseball, high school, racism — Photo by PeopleImages/Getty Images

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 19, 2026

MLB Players Association Looking For Tony Clark Replacement After Resignation Over Sister-In-Law Scandal

The Major League Baseball Players Association is searching for a new executive director after Tony Clark resigned following revelations of an affair with his sister-in-law, an MLBPA employee.

The Major League Baseball Players Association has launched a search for a new executive director after Tony Clark resigned following an internal investigation into an “inappropriate” relationship with his sister-in-law, who joined the union in 2023.

It’s unclear who will replace Clark, though the MLBPA is expected to move quickly, with players ultimately voting on the next executive director, CBS Sports reports. Subcommittee member Brent Suter said an interim leader will step in to “keep everything as stable as we can this year.”

The MLBPA will have an interim leader, union subcommittee member Brent Suter said.

Suter has a sense of who it will be, but didn’t say who.

“We’re not going to get a search going. Bargaining here. We’re going to have an interim & keep everything as stable as we can this year.”
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 17, 2026

Clark announced his resignation Feb. 17 after an internal probe found he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, a union employee of more than two years. The inquiry reportedly stemmed from a broader federal investigation into the finances of the Major League Baseball Players Association, launched last year.

Clark played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2009 before becoming the sixth executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, making him the first former player to hold the position. But his resignation comes as the current collective bargaining agreement nears its Dec. 1 expiration, setting the stage for another tense round of negotiations between players and the league. The last talks led to a 99-day lockout in 2022-23, and Commissioner Rob Manfred has signaled that another work stoppage could be on the horizon.

“The full executive board of Player representatives met this afternoon with MLBPA staff and outside counsel to discuss next steps; as always, the Players remain focused on their ongoing preparations for collective bargaining this year,” the organization said in a statement. “The strength of this union is–and will always be–the solidarity of our membership.”

“We have a long history of fighting for the rights of every Player, and we’re committed to making sure we can continue that fight successfully.”

Bruce Meyer, the union’s chief negotiator, has been unanimously named interim executive director of the MLBPA and said Clark’s departure “is not going to affect collective bargaining in any way,” emphasizing that contract talks will continue without disruption.

South Africa, Freedom Day, Nelson Mandela — (Photo: Getty Images)

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

February 19, 2026

South African Court Rejects Gabrielle Goliath Bid, Upholds Cancelation Of ‘Divisive’ Exhibit

The artist condemned the decision, while fellow naysayers call it an act of censorship.

A South African high court has rejected a bid from famed artist Gabrielle Goliath to overturn the cancelation of her proposed exhibition.

The art display, titled Elegy, sought to represent South Africa at the Venice Biennale, an international cultural exhibition that takes place in the Italian city. The court decided to uphold the decision to scrap Goliath’s pavilion just hours before the exhibition’s submission deadline. Now, South Africa may not feature in the storied art showcase at all due to the court ruling, as reported by Art News.

Goliath’s work, originally selected by nonprofit Art Periodico, would have showcased the ingenuity of South Africa and its native artists. However, a national official, Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie, considered the work “highly divisive,” resulting in its canceled submission.

The piece covered an ongoing series that honors the victims of international and local atrocities. Elements of the work paid homage to the killings of queer people and women in South Africa and beyond, as well as a new alleged insertion honoring Abu Nada, a Palestinian poet killed during an Israeli airstrike in October 2023.

Goliath initially argued that McKenzie’s cancelation of her selection violated her freedom of expression, while also claiming that the government official lacked the proper authority to make such a call. In light of the blocked submission, Goliath expressed her concerns over the upheld decision, which will further shun the stories of these slain voices.

“As an artist, I am concerned with revealing and refusing conditions that make violence possible, permissible, and terrifyingly ‘ordinary.’ Whose lives are available to be displaced, raped, killed, disavowed?” she questioned.

On the other hand, McKenzie’s representative defended his stance, claiming that the culture minister felt deceived about what “Elegy” really entailed. He even dismantled the relationship with the nonprofit over the selection issue. He tried several attempts to cancel the submission, emphasizing how the art “relates to an ongoing international conflict that is widely polarizing,” a move the pavilion committee deemed an act of censorship.

Goliath has remained publicly against the decision, reiterating that her work does not seek to encourage violence, but to uphold a radical philosophy that honors the deceased.

“I have said it many times: my work is not about violence, but rather foregrounds practices of mourning, survival, and repair, within and despite this normative disregard. At a moment in which sustaining hope is a political imperative, I think it is all the more crucial to emphasise my work as life-work rather than death-work, and as rooted in a decolonial Black feminist project of care and radical love.”

BRAZIL, glass bottles, house, sustainability — Photo by Vinícius Vieira ft: https://www.pexels.com/photo/flag-of-brazil-2560337/

by Jameelah Mullen

February 19, 2026

Tourist Accused Of Racist Acts While Visiting Brazil Released After Brief Detention

FAFO—the tourist edition

Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro requested the preventive detention of Agostina Páez, the Argentine lawyer accused of making racial slurs while vacationing in Brazil. A judge approved the request, and the authorities took Páez into custody. They released her a few hours later.

Police arrested the 29‑year‑old in mid‑January after an incident at a bar in Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema neighborhood. Páez allegedly hurled racist insults at staff during a dispute over the bill. Witnesses say she also made monkey sounds and gestures, an act that is an arrestable offense in Brazil. Restaurant employees called the police, and officers took the woman into custody.

Officials charged Páez with “injúria racial,” which roughly translates to “racial slur.” Brazilian law treats racial insults as serious crimes that can result in sentences of up to five years in prison. The prosecutors’ Office confiscated Páez’s passport, required her to wear an ankle monitor, and argued that the measures weren’t enough.

“Although precautionary measures other than imprisonment have been imposed, including electronic monitoring, these measures have not proven sufficient to neutralize the existing procedural danger,” said the Rio de Janeiro Public Prosecutor’s Office in a statement obtained by Brazilian News outlet UOL.

The Apolo Foundation filed a petition on Páez’s behalf seeking to lift the travel ban, which would allow the defendant to return to Argentina to await trial. The legal team claims that Páez poses no flight risk and that prosecutors imposed disproportionately harsh measures on her.

“Her rights are being violated, and Brazil is in breach of several international treaties ratified by both Argentina and Brazil,” said Fundación Apolo attorney Nicolás Silvera, accusing the police of using her to “make an example.”

The Brazilian Public Prosecutor’s Office argues that a person accompanying Páez allegedly tried to stop her from making the profane gestures, which, according to the prosecution, showed that she understood the seriousness of the crime.

The incident sparked a social media debate, with some supporting the country’s strict laws and others downplaying the crime.

– Be Agostina Páez 🇦🇷

– Spend years studying international law

– Become a lawyer in Argentina

– Travel to Brazil on vacation

– Ignore local laws & get arrested for racism

– Passport seized & given ankle monitor

– Cry on the internet because you face 5 years in a Brazilian jail pic.twitter.com/HFZNbz0UFh

— BowTiedPassport (@BowTiedPassport) February 17, 2026

“Love it when people learn the hard way, it won’t stop her from being racist, but it would definitely stop her from keeping her depravity to herself,” one X user wrote.

“Arrested for racism? Don’t they have more serious issues in Brazil, like extreme poverty?” a commentator wrote.

Following her release, Páez resumed her previous arrangement, which requires her to remain in Brazil and wear an ankle monitor. Brazilian officials have not yet set a trial date.

Black woman arrested, taco — photo credit: Getty Images

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 19, 2026

Florida Woman Posing As DCF Agent Arrested For Attempted Kidnapping

A Florida woman is being held without bond after allegedly trying to abduct a child from a babysitter’s home while posing as a DCF agent.

A Florida woman who posed as a Department of Children and Families (DCF) employee was arrested after trying to “remove” a 9-year-old boy from a babysitter’s home.

Nicole Terry Thomas, 56, was arrested Friday, Feb. 13, in connection with an alleged attempted abduction at a Lakeland, Florida, home, Click Orlando reports. Police said they responded after Thomas herself called 911 requesting a deputy’s assistance in removing the children from the residence.

“The caller identified herself as Thomas, and she claimed to be an employee of DCF,” the sheriff’s office said. “According to witness statements, Thomas arrived with the victim’s biological mother and approached the home, where a woman was babysitting four children.”

Officers said they responded to a dispute involving Thomas, who arrived at the home with the boy’s biological mother — a woman with documented mental health challenges who does not have custody — and the babysitter caring for the children. Police said the child alerted the babysitter that “DCF was outside with his mom and was trying to take him from the residence.”

Police say Thomas allegedly threatened to take all of the children from the home if the babysitter refused to hand over the 9-year-old. Authorities also claim she made a phone call stating she would be working late because she planned to find new homes for the children she intended to remove from the residence.

“At no point did Ms. Thomas present a DCF business card or proof of employment when requested,” the affidavit states.

During questioning, the boy’s biological mother told detectives she knew Thomas through their church and claimed Thomas said she worked for DCF and could help get her life “back on track.”

Thomas was later arrested and charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, trespassing, misuse of 911, two counts of criminal action under the color of law, and four counts of attempted kidnapping. She is being held without bond. Police also noted a prior criminal history that includes kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery, child abuse, and multiple fraud- and theft-related offenses.

Black Financial Influencers, Money — (Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels)

by Kandiss Edwards

February 19, 2026

Once Again, B. Simone Talks About Her Dwindling Funds

In an interview with Earn Your Leisure, Simone said her income fell from about $1 million to $10,000.

Comedian and content creator B. Simone says her monthly earnings dropped drastically after she faced backlash from online spectators.

In an interview with Earn Your Leisure, Simone said her income fell from about $1 million to roughly $10,000 per month when she was “canceled on social media.”

Simone says she has been the target of intense online commentary, which she believes negatively affected some business opportunities and partnerships. The comedian says the drop to 5-figures has put her “in the red.”

Simone insists that she is not letting the financial change define her; she is more than willing to take the rewards as well as burdens of running a business.

“It’s simply the risk you take as an entrepreneur,” she said.

https://twitter.com/raindropsmedia1/status/2023958864404615347?s=46

This conversation is not Simone’s first when discussing her money mindset. In a 2025 episode of her podcast Let’s Try This Again, she spoke about financially giving her all to build her lifestyle app LTTA.

“I feel like it’s a breakthrough with what I’m creating with the app,” she said to her friend, Shekinah, on the podcast. “Just my finances. Like, the budgeting. You see how I am. Nitpicking every little thing. I’ve never been like that. We were in Bloomingdale’s yesterday. I’m like, ‘We have to go to H&M.’ And I notice in me now, just nitpicking. I just don’t have it to spend, the liquid.”

https://twitter.com/mymixtapez/status/1936899770788016583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1936899770788016583%7Ctwgr%5Ea60ff89de8528ba279cd57a905ef8f3278042f47%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackenterprise.com%2Fb-simone-crying-shopping-bloomingdales-hm%2F

B. Simone’s rise to fame began online before she truly took off, becoming a cast member of MTV’s Wild N’ Out. However, many of her moves over the past few years have been met with ire.

Her views on working traditional 9-to-5 jobs sparked backlash, and she was accused of plagiarizing her self-help book Baby Girl: Manifest the Life You Want. Even with an abundance of public scrutiny, Simone continues to take up space in entertainment and remains determined to succeed.

Cuba, fuel sanctions — Виктор Пинчук (автор фото и книги), CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

by Sharelle B. McNair

February 19, 2026

The Human Cost Of Trump’s Relentless Tariff Crusade Against Cuba

The lack of fuel and oil due to President Donald Trump’s tariff threats has resulted in a domino effect of turmoil in Cuba, including a decline in economic prosperity.

Life for close to 10 million residents has come to a halt as tourism has plummeted amid a lack of incoming flights and warnings from the UK and Canada against non-essential travel to Cuba. Schools are empty, classes are suspended, and workers are furloughed to save energy.

Hotels are reporting vacancies after the annual Habanos Cigar Festival, which brings in millions in revenue, was canceled.

Tour guide Mandy Pruna, who is famous for cruising in his bright red 1957 Chevrolet with visitors such as Will Smith and Rihanna on classic-car tours, reminisced about the period of economic prosperity the country saw after former President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with the Caribbean nation in 2015.

“All sectors of society benefited from that,” Pruna said.

“You saw people painting their houses, opening new businesses. For me, it was fantastic. It was the best era for tourism in Cuba.”

Now the streets are paved with mountains of garbage as the lack of fuel has stopped working dump trucks from doing their pick-up jobs in neighborhoods. According to DW, only 44 of Havana’s 106 garbage trucks were fully operational as of February 2026. ”It’s all over the city,” resident Jose Ramon Cruz said.

“It’s ‌been more than 10 days since a garbage truck came.”

The issue of a public health crisis has increased as it seems Cuba cannot lean on its remaining allies to supply the hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of fuel needed to keep the economy going.

However, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has called on residents to “resist creatively” and adopt what he calls “a wartime mentality.”

“We will eat what we can produce in each place. Now if there is less fuel, then food will not be able to leave from some municipalities to other ones,” President Diaz-Canel said during a January 2026 televised appearance.

But the business owner residents aren’t feeling it.

“We are paying two, three times as much to restock and keep people happy,” one food vendor said. “There’s no food. The impact will be terrible. We won’t have anything.”

It doesn’t look like the country will receive much help from the U.S. as Trump has referred to the country as “a failed nation,” pushing for it to make a deal with Secretary of State and Cuban-American, Marco Rubio, because it’s really a humanitarian threat.”

While Florida Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar gives the option of resolving short-term suffering or “free Cuba forever,” those who call Cuba home, like Pruna, are thinking about leaving for good, as he no longer sees a future. “Everything is uncertain at the moment. There’s no fuel. We don’t know if  there will be any and how we will pay for it,” he said.

Coca-Cola, EEOC, lawsuit — Photo by billow926: https://www.pexels.com/photo/glass-bottle-of-coca-cola-15047680/

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

February 19, 2026

EEOC Sues Coca-Cola Distributor For ‘Reverse Discrimination’ Over Women-Only Work Event

The lawsuit is against a distributor for Coca-Cola owned by a Japanese company.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued a Coca-Cola distributor over a work event for women employees.

Filed Feb. 17, the lawsuit claims that Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast violated federal legislation by hosting an event for 250 female employees in September 2024. The EEOC deemed the Connecticut networking event an act of sex discrimination, as it excluded men from attending, prompting the agency to take legal action.

However, Coca-Cola itself is not a plaintiff in the case, as the direct issue lies with its distributor. According to The Guardian, Japanese-based Kirin Holdings owns the company in question.

The lawsuit notably comes at a time of anti-DEI measures launched under the Trump administration. Since beginning his second term, President Trump has scaled up measures and policies that severely limit, if not outright prohibit, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

While establishing this new order at the federal level, Trump-governed agencies are cracking down on corporations that still host DEI workplace initiatives.

At the dawn of the anti-DEI movement, events or initiatives that exclude any group, even to highlight the inclusion of historically underrepresented demographics, now contribute to “reverse discrimination.”

This case also serves as a landmark, becoming the first EEOC lawsuit to declare a DEI-affirming event unlawful.

The lawsuit indicates that Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast allowed the women employees to skip work without using paid time off to attend the two-day event. The team-building event included a social reception and recreational activities, with a top Coca-Cola executive as a speaker. The distributor also covered all attendees’ hotel charges.

In light of its findings, the EEOC has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring no groups receive preferential treatment, even to promote a more inclusive workplace.

“The EEOC remains committed to ensuring that all employees – men and women alike – enjoy equal access to all aspects of their employment,” wrote EEOC’s principal deputy general counsel, Catherine Eschbach, in a statement.

Grieving Grandma, Trump, — https://nappy.co/photo/wasHd6RDeLUBEdOH8E8Xr

by Sharelle B. McNair

February 19, 2026

‘Grieving Grandma’ Says She Doesn’t Wanna Hear ‘Nothing About That Racist Stuff’ During BHM Celebration

Cook took the stage in front of a room of Black Trump supporters to share why she has such love for the 47th president “because he keeps it real, just like Grandma.”

Forlesia Cook, a grieving grandmother from Washington, D.C., stole the show at the White House’s Black History Month celebration, praising President Donald Trump for minimizing crime in the city and catching the killer of her 22-year-old grandson.

Cook took the stage in front of a room of Black Trump supporters to share why she has such love for the 47th president, “because he keeps it real, just like Grandma.”

She continued to list the reasons she feels she can “trust” him, starting with sending authorities to her house to work on the murder case of her grandson, Marty William McMillan Jr. ”It seems like nobody cared…we marched, and we rallied and nobody heard us, Democrats,” she said while professing “her cup runneth over.”

“Get mad at me. Until this Republican sent his constituents, his people out there to interview me in my home. Have you ever heard of a thing?”

The grandmother then claimed she was invited twice to testify before Congress on the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which she claims will change crime in the District of Columbia. “If you take a life, you do life, just that simple,” she said, met with applause, while Trump looked on in awe.

“I love him. I don’t wanna hear nothing you have to say about that racist stuff, and don’t be looking at me on the news, hating on me because I’m standing up for somebody that deserves to be standing for. Get off the man’s back! Let him do his job! He’s doing the right thing! And Grandma said it!”

https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2024246341266780622

Besides Trump, Cook is standing up for her grandson, who on April 23, 2017, left for a date and never returned. Four months later, his remains were found on the side of a Maryland highway, having been shot multiple times, according to the New York Post. His killer, John Jabar McRae, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the crime in 2024, after he was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

The annual Black History Month celebration, recognizing 100 years of the celebratory month, comes just days after continuous accusations of racism flew against Trump for a highly offensive post depicting the Obamas as apes. While the White House claimed a staffer posted it, the president later admitted he wouldn’t apologize for it.

As the clip of Cook and other fiery supporters praising the president circulated on the internet, indifferent remarks began to fly in, some claiming she was paid to speak, while others found her speech inspiring.

Others continued to keep their foot on his neck, reminding everyone that he is at the center of the Epstein Files investigation.

Trump spoke to the crowd as well, addressing the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson, expressing his love for Nicki Minaj, and announcing that former HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson will soon be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the country.

Dr. Norman C. Francis — photo credit: White House photo by Shealah Craighead., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 19, 2026

Civil Rights Leader, Former Xavier University President, Norman C. Francis, Dead At 94

Norman C. Francis, civil rights leader and former president of Xavier University of Louisiana, has died at age 94.

Dr. Norman C. Francis, the longtime civil rights leader who served as president of Xavier University of Louisiana for nearly 50 years, has died at 94.

The Francis family said he died Feb. 18 at Ochsner Hospital, WBRZ reports. A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the first Black president of Xavier University of Louisiana, he is being remembered by loved ones as a devoted family man and a trailblazing leader.

“While many knew him as the former president of Xavier University, as a civil rights leader, and as a respected voice for justice and equality on both the local and national stage, we knew him simply as Daddy — a man whose greatest joy came from family gatherings, quiet moments of prayer, and encouraging those around him to live with purpose and kindness,” his family said.

Francis broke barriers by integrating Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and later went on to advise eight U.S. presidents. He also helped establish Liberty Bank and Trust Co., one of the nation’s largest Black-owned banks.

But his greatest impact in higher education remains at Xavier University, which he led through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina while also chairing the Louisiana Recovery Authority created after the storm. Following news of his death, the university shared a tribute honoring his legacy.

“For seven decades, including a resounding 47 years as University President, Dr. Francis shaped Xavier into a national model of excellence and access, cementing it as a national leader in education and beyond,” the school wrote in an Instagram post. “His legacy will live on in every Xavier student and graduate whose life was changed by his belief that education could change the world.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Xavier University of Louisiana (@xula1925)

Local leaders have shared tributes following his passing, with Troy Carter saying his heart is “truly broken,” while Jeff Landry called Francis a “tremendous icon.”

“Norman Francis was a tremendous icon in both civil rights and education. His courage and vision shaped Xavier University into the institution it is today. He will be deeply missed by all. Sharon and I are praying for the Francis family and trust he is reunited in Heaven with his wife, Blanche.”

Norman Francis was a tremendous icon in both civil rights and education.

His courage and vision shaped Xavier University into the institution it is today.

He will be deeply missed by all. Sharon and I are praying for the Francis family and trust he is reunited in Heaven with…
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) February 18, 2026

Soulja Boy, AI, voice automation — Souija Boy attends his 33rd birthday celebration on July 28, 2023, in Malibu, California. (Photo: Andrew J Cunningham/Getty Images)

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

February 19, 2026

Call Him SouljaAI, Soulja Boy Crowns Self As First Rapper To Automate Voice With Artificial Tech

The rapper has deemed himself the first hip-hop crooner to engage with AI in this way.

Soulja Boy is a trailblazing rapper in his own right, with his latest alleged accolade earning him another first.

The “Turn My Swag On” rapper shared with X about his latest technological feat. In the clip, he noted how his other history-making career highlights, such as being the first rapper on YouTube and having his own star.

Now, he claims to be the first rapper to automate his voice with artificial intelligence.

I was the first rapper to automate his voice with AI.

Give me a call pic.twitter.com/JS1RP5yoKo
— Soulja Boy (Draco) (@souljaboy) February 18, 2026

“I was the first rapper to automate his voice with AI. Give me a call,” Soulja Boy shared in the Feb. 17 post.

He ended the clip with a phone number and a jingle referencing his 2008 hit, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone.”

According to Hot 97, not much is known about the project, which many have coined “SouljaAI,” thus far. Reps for the rapper did not disclose any further information about what fans and listeners should expect either. However, some reports have shared that fans could soon interact with “SouljaAI” via calls.

Although the exact nature remains unverified, Soulja Boy has evidently hopped onto the bandwagon of artificial technology. However, the use of AI in music has already divided many in the hip-hop and R&B communities, especially as Black artists continue to fight for recognition and just pay for their work. AI artists like Xania Monet have received polarizing views from listeners and artists alike as the inhuman singer takes up space in an already competitive industry.

Soulja Boy has not shied away from technological advances to boost his brand and music before. He is often recognized for using emerging social media platforms and viral marketing strategies, such as “Kiss Me Thru The Phone’s” cell number hook, to engage his growing audience.

Despite the pushback, Soulja Boy seems more than ready to launch his career into the future. However, how exactly his AI-automated voice will serve fans remains unclear.