by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 7, 2023

61 Advocates Charged With Racketeering For ‘Stop Cop City’ Protests In Atlanta

Sixty-one advocates in Atlanta’s “Stop Cop City” movement have been charged with racketeering after a Georgia state investigation into their protests.

The Aug. 29 indictment is another iteration of the state’s RICO law that has entangled high-profile individuals, such as former president Donald Trump.

According to NBC News, individuals associated with the “Stop Cop City” movement are facing charges for allegedly permitting violence to seep into their protests against the expansive and controversial police training facility in Atlanta.

Spanning over two years, the protest has highlighted the facility’s possible negative impact on the local environment and its placement in a predominantly working-class, Black residential area.

However, the actions of the protestors have been negatively perceived by some, with Republican Attorney General Chris Carr calling the activists “militant anarchists” for the vandalism and violence that has occurred since the movement began.

“The 61 defendants together have conspired to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center by conducting, coordinating, and organizing acts of violence, intimidation, and property destruction,” Carr said.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, also a Republican, expressed similar sentiments.

“The 61 defendants together have conspired to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center by conducting, coordinating, and organizing acts of violence, intimidation, and property destruction,” stated the elected official.

The already extensive charges do not stop with racketeering. Some defendants have also been accused of domestic terrorism, first-degree arson, and money laundering. The incidents and growing strife between protestors and law enforcement reached new heights after the January killing of 26-year-old activist Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, also known as Tortuguita, during a demonstration.

Critics of the charges, such as attorneys at the Southern Poverty Law Center, believe the accusations promote “heavy-handed law enforcement intervention against protesters.”

Dekalb County District Attorney, Sherry Boston, a Democrat, withdrew herself from the prosecuting team given the complexity of the issue. The Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition continues to gain signatures to authorize a vote for residents to determine the fate of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

Naomi Campbell Debuts PrettyLittleThing Collection At NYFW Show

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2023

Naomi Campbell Debuts PrettyLittleThing Collection At NYFW Show

Naomi Campbell started New York Fashion Week in a boss way by debuting her personally designed PrettyLittleThing collection.

The legendary supermodel ripped the runway with other models to show off the 70-piece collection she created with designers Edvin Thompson and Victor Anate, Vogue reports. The collection consists of mesh minidresses, faux-fur coats, sleek pantsuits, and bedazzled accessories that mark Campbell’s debut as PLT’s creative director.

Held at NYC’s famed Cipriani’s, attendees included fashion A-listers like Bethann Hardison, Patti Wilson, Alton Mason, and Julia Fox. Campbell noted her United Kingdom roots while expressing her pride as a New Yorker at heart.

“PrettyLittleThing is a company that’s reached an audience worldwide. With streaming, you can also show wherever you want these days,” she said.

“And besides, I’ve lived in New York most of my life, even though I’m a Brit.”

Campbell took her new creative director role at PLT to bring on “emerging” Black talent in fashion to co-design her debt collection.

“I met Umar Kamani [cofounder of PrettyLittleThing], and I loved that he embraced that I wanted to work with young emerging talent and share the platform. So here we are!” Campbell said.

Now as a creative director, Campbell is still a model first who worked hard at the fashion show to make sure the models were on point,” People reports.

“I was nervous,” she admitted after the show. “I just wanted to make sure the girls were ok, that they could walk okay, that everyone’s going to be strong and poised.”

She continued. “I was saying, ‘Strong, strong, strong, strong’ and ‘be yourself, let your personality show.’”

Campbell’s PLT collection comes just ahead of her appearance in the Apple TV+ four-part docuseries called The Super Models, along with Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington.

WNBA, Angel Reese, nickname, Chicago Sky

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 7, 2023

Angel Reese Loses Bet with Boyfriend After LSU Football Loss

Angel Reese, the star basketball player at Louisiana State University, was hit with not one, but two losses over Labor Day weekend.

According to BetFTW, the reigning NCAA champion was pretty confident that LSU’s football team would overpower Florida State. She was so sure that Reese bet her boyfriend, who plays on Florida State’s men’s basketball team, that the Tigers would win.

Unfortunately, LSU lost to Florida State 45-24 in Sunday’s nationally televised contest. To vent her frustrations, Reese, like many her age, flocked to Twitter/X.

She tweeted that she hates “losing bets especially to” her boyfriend, Cam’Ron Fletcher.

https://twitter.com/Reese10Angel/status/1699098334445679053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1699098334445679053%7Ctwgr%5E578c38a5657e166e8fa0bac58ba9582b2231464e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2023%2F09%2Fangel-reese-lsu-ugly-loss-boyfriend-bet-reaction

Reese joked that her beau can “walk home” and for “nobody to talk to me” following the harsh defeat. The stakes, however, are even more excruciating for the MVP at LSU. Per the rules of their bet, the 21-year-old must wear FSU gear.

Reese confirmed the relationship with her fellow D1 athlete on the 1 Star Recruits podcast back in June, as reported by People.

“Cam’Ron is my boyfriend,” shared the 6’3″ star, who after LSU’s national championship has become a celebrity and NIL icon. “We both play the same sport so we understand each other’s schedule. I think that also helps with it too.”

The love birds and athletes recently took a “baecation” to Jamaica, Reese showcased photos of the power couple engulfed in greenery and affection for one another.

However, in regards to the bet, all is fair in love and basketball.

Speaking of the latter, Reese made a bold prediction regarding the former at this year’s ESPYs, where she was named Breakout Athlete of the Year.

“Last year I transferred from the University of Maryland to play at LSU, and I just joined a family,” she said in her acceptance speech. “So I just want to say thank you, and another natty [national championship] is coming, period.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2023

Ava DuVernay Makes History At Venice Film Festival; Recalls Being Told ‘You Won’t Get In’

It was a gratifying moment for Ava DuVernay who made history at the Venice Film Festival this week years after she was told not to apply to the competition since, “You won’t get in.”

The Academy Award-winning director held a press conference for her new film, Origin, on Wednesday, September 6. She is the first African American woman at the 80-year-old festival to have a film compete for the Golden Lion, Variety reports.

DuVernay recalled the times she was discouraged from applying to the Venice festival due to age-old stigmas about Black filmmakers’ appeal to international audiences.

“For Black filmmakers, we’re told that people who love films in other parts of the world don’t care about our stories and don’t care about our films,” Duvernay explained.

“This is something that we are often told: you cannot play international film festivals, no one will come.”

The Wrinkle In Time director continued: “People will not come to the press conferences, people won’t come to the P&I screenings. They will not be interested in selling tickets. You might not even get into this festival, don’t apply.”

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told, ‘Don’t apply to Venice, you won’t get in. It won’t happen.’”

Origin stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Jon Bernthal. Based on Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, the film follows the life and work of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author as she investigates the origins of injustice and uncovers a hidden truth that impacts society as a whole.

“This year, something happened that hadn’t happened in eight decades before: an African American woman in competition,” DuVernay said.

“So now that’s a door open that I trust and hope the festival will keep open.”

Origin is scheduled for release later this year. Others in the cast include Niecy Nash-Betts, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, and Blair Underwood.

by Stacy Jackson

September 7, 2023

Carlee Russell’s Ex Reveals Couple Had ‘Little Argument’ Before Abduction Hoax

The fake abduction of Carlee Russell raised many questions about why she would do such a thing. Her ex-boyfriend appeared on a podcast and discussed the events leading up to the hoax.

Thomar Latrell Simmons, Russell’s ex, said on the 205 Boyz podcast Saturday that the two had a “little argument” before her staged abduction, People reported.

Simmons said he was on a trip to New York with Russell before she faked her disappearance. The ex-boyfriend said on the podcast that after the trip, “… we had a little argument, but it wasn’t nothing to kidnap yourself over.” Simmons called the argument “light” and claimed the two went on tours and “had fun” with family on the trip. People reported. He said, “We were going and taking tours to the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the ferry. We were eating. We were good.”

Simmons added that he was “confused” about why Russell would fake her abduction when asked if he noticed a change in his ex-girlfriend’s behavior after they visited New York.

Simmons was previously accused of several things on social media after it was discovered that Russell faked her disappearance. Some said he was a cheater, and others said he was in on the hoax. The 205 Boyz podcast host explained that some also said Simmons was not in a relationship with Russell and used her staged disappearance to get clout. He denied the accusations but said on the podcast, “I’m trying to promote myself off this situation. I’m not doing it for clout. I just have this situation … I have the opportunity to make something of myself … I’m going to take the opportunity and run with it.”

People reported that Russell was charged with two misdemeanors for staging her disappearance in July. The charges include “false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident,” the outlet noted.

Simmons said he is currently not in contact with his ex-girlfriend.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2023

Bad Boy Alum Mark Curry Blasts Diddy’s Return Of Publishing Rights: ‘So What…It Has No Value’

Diddy might be promoting “economic empowerment for Black artists” with his recent move to return all publishing rights back to Bad Boy artists. But there’s one who’s calling his bluff.

Bad Boy alum Mark Curry is taking to social media to call out Diddy’s recent decision to reassign his Bad Boy publishing rights back to all Bad Boy artists and writers. According to Curry, who appeared on the hit single “Bad Boy For Life,” Diddy’s gesture is too little too late since most of the publishing has already lost its value.

“What’s it worth now?” he asked in his video.

“He gave me mine back a long time ago … That’s disrespectful—I said why don’t you just keep it and pay me? I don’t want the publishing; I want the money.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mark Curry (@markkcurry)

“Diddy gave the publishing back.:. So what.. it has no value,” Curry wrote in his caption.

“I want him to give me a million cash and then I can plan the rest of my life out well.”

Curry further reiterated his stance in the comments section explaining why he feels Diddy only returned his former artists’ publishing after the money was “all gone.”

“Ever had somebody owe you 50 dollars.. when you needed it back.. they didn’t pay you.. then by the time they do pay you.. the 50 dollars doesn’t mean the same as it did when you needed it?” Curry wrote.

“That’s how I feel… I wanted that when it was making money.. not after it’s all gone.. what ima do with that? I’m fact.. it’s an insult.”

Curry has criticized Diddy since leaving Bad Boy in 2005. In 2009, he released the book, Dancing with the Devil: How Puff Burned the Bad Boys of Hip Hop, where he accused the hip-hop mogul of exploiting his artists.

On Monday, Diddy made media headlines after he “decided to reassign his Bad Boy publishing rights back to all Bad Boy artists and writers who helped build Bad Boy into the powerhouse it is today,” a source told Variety. Along with Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, Faith Evans, and 112, many former Bad Boy artists have all had their music publishing rights returned.

“Combs sees it as part of a broader goal of promoting economic empowerment for Black artists and culture,” an insider said.

by Stacy Jackson

September 7, 2023

NY Attorney General Asks Supreme Court to Sanction Trump and Business Associates for “Borderline Frivolous” Motions in Court

Former President Donald Trump faces many allegations in his most recent legal battle.

On Tuesday, according to Axios, New York Attorney General Letitia James asked the Supreme Court to sanction former President Trump, his oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., and others involved in the family business for $20,000.

An appeals court dismissed Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, from the case in June.

Attorney General James’s office is seeking a $10,000 sanction toward Trump and his co-defendants and a $10,000 fine for his legal team for “frivolous and sanctionable” motions filed in court. The $20,000 sanction against Trump, his sons, and his business associates is part of James’ $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against the former president and additional parties involved in the alleged defrauding of banks and business associates concerning the value of the business, according to PBS.

James requested that the sanction be imposed because the former president and his associates raised “previously rejected” motions in court.

She argued that the “sophisticated” legal team “should have known better” in regards to the “borderline frivolous” motions set forth by Trump’s legal team in court.

Axios reported that James’ office asked the court to determine if the overvalued company assets were intended to defraud banks. Last week, the attorney general’s office alleged that Trump’s substantially increased net worth — from $812 million to $2.2 billion — each year since 2011 was fraudulent.

According to PBS, James’ special litigation counsel, Andrew Amer, wrote in a 100-page judgment notion, “At the end of the day, this is a documents case, and the documents leave no shred of doubt that Mr. Trump’s (statements of financial condition) do not even remotely reflect the ‘estimated current value’ of his assets as they would trade between well-informed market participants.”

The civil trial is set for Oct. 2, 2023.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2023

Kelly Rowland and A$AP Rocky Honored At Harlem’s Fashion Row Style Awards

Kelly Rowland and A$AP Rocky’s trailblazing knack for style helped them receive the highest honors at Harlem’s Fashion Row NYFW Show and Style Awards.

The fashion-forward event took place Tuesday, September 5 at the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem where Rowland received the Fashion Icon Award and Rocky was honored with the Virgil Abloh Award, USA Today reports.

The “Motivation” singer shared an impassioned speech recalling her days in Destiny’s Child where Beyoncé’s mom Tina Knowles stepped in to design clothes for the group after they were denied pieces from designers of the day. Thanks to Mama Tina, Kelly’s ability to “set trends” early in her career helped her become the fashion icon she is today.

“My history with fashion actually started, I’m sure a lot of you know, with Destiny’s Child,” Rowland said, noting the designers and fashion gatekeepers ho “were very reluctant to dress us.”

Last night, the beautiful @KELLYROWLAND took home the Fashion Icon of the Year award at the 16th annual @HFRmovement Fashion Show and Style Awards. In her acceptance speech, she discussed how #DestinysChild became fashion trendsetters due to the work of @mstinaknowles ✨… pic.twitter.com/u3QfAr08CO

— Hello Beautiful (@HelloBeautiful) September 6, 2023

After Tina Knowles “took matters into her own hands and she dressed us, and I learned there what it was like to start a trend. I remember what that felt like, the pride in it.”

Speaking directly to the Black people in the room, in a stunning corseted dress from Ashi Studio, Rowland shared a powerful message.

“We start the trends. We make what’s cool, cool. Fashion should be grateful for us,” she said.

Later A$AP Rocky took the stage to speak from the heart about his history with the late Virgil Abloh, who inspired the award he received that night. The “Fashion Killa” rapper gave a huge nod to Abloh for helping set the stage for the trendsetter he became throughout his career, TMZ reports.

“Virgil discovered us as a bunch of kids, before I got my record deal. He was downtown in Soho just cooling, and we wasn’t old enough to get into this club called Le Bain, so we would sneak in there … and Virgil peeped us,” Rocky shared. “Unbeknownst to us, we ain’t know that he knew who we was. He’s like, ‘Wait, y’all are those Harlem kids, the trendy ones.'”

#ASAPRocky came home to Harlem to accept the Virgil Abloh Award, presented by LVMH, at @HFRmovement’s Fashion Show and Style Awards ✨ pic.twitter.com/7b9xuFdj8G

— Hello Beautiful (@HelloBeautiful) September 6, 2023

“We was tripping, like ‘Wait, Virgil knows who we are, knows about us? The fashion world knows about us,'” the father of two continued.

“And a year later, I became A$AP Rocky – I mean, I always was A$AP Rocky, but I became famous, if you dig what I’m saying – and Virgil went on to design my first album cover, my first tour.”

Others who received awards include stylist and “Vogue” global contributing editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who received the Editor of the Year Award, celebrity styling duo Wayman and Micah, who were honored with the Stylist of the Year Award, designer Stella Jean, who won the Designer of the Year, and photographer Johnny Nuñez, who received the Hip-Hop Trailblazer Award.

Sherrie Williams First African American To Sell Haircare Line To A Major Hospital

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 7, 2023

Sherrie Williams First African American To Sell Haircare Line To A Major Hospital

There are a lot more Black-owned haircare companies getting their product lines on the shelves of major retailers. But one cosmetologist/entrepreneur became the first Black woman to secure a deal with a major hospital.

Meet Sherrie Williams, the founder and CEO of Simplistic BSC, a haircare line to help women of color maintain healthy hair. While appearing on Positively Milwaukee! with Caroline Meeks, Williams shared her entrepreneurial journey.

“When I started mixing my own products, it was because I went into stores and there were no products that were for me, meaning African American,” Williams explained.

After comparing the products on mainstream products to those of Black haircare products, Williams crafted her own concoction that she began using on her clients. Eventually, those clients came to Williams looking for her products.

That inspired Williams to go full throttle into launching her own haircare line made with Black women in mind. She brought the dream to life when she secured a deal to get Simplistic BSC sold on Walmart.com, a Piggly Wiggly location, a Fresh Time food market, and Froedtert hospitals.

It’s a major accomplishment for Williams, who worked to defy the odds after being labeled with a learning disability as a child.

“I was always in a limited situation,” Williams shared, adding how “once I got out of that atmosphere” and attended college, “I realized that I’m way more than I was told when I was in school.”

“I’m just a living testimony that if you put your mind to it, you can succeed,” she added.

When it comes to her “life-changing” partnership with Froedtert Health, Simplistic BSC will now be the go-to haircare product for all patients at their hospitals. It’s a first for a Black woman within the haircare space,

“I’m blown away and we already started shipping products to them,” she said.

While it’s “a lot of work,” Williams says it’s “gratifying” to service thousands of patients nationwide. Her advice for the next generation of female entrepreneurs…..

“Go for it. But do the research,” she said.

She also advises not to quit your day job until you know you can walk fully into an entrepreneurial endeavor and survive.

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 7, 2023

Black Businesses In Martha’s Vineyard Covered With Racist Signs

Black-owned businesses in Martha’s Vineyard were the targets of racist signs promoting a white supremacist group, including a website link. The group Patriot Front, which advocates for a white ethnostate, placed signs in front of the properties in Oak Bluffs.

Authorities were notified of the presumed intimidation and hate crime that occurred over the Labor Day weekend, according to the district attorney for the Cape and Islands area, Robert Galibois, told reporters. According to CBS News, Galibois briefed all 22 police chiefs within the area to stay alert for any more incidents as they investigate who posted the signs.

Patriot Front was established in August 2017 after the deadly events in the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Its mission to promote and form a white ethnostate free from all other races within the U.S. makes it a “white nationalist hate group,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Its mission also extends to sharing this hate speech beyond its forum, posting flyers and banners in buildings and public spaces to increase its propaganda. The SPLC also referred to the white supremacist group as an “image-obsessed organization” with an “explicitly fascist agenda” derived from the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America before forming a new cohort.

However, District Attorney Galibois is encouraging patrons and residents of Martha’s Vineyard not to let these messages of divisiveness and hate be placed anywhere without reporting them. He said that all levels of law enforcement are “working collectively” to identify who exactly is trying to intimidate Black business owners in the area by leaving the signs on their property.

“If you observe any of these signs on public property or private property without the owner’s permission, then please notify your local police department,” shared the lawyer in a public statement.