Uganda Man Receives First-Ever Charge Of Aggravated Homosexuality
Uganda is facing backlash for its first-ever charge in direct offense of new anti-gay legislation. Prosecutors in the country charged a 20-year-old man with “aggravated homosexuality” on Aug. 18, a crime that could lead to the death penalty.
Reuters confirmed the news on Aug. 28, as the young man was charged with “performing unlawful sexual intercourse” with another member of the same sex, a 41-year-old male. However, the nature of the act and why it was considered “aggravated” remains unknown.
Jacqueline Okui, a government spokesperson, told the news outlet that the accused was notified of the charges.
“Since it is a capital offense triable by the High Court, the charge was read out and explained to him in the Magistrate’s Court on the 18th and he was remanded,” shared Okui, who works on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecution’s office.
The homophobic legislation was officially passed in May and is recognized as one of the strictest and most severe laws regarding same-sex relationships currently legal globally. Those found guilty of these crimes face life in prison and a death sentence depending on factors such as repeat offenses, transmitting diseases through intercourse, and performing same-sex acts on a minor, elderly person, or disabled individual.
The case is particularly significant given that the defendant is the first to be prosecuted for an aggravated charge. The global community has threatened Uganda with action if it does not revise its laws. Most recently, the World Bank has ceased all new public financing support to the country, with the U.S. making provisions through visa restrictions.
If convicted, the accused man would be the first to be executed by the East African country in about 20 years. His attorney has stated that the law and its subsequent charges are unconstitutional, but a judge has yet to take up those claims in court.
Here’s How CEO Buwa Binitie Adds Value To Billion-Dollar Real Estate Company
Buwa Binitie lives his life through hip-hop lines. But he runs his billion-dollar real estate and social impact conglomerate, spreading knowledge brick-by-brick.
Cue Jay-Z. “I can’t help the poor if I’m one of them/ So I got rich and gave back/ To me that’s the win-win.”
Operating with a mission to create more successful Black communities, the founder and CEO of Dumas Collective told BLACK ENTERPRISE that he has plenty of receipts. So, it was our pleasure leaning into his nearly two-decade career about adding value beyond the numbers in the finance and real estate industry.
A Nigerian immigrant, Binitie was told that the bustling streets of the Big Apple were paved with gold. So he cut his teeth on the pavements and learned the American way. He successfully navigated the education system with a Bachelor of Science degree from New York University and a Master of Science in real estate development at John Hopkins University.
And yet, there was a necessity that caught his attention: adequate housing.
“Having lived in multiple cities, throughout America, I realized that I had to do one or two things,” Binitie told BE. “I had to either pay way more than I could afford to live within close proximity to my job. Or I had to be content with having to commute over an hour each way to get to the job.”
Do the math.
For the past 18 years, Binitie has been building a business around real estate dedicated to finding a solution for people of modest means to reclaim their time while not having to rake out more than 30% of their income.
“I dare say we’ve been figuring it out a way to do it successfully now,” Binitie said confidently.
Buwa Binitie on the rooftop of Capitol Vista a 104 unit community developed by a joint venture of four Black men.
Dumas Collective is the holdings company of Dantes Partners, Faria Management, Dantes Community Partners, and No.07 Consultants. Under his leadership, Binitie oversees acquisition, development, property management, and financial activities of the conglomerate—from Washington, DC, to New York. Together, they have been entrusted with over $2.2B in financing, resulting and transactions in upward of 7,600 workforce and affordable units.
Additionally, Pinellas County and NYCHA signed up to participate in the company’s expansion efforts, including a historical transformation of the 99-year-old St. Petersburg’s Tomlinson building into attainable workforce housing for teachers and staffers.
Photo Credit: Kellie Finch / Courtesy of The Madison Mason Home Group
And yet, Binitie is well aware of the disproportionate number of Black and brown construction firms. From The Minority Resource and African‐American Real Estate Professionals to the DC Building Industry Association, Binitie enters spaces where he belongs. He speaks regularly at industry-focused events.
Moreover, he takes pride in his company’s multiply effect: a process of tracking how much dollars are with those firms.
“I find a lot more comfort and happiness knowing that there are a number of individuals who have been able to be just as successful as I am, along the way,” Binitie said in defining success.
Debunking misconceptions
You can’t be wealthy if you have a lot of debt.
There’s no success without consistency.
As a teaching mentor and a long-time member at the Real Estate Executive Council, Binitie breaks down his teachings in manageable chunks. He does it this way so budding developers of color alike can get out of the comfort zone and onto a path of attaining generational wealth.
Andre E.A. Russell of Dre’z Digital Caption, Dumas Collective company retreat for over 100 employees.
So don’t stop at the fear of the unknown. Take a look at the digestible tips on making a business, specifically in real estate.
“When you don’t grow, everything stops with you,” Binitie told BE.
Binitie’s tips on building a large portfolio
Stage I: Double down on yourself
Don’t underestimate proof of concept: What value are you really adding?
Reinvest in yourself: Are you willing to go to the extra mile to invest in yourself to grow an enterprise? If you allow fear to deter your expansion, competitors will have an opportunity to steal your ideas.
Save your gains: If you save $10M, you can bond a $100M project. Bonding is a major impediment, but using your profit and savings can help you obtain larger projects such as stadiums.
Find spaces where you feel a sense of belonging: Exchange ideas in spaces where you can thrive in.
Ask for help: Don’t be threatened by what a successful organization looks like. There is value in learning how to run an enterprise by those who are winning.
“The sooner we embrace success, the better we will be as a culture. We’re no longer one by one. We’re one of many,” Binitie said.
Stage II: Building a business
Stabilize the company
Scale the company
Define your why
Follow your passion
“Even if you don’t see that light at the end of the tunnel, it is your passion that fuels you to keep moving until you see that light,” Binitie said.
Leader Of ‘Black Voices For Trump’ Harrison Floyd, Given $100K Bond After Spending Week In Jail
Harrison Floyd was the only one of 19 defendants named in the Fulton County election fraud case to spend time in jail following the voluntary surrender deadline set forth by District Attorney Fani Willis. Now, the former leader of Black Voices for Trump has been given a $100,000 bond.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Floyd’s attorney, Chris Kachouroff, vehemently disagreed with the county’s decision to hold his client behind bars before issuing his bond. “She was just letting him rot in there,” he said. “I told Harrison ‘This is ridiculous. She [Willis] should have jumped in there and done the right thing.’” Kachouroff believes the final decision was a matter of “optics” rather than fairness.
Jeff DiSantis, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office, denied any mistreatment of Floyd for any reason. “Mr. Floyd has had the opportunity to work out a consent bond in the same manner as the other defendants named in the indictment, but chose not to do so until today,” he said.
The other 18 defendants named in the case, including former President Donald Trump, turned themselves in with a prearranged bond; however, Floyd arrived at the Fulton County jail with no attorney.
According to The Journal-Constitution, Willis placed a phone call to attorney Carlos J.R. Salvado, who is representing Floyd in an unrelated criminal case, explaining that she’d offered his client a consent bond when he arrived at the jail, which he denied. “He said he didn’t want to talk to anyone without a lawyer, so they ended the conversation and walked out of the jail. So, your client’s going be sitting in jail with no bond,” she said at the time.
Floyd, who is charged with five counts of felony for his part in the attempt to overthrow the Georgia election, was considered a flight risk by Judge Emily Richardson due to his arrest earlier this year in Maryland for allegedly charging at an FBI agent who attempted to serve him with a grand jury subpoena in Trump’s federal election interference case in Washington, D.C.
In his court appearance on Friday, August 25, Floyd represented himself and asked to be given a public defender due to not being able to afford the costs associated with a case of this magnitude. However, a donation site set up in his honor has allegedly raised $275,000 to help with his legal expenses.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brothers Become Owners In TGL’s Los Angeles Golf Club Alongside Serena And Venus Williams
It’s become a family affair! Well, sorta…
Earlier this summer, Serena and Venus Williams announced that they had become partners, along with Serena’s two children, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. and Adira, and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, in The Los Angeles Golf Club, a new tech-inspired golf league. TGL was started by Tiger Woods’ TMRW Sports and the PGA Tour. Now, another family has joined the team, the Antetokounmpo Brothers.
According to an Instagram post by the “Greek Freak,” Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers, Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex, are now investors in The Los Angeles Golf Club.
The NBA player’s brother, Thanasis, also a basketball player (he recently re-signed with the Milwaukee Bucks), discussed the latest TGL partnership with Reddit founder and Serena’s husband, Ohanian, on his latest podcast, “Thanalysis.”
The Los Angeles Golf Club will compete in TGL’s first season in January 2024. According to the league’s website, the first season kicks off at the top of the New Year with a 15-match regular season, followed by semifinals and finals matches.
The Tiger Woods-founded golf league utilizes technology and live action for its games and will consist of six teams competing in a two-hour team golf competition. Three PGA TOUR players will make up the composition of each team.
There are already three teams participating in the new TGL league. The aforementioned Los Angeles Golf Club, a team from Boston owned by the Fenway Sports Group, and an Atlanta team that Arthur Blank owns.
The games will be in a purpose-built Palm Beach, Florida venue. It will combine a data-rich virtual course with a state-of-the-art short game complex.
Woods will be among the many professional players participating in the league starting next year.
Former First-Round Pick Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Brings Kobe’s Likeness To FIBA World Cup
Former first-round NBA draft pick Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has turned heads during the FIBA World Cup with his Kobe Bryant impression.
Playing as a citizen of Jordan, Hollis-Jefferson, who played five unremarkable seasons in the NBA between 2016 and 2021, dropped 39 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in a 95-87 loss against New Zealand Monday night.
The former Brooklyn Net sported Bryant’s signature ‘bald-ish’ head, #24 jersey, and forearm sleeve while mimicking Bryant’s impressive footwork and free-throw shooting form during the game.
Team Jordan ran out of gas in overtime and lost, but the fans were thoroughly entertained. The crowd at Mall Of Asia Arena in the Philippines chanted “Kobe!” to celebrate the Philadelphia native’s performance. After the game, Hollis-Jefferson praised Kobe’s game and work ethic.
“He’s a legend, and you can only dream of being compared to someone like him,” Hollis-Jefferson said, according to ESPN. “But I’m nowhere near close to Kobe. I’ve tried to be a hard worker like he was, and I feel his energy. I also know a lot of people that knew him, so I’ve been hearing stories about him my whole life.”
Hollis-Jefferson was mostly a strong defender and big man during his time in the NBA. However, he has completely retooled his game, becoming more of a slashing wing player. The 28-year-old followed up his performance against New Zealand with a team-high 20 points in a 110-62 loss to Team USA Wednesday morning.
The game gave NBA scouts a chance to look at Hollis-Jefferson’s refined game as he tries to make a return to the league after playing professionally in Puerto Rico in 2022.
Since being out of the NBA, the former University of Arizona product reevaluated his life and career, becoming a pescatarian and losing 15 pounds. He also began working with a leadership advisor to change his outlook on life.
“I’m trying to show that I can compete with the best of the best and bring energy to every game,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “I always admired Kobe’s killer mindset and competitive spirit, and I’m trying to learn from it.”
The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of the five-time NBA champion, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020, in front of the Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 8, 2024.
How Tech Entrepreneur Dedren Snead Is Making Subsume Studios The Future of Gaming and AI
An Atlanta-based artist, developer, creative consultant, and futurist, Subsume Studios boss Dedren Snead wants to change how the video game and artificial intelligence space functions for Black people, WSB-TV reports.
“I think what we’re unlocking with Subsume is the unlimited potential of Atlanta to be the innovator of the culture of tomorrow. We want that youth. We want that energy. We want what the community itself of all ages has, K through 12 as well as the young at heart, to make sure they can find a space to be part of this as well,” Snead told WSB-TV.
According to Subsume’s website, Snead has an impressive list of accomplishments, including being a current Innovator-in-Residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill through its Shuford Entrepreneurship Program. He is also part of the artist-in-residence program at Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute in Digital Media, Game Design, and Futurism for the 2022-2023 term. Snead is also the creator of an award-nominated fantasy comic series, Sorghum & Spear, in addition to working with students at Georgia State University and Spelman to create a technology salon in Underground Atlanta, which is aimed at creating more diversity in the field of gaming and AI.
Snead started Subsume Studios in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown, and he has built Subsume Summit out of that innovation. Subsume Summit is a series of virtual and hybrid pieces that center around speculative fiction and the subsection of Afrofuturism within the genre of speculative fiction in comic books, games, film, and art.
Snead will showcase his most recent project, an educational technology platform connecting K-12 students to career pathways in creative and technical careers and graphic novel and gaming creations, at Dragon Con in Atlanta on Labor Day weekend.
Monica Recalls Giving $1,000 Talent Show Prize Money To Her Mother
Monica is a rider for her family and has been that way since childhood. Long before she gave her son $18K to launch a business, she gave her talent show prize money to fund her mother’s wedding.
The “So Gone” singer was a guest during the Atlanta stop of UNITERRUPTED’s “The Shop” live tour, where she explained her “family first” mindset that started with a talent show she won at the age of 9 and happily gave her earnings over to her mother.
“Our family’s from Newnan, Georgia, by way of the Southside. I was born here. I was 9 years old singing the ‘Greatest Love Of All,’ and my motivation at the time was my mother was getting married and we got in my cousin’s 280Z Datsun in the dead of the heat in the summertime with no air conditioning,” Monica shared, as captured by Afro Tech.
“Oh, my mother was getting married I just wanted to give it to her, we just wanted to give it to her, and we did.”
The Grammy Award-winning singer notes the experience as the beginning of her commitment to giving back to those who have supported her along the way.
“Then, just everything I’ve always done, I’ve always looked at it as it was my job to take care of those who took care of me, and that was my mama,” she shared.
“So I got the thousand dollars. That was the goal. But what I learned in those moments is that there’s a plan for all of our lives, and it’s orchestrated by somebody bigger than every person in this room. And, what was meant to happen was for my life to change that day, and I was able to really enjoy my career because I didn’t have any expectations. I was not looking at stats; I was not worried about the noise.”
Monica made media headlines in May with the $18,000 she gifted her eldest son on his 18th birthday. It was money to help give him a headstart on investing in his future. The additional $1,800 was to be spent at his leisure.
Al Sharpton’s Message To Rappers Supporting Trump: ‘He Called for the Death Penalty For 5 Young Black Men’
Rev. Al Sharpton does not support rappers who appear to be “seduced” by Donald Trump and wants them to remember Trump’s past attempts to give the Central Park Five the death penalty.
Speaking with Joy Reid on MSNBC on Tuesday, Aug. 29, Sharpton shared a little history lesson when discussing the irony of Trump supporters who cite systemic oppression as the cause for his recent arrest and indictments. Reid found it funny that Trump supporters are only now acknowledging injustices Black people have complained about for ages but only as a way to bash the former president’s recent arrest.
Sharpton took this as an opportunity to remind Trump supporters of his history supporting criminal injustice against the Black community, specifically the young Black boys who were wrongly accused and charged with sexually assaulting a white woman in Central Park in 1989.
“Let’s not go back to the 1930s, let’s go to the 1990s when five young Black and brown young men were falsely accused of raping a white woman in Central Park,” Sharpton said.
“It was Donald Trump that took out ads in the papers in New York saying they should get the death penalty.”
.@TheRevAl: "If they want to cite how Blacks have been abused by the criminal justice system, cite the case where we marched and eventually it was proven that these five young men that Donald Trump called on to get the death penalty, were in fact innocent." #TheReidOutpic.twitter.com/3toDjeAGv4
“So they want to cite how Blacks have been abused by the criminal justice system. Cite the case where we lost and eventually, it was proven these five young men that Donald Trump called on to get the death penalty was, in fact, innocent,” he continued.
“The only case of race in the criminal justice system that I’ve ever seen Donald Trump stand up for in New York where he’s a native was when he called for the death penalty of five innocent young Black and brown young men.”
Noting one of the Exonerated Five members who attended last week’s commemorative March on Washington, Sharpton continued.
“One spent 13 years in jail, he was with us for the March on Washington on Saturday,” he said. “Let them come and tell the rappers and others that are being seduced by Trump what he did in his hometown to innocent Black men while we were marching around their innocence.”
Denver Approves $4.7M Settlement to Black Lives Matter Protestors Arrested in 2020
Denver City Council is righting a wrong from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests with a hefty settlement.
On Monday, the council unanimously approved a $4.7 million settlement to 300 protestors arrested in the Mile High City for protesting the Minneapolis police’s killing of George Floyd. CBS News reported that the approval is part of the city council’s consent agenda.
“The City and County of Denver have reached a settlement in a federal class action lawsuit filed on behalf of over 300 individuals who were arrested for violating the curfew order during protests in May 2020,” the City’s Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “The class plaintiffs alleged enforcement of the curfew order violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.”
“Over 300 people were arrested for the simple act of protesting. The U.S. Constitution does not allow police to clear the streets of protesters simply because they do not agree with their message,” said Elizabeth Wang, an attorney at Loevy & Loevy, a civil rights law firm, who represents the plaintiffs.
According to The Denver Post, the $4.7 million settlement will be distributed to protesters who claim their First Amendment rights were violated by the Denver Police Department after being arrested for violating the city’s emergency curfew.
“In addition to compensation to protesters, the settlement prevents the City from enacting any curfew enforced against those engaged in protest activity in the future. This is a win that will protect free speech in Denver for the years to come,” Wang added.
The City’s Attorney’s Office stated that the proposed settlement includes approximately $3.0 to $3.5 million for class members and roughly $1.22 to $1.72 million allocated for attorneys’ fees, costs, and settlement administration expenses.
CBS News reports Denver has denied that any part of the city’s curfew order was “unconstitutionally enforced.” The settlement is awaiting approval from the district court.
The settlement will mark the city’s largest payout tied to police activity during George Floyd protests.
Tremaine Emory Reportedly Steps Down As Supreme’s Creative Director
The iconic clothing brand Supreme is without a creative director after reports that Tremaine Emory has stepped down from the role.
Sources say Supreme’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection will be the last under Emory’s vision, Complexreports. Emory joined Supreme as its creative director in February 2022.
There’s no update on what caused the split but the report comes months after the public took notice of Supreme’s silence to Emory’s health scare. Puck highlighted the lack of press around the lower aorta aneurysm Emory suffered last October that left him hospitalized for two months.
In May, Emory discussed his health status.
“I’m recovering,” Emory said on the ‘Started From the Bottom’ podcast. “So I had an aneurysm. I had a lower aorta aneurysm and I’m recovering.”
“You know, eight of 10 people pass from having it, so I was fortunate enough to survive it,” he added. “I went in the hospital in October and [by the] end of December, right before New Year’s, got out.”
Despite how dire Emory’s health scare was, there has yet to be a public statement from Supreme, where he made his creative director debut with its Spring/Summer 2023 collection. His standout additions to Supreme include varsity jackets featuring art by Cactus Plant Flea Market founder Cynthia Lu, durags made in collaboration with Coogi, and a photo T-shirt featuring popular rapper NBA YoungBoy that Emory dubbed a “love letter to the block.”
In an interview published last week, Emory seemingly encouraged fashion lovers against seeking “validation” from major brands since they’re just “conglomerates” and “banks.”
“I would caution kids who care about the validation of these big conglomerates and media giants because these conglomerates are banks,” Emory toldJust Smile.
“LVMH is a bank. Kering Group is a bank. Paramount’s a bank. This is late-stage capitalism.”
He continued. “These institutions will finance a designer, an artist, a band, a director, a writer or whatever to make something to get more money than what they put in. That’s what it’s about for them.”
“If you seek their validation because so and so made you creative director, you’re losing. In fact, you’ve already lost.”
“But if you seek validation, firstly, in yourself and secondly, in the community that you care about and who cares about you, you’ve got a chance to live a life without regrets,” he added.
Emory’s Instagram bio lists him as the co-creative director/owner of No Vacancy Inn and Denim Tears. There is no mention of Supreme.
