by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 9, 2023

Billy Porter Sells Home ‘Because Of The Strikes,’ Blasts Hollywood Execs

Actor Billy Porter is putting his house on the market—and he’s not happy about it.

The Emmy award-winning actor has been forced to sell his home due to financial hardship brought on by the ongoing strike involving members of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America.

“I have to sell my house,” Porter told “the Evening Standard.” “Because we’re on strike. And I don’t know when we’re gonna go back [to work].”

“The life of an artist, until you make f— you money—which I haven’t made yet—is still check-to-check. I was supposed to be in a new movie, and on a new television show starting in September. None of that is happening.”

On July 14, 2023, actors belonging to SAG-AFTA joined members of the Writers Guild in a strike against major studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Actors and writers demands include fair pay and protection against emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

Last month, Disney CEO Bob Iger made headlines with his remarks on the strike when he said the demands from actors and writers are “just not realistic” and the strike is “adding to a set of challenges that this business is already facing that is quite frankly very disruptive and dangerous.”

“To hear Bob Iger say that our demands for a living wage are unrealistic? While he makes $78,000 a day?” Porter said.

“I don’t have any words for it, but: F— you. That’s not useful, so I’ve kept my mouth shut. I haven’t engaged because I’m so enraged…But when I go back [to the U.S.] I will join the picket lines.”

The Pose star also responded to an anonymous executive who reportedly said execs were looking to “allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”

“So to the person who said, ‘We’re going to starve them out until they have to sell their apartments,’ you’ve already starved me out,” Porter said.

Green Book Global Annouces ‘Black Travel Review Month’

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 9, 2023

Green Book Global Annouces ‘Black Travel Review Month’

In celebration of Green Book Global’s establishing “Black Travel Review Month,” the site is releasing tips and rankings of the best ways and places for Black people to voyage into the world.

Founded in 2018, the platform was inspired by the historical “Negro Motorist Green Book” that helped guide Black people safely across the United States.

“As I was traveling around the world, I noticed how difficult it was to determine what racism could be like or what my experience would be like in a destination as a black traveler. Knowing that other Black travelers have this same concern, I created Green Book Global,” said CEO and founder Lawrence Phillips in a statement re-shared by Thrillist.

The forum utilizes its website and social media accounts to provide insight for Black travelers on their journeys and create a communal hub where they can detail their experiences abroad.

Wanting to dismantle the gaps in Black international travel, and the discrimination faced, Green Book Global promotes worldwide exploration through knowledgable trips.

Their rankings of the best destinations for Black people were a diverse array of cities. While Dakar, Senegal, took the top spot, cities across the world, such as New Orleans and Panama City, Panama, made the top five.

For Black Travel Review Month, the platform is encouraging Black voyagers to post their authentic stories about international trips, including activities they would recommend and Black-owned businesses available to patron.

Green Book Global aspires to be the go-to source for diverse wanderers as they make informed decisions about their travels. In partnership with Expedia, reviewers could win big just by sharing detailed takes. Those who post onto the site will be eligible to score as much as $2,000 in OneKeyCash for their next big vacation.

Seasoned Black travelers who want to expand inclusivity can enter the contest here. Winners will be announced on the platform’s Instagram Live every Sunday.

by Daniel Johnson

August 9, 2023

5th Annual For The Culture Festival Celebrates Black St. Louis

On Sunday, Aug. 13, the fifth annual For The Culture Festival will be held in St. Louis. The festival is a celebration of all things Black St. Louis and includes games and booths for Black-owned businesses.

According to KSDK, the founder of the festival, Ohun Ashe, moved the festival from Forest Park to Loretta Hall Park in order to have it closer to St. Louis’s Black community. Ashe briefly discussed the history of the celebration, telling the outlet that the celebration came from humble beginnings, with only one BBQ pit and 10 vendors.

According to the group’s Facebook page, this year’s celebration will feature over 70 Black vendors, a skate party, a stage for live entertainment, and a therapy panel.

The group’s website states #ForTheCultureSTL is intended to “connect Black people with Black-owned businesses and events around the city,” and has a directory of all things Black St. Louis, anything from Black-owned restaurants to Black-owned lawyer firms and legal services.

St. Louis’ For The Culture Festival is a timely event for local business owners and entrepreneurs, as August is National Black Business Month. Incidentally, August also marks the ninth anniversary 18-year-old Mike Brown was killed by police officer Darren Wilson—and the spark of uprising and protest in Ferguson, MO, which resides about 15 miles outside of St. Louis.

“Mike Brown Jr. and the Ferguson uprising had a direct impact on the founding of ForTheCultureSTL,” Ashe told Feast Magazine. “It pushed me to become more active and immersed in our community in a multitude of ways. One big way was supporting Black-owned businesses.”

The ForTheCultureSTL festival, which runs from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT, is free and open to the general public. People interested in attending the event can register here.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 9, 2023

C&J Tax Services’ Back To School Drive So Successful That Another Is On The Horizon

Hundreds of members of the Houston community are ready for another successful school year thanks to the charitable efforts of C&J Tax Services. Its second annual Back To School Drive, held earlier this month, was attended by over 500 people who helped provide school supplies to the city’s underserved youth.

Cynthia Smith at C&J Tax Services helped lead the charge for the charity drive, facilitating the creation of over 350 bookbags for students featuring all the latest school essentials, according to a press release. The number of people willing to help resulted in all the supplies being allocated in one hour.

“The response from the community has been nothing short of inspiring, demonstrating the incredible impact that collective action can achieve,” the company wrote in a press release.

A wide range of activities connected and engaged with their fellow community members. To make the day fun for all groups, including recipients and volunteers, activities such as bouncy houses and face painting were held as well.

C&J taxes back to school drive

The event not only included the act of giving but fellowship. A brunch catered by Lydia’s provided a meal for the families involved.

The event was so impactful—it exceeded the company’s expectations—that C&J Tax Services will hold another charity drive on August 26. In its commitment as a local, Black-owned business, the company is doing its part to uplift education in the city. Families unable to afford the school essentials are encouraged to attend.

The second back-to-school drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 16281 Imperial Valley “Unit H” Houston, TX 77060

This collective action by the members of the community is a testimony to their united spirit to help one another and their future leaders.

SCORE, small, contracts, business, black business, contract, agreement, trust, customer

by Iman Milner

August 9, 2023

SCORE Joins Black Executives To Help Small Businesses for National Black Business Month

There are more Black businesses across industries than ever before, but the issue of receiving substantial funding continues to plague new owners.

However, a resource is readily available that can aid economic growth.

This National Black Business Month, SCORE, an accelerator for small businesses, is encouraging Black executives to mentor young entrepreneurs to help them reach their goals.

According to a press release, SCORE’s mission is to foster small business communities through mentoring and education with a focus on creating lasting change and sustainability. It matches small business owners with thriving executives in their industries.

The company’s hope is to diversify its roster of mentors to help meet the needs of Black small business owners and help promote a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem. For the mentors who are already giving back through the company, the answers lie in simply being represented.

“Just look at the number of businesses started by people of color, and especially women of color. There is a movement that your talent can be poured back into,” said SCORE mentor Marvy Moore. “Whatever you bring to the table, added with the resources from SCORE, you can be a tremendous resource to small businesses.”

As many Black entrepreneurs enter the world of business through self-funding and trial and error, achieving true economic growth and longevity remains a hurdle.

Mentorship can also be hard to come by, though many successful business owners attribute their achievements to just that. Olu Abney, who co-owns My College Tours, worked with SCORE to find a mentor to help scale his business and found a way of viewing his consumers after being successfully paired with a Black executive.

“We don’t look to just have clients, we look to build long-lasting relationships,” he said.

by Stacy Jackson

August 8, 2023

Minneapolis Woman Surprises 5 Black Women Entrepreneurs With Billboard Ads

Black women-owned businesses are getting some mega exposure.

In celebration of Black Business Month, Sheletta Brundidge, founder of ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com, recently purchased billboard advertisements for five Black women entrepreneurs. According to Twin Cities Business, the businesswomen were surprised with features on scrolling advertisements in downtown Minneapolis. Brundidge said this is her way to help the growth of Black women’s businesses that have historically struggled with receiving venture capital.

I love blessing Black women. That's all. That's the post. pic.twitter.com/pf2PwwrRht

— SHELETTA (@ShelettaIsFunny) August 8, 2023

“It’s not just to help them, but to also show other people that we’re worth the investment—to show other people what it looks like to support Black women in business—because if we don’t do it, nobody else will,” Brundidge said.

The media personality sponsored the billboards for the women with a $15,000 investment through her production company to advertise their businesses for two weeks. After reading Minnesota Viking wide receiver Randy Moss’s story about investing in Black companies like Brittany Tolliferreo’s Chick-A-Boom restaurant chain in Philadelphia, Brundidge said she was inspired to invest in women entrepreneurs. “It is important for me to be able to invest in Black-owned and family-run businesses — to leverage my network to them and provide an opportunity that they might not otherwise be afforded,” Moss told the Philadelphia Tribune.

“I’m so glad that so many people are here looking at these billboards, but I need them to translate into searching, into supporting, also investing,” she said to emphasize the importance of every community supporting Black-owned businesses by patronizing and investing in them.

The billboards located across from the US Bank Stadium feature:

Sylvia Williams and Liza Maya, founders of Soul Grain Granola
Rosline’s Candles founder, Rosline Friedrich
Tameka Jones and her Lip Esteem cosmetic brand team
Hair and skin care product company Nature’s Syrup founder De’Vonna Pittman
Chaz Sandifer-Lakeview of Lakeview Terrace Farmer’s Market

Brundidge also purchased a rotating ad for her own company.

by Stacy Jackson

August 8, 2023

London’s Slade Art School Appoints First Black Director After Student Protest Against Systemic Racism

London’s Slade School of Fine Art will welcome its first Black director on Oct. 4, 2023. Mary Evans, a Nigerian-born British artist, has been appointed to the position at the prestigious art school. She joins the school of fine art from Chelsea College of Arts, University Arts London (UAL), where she led the undergraduate fine art course for five years. Evans also taught undergraduate-level courses at Central Saint Martins, a UAL institution.

Known for her paper silhouette art, influenced by her African heritage and the Black diaspora, Evans’s work has been on display at international exhibits such as the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2008.

According to The Art Newspaper, vans will take on the role previously held by Kieren Reed, who began in September 2018. In 2021, the Slade School faced pushback in the form of protests from the student body. The demonstrations highlighted concerns about systemic racism and a lack of studio space during COVID-19.

To address the institution’s history of racism and underrepresentation of non-white students and staff, the students formed a demonstration called #sladeoccupied.

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In February 2022, an external organization, Nous, conducted an independent investigation into the school’s culture, concluding: “Genuine and meaningful change is needed to create a School in which everyone feels respected and valued.” According to the outlet, the report found the institution’s “… recruitment panels are not sufficiently diverse, and recruitment processes are not consistently applied.”

Following the announcement of Reed taking a sabbatical after completing his five-year tenure, Evans said, in a UAL statement, “It will be a privilege to work in an environment that offers a transformative education to emerging artists where students and staff can express themselves and take risks in an increasingly equitable environment at this important moment when diverse knowledges are relevant and necessary.”

Stella Bruzzi, the executive dean of University College London’s (UCL) arts and humanities department, which Slade is organized under, said Evans’ “… directorship of the Slade will support both the faculty and wider UCL in our world-leading and interdisciplinary arts and humanities disciplines.” In 2022, Bruzzi’s ability to constitute change within the institution was previously questioned in a student letter to the UCL vice provost. Bruzzi will serve as a member of the faculty leadership team, working closely with Evans.

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Evans currently has a solo display at South Africa’s Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa titled GILT.

by Iman Milner

August 8, 2023

Kindergarten Enrollment Rates Plummet As Parents Abandon NYC Department Of Education

New York City is facing a public schooling crisis as parents abandon the city’s troubled Department of Education, causing record declines in several age groups, specifically kindergarten.

According to the New York Post, 17% fewer kindergarten students were enrolled in school last year, a huge decline from the 2016-2017 academic year. The numbers dropped from 71,468 to 59,564 as of June, and experts believe the department’s unwillingness to answer concerns about safer schools with better educational resources may be to blame. In some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, parents have turned to publicly-funded, private charter schools as viable alternatives to New York Public Schools.

“Parents don’t think a general-ed public school will meet their child’s needs,” said Alina Adams, author of Getting Into NY Kindergarten.

“The fact is, the bar in New York is so low, all children could do a higher level of work.”

With a disappearing middle class and a large divide between students of higher socioeconomic status and those struggling to find resources, many parents see turning away from traditional public education as the only way to even the playing field.

“The same opportunities just aren’t there,” said Donald Niang, a father of two, who chose Global Community Charter School in Harlem over a school in his district for his kindergarten student this year. “These charter schools, they introduce kids to things that broaden their horizons and open their minds, and that means a lot to me.”

Plummeting test scores, neglected buildings, and overcrowded classrooms have also been deciding factors for parents looking to set their children up for a brighter educational future. “I made the switch, and I’m glad that I did. I have not regretted my decision,” said Harlem mom Marsha Taylor, who enrolled her two kids into a local charter school.

The NY Post reported that over 37,600 students have been transferred out of NYC, and 18,000 have been enrolled into charter schools instead. Though the city’s public school system may leave much to be desired, New York charter school students perform among the best in the country.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 8, 2023

Detroit Woman Files Lawsuit After Facial Recognition Misidentifies Her As A Carjacking Suspect

Many people are leery about the virtues of artificial intelligence and facial recognition, particularly people of color, as many AI developers and the technology can be biased against people who don’t look like them. This has caused numerous issues, and in Detroit, a Black woman is suing the city for being falsely arrested due to a facial recognition error.

According to The Washington Post, Porcha Woodruff, who was eight months pregnant then, was arrested by six Detroit police officers as she opened the door to her house. She was charged with robbery and carjacking. She discovered that facial recognition software erroneously matched a picture taken eight years ago when she was detained for driving with an expired license. The software matched that image with video footage of a suspect.

The victim also pointed to the old photo of her in a lineup.

After her troubling ordeal, she filed a lawsuit against the city of Detroit and a detective in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She recently filed paperwork alleging false arrest, false imprisonment, and a violation of her Fourth Amendment rights to be protected from unreasonable seizures.

The 32-year-old is the third person to file a lawsuit against the Detroit police due to a false arrest because of faulty recognition software.

“Facial recognition technology has long been known for its inherent flaws and unreliability, particularly when attempting to identify Black individuals such as Porcha Woodruff,” the lawsuit stated. “It should be understood that facial recognition alone cannot serve as probable cause for arrests.”

After asking police officers how can she be guilty of a recent carjacking when she was eight months pregnant, her plea went unheard, and she was taken to the Detroit Detention Center. Detective LaShauntia Oliver, also named in the lawsuit, told Woodruff that the victim did not describe the suspect as a pregnant woman.

“Despite knowing the plaintiff was not involved in the robbery or carjacking, Detective Oliver directed the plaintiff back to the holding cell,” the lawsuit stated. It also says that the police department refused to use a recent driver’s license photo of Woodruff in the facial recognition software and not asking the suspect if they recognized Woodruff.

In March 2023, the case against Woodruff was dropped, but the trauma of being arrested has caused anxiety, depression, and extreme stress added to a pregnancy that was already difficult.

Natasha Foreman, swim, black woman, coach

by Stacy Jackson

August 8, 2023

Black Entrepreneur Makes Huge Splash In Her Florida Community, Offers Year-Round Swimming Lessons

Natasha Foreman is making a huge splash in her Florida community.

To uplift her community and change disparity, the entrepreneur launched Natasha’s Nurturing Nest, an agency that supports families and provides a safe space for children. According to Scripps News, the swim program offered at the agency is near and dear to Foreman, who said she never knew how to swim. “We were afraid of the water. My mom was afraid of the water. No one could swim,” she shared.

Foreman prioritized learning as an adult and sought lessons from a colleague when she was 30 years old. Her determination to get used to being in the water led her to become a swim coach. It wasn’t long before she noticed the scarcity of Black and Brown children taking lessons. “Just being in environments where there are little to no Black and brown children in the pool learning to swim, and me being the only Black or brown coach in the water teaching other children to swim, I wanted to support my culture,” Foreman said.

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Aware of the drownings in the U.S., which Stop Drowning Now says averaged nearly 3,500 to 4,000 people per year, Foreman noted how important it is for children to become experts in the water. The organization reported that 64% of African Americans have few to no swimming skills, and African American children aged five to nine drown at rates 5.5 times higher than white children. “Doggy paddling is what parents consider knowing how to swim, but actually, your child doesn’t know how to swim unless they know how to save themselves in the water,” Foreman said.

Natasha’s Nurturing Nest offers home management and nanny services for families in Sarasota, Bradenton, and surrounding areas in Florida. The agency offers year-round swimming, available for families with heated pools. Lessons are also available for families with a residential or community pool.

Swim lessons are $35 per child for each 30-minute session. A small commute fee is applied.