YIPS, HUSLE, SMARTER, CAREER, ENTREPRENEUR,

by Jeffrey McKinney

July 19, 2023

New Deal Will Make Black Investment Firm Larger Player In Government IT Services Space

Black-owned investment firm IMB Partners has made a strategic investment in eTelligent Group (eTel).

The fresh deal for IMB Partners, whose focus includes building large minority business enterprise companies via acquisition and partnership, means it invests in a provider of technology solutions to the U.S. government.

Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey-based e-Tel’s offerings mainly includes digital transformation services to the Internal Revenue Service. It marks IMB’s second transaction in the GovCon space.

BLACK ENTERPRISE reported in August 2020 IMB’s purchase of IT consulting firm Ashburn Consulting. The eTel deal helps cement IMB’s position in the GovCon sector and allows it to apply its experience with Ashburn to a larger platform with a lot of runway.

The GovCon or government contractor sector includes people and businesses with contracts with the United States on a federal, state, or local government level to handle work or provide goods and services to those agencies. On a federal level, the market reportedly exceeds $1 trillion.

Started in 2010, Bethesda, Maryland-based IMB calls itself a private equity sponsor focused on investing and partnering with management teams to grow lower middle market companies serving government agencies and electric and gas utilities.

IMB seeks platform investment targets between $10 million to $250 million in revenue. In February 2023, the firm shared its growth in 2022: over $1 billion in revenue reached across its portfolio of investments.

The latest deal fits IMB’s long-term growth strategy. It plans to lean into both organic and acquisitive growth for e-Tel. “There is a lot of room to build on this platform with add-on investments because eTel has a very strong core already,” an IMB spokesperson said.

Norman Yu, director at IMB Partners, said, “The eTel team has laid some very impressive groundwork, and IMB sees a great opportunity to grow, diversify, and strengthen the business both inside and outside of the IRS.”

Ritesh Bansal, managing Partner of eTel, added, “Over the past 18 years, we have built a high-performing team of industry-leading professionals that are committed to our core company values of serving with excellence.”

“And now, with this partnership with IMB, we will have the means to extend the same exceptional service to more customers across new categories and invest significantly in building our strategic and operational framework,” said Rohit Aggarwal, managing partner of eTel.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 19, 2023

Snoop Dogg And E-40 Cook Up Fresh New Recipes With Their New Cookbook ‘Goon With The Spoon’

A collaboration between two West coast hip-hop legends has produced a new, unexpected product.

Snoop Dogg and E-40 have gotten together for a cookbook titled, Snoop Dogg Presents Goon with the Spoon, which will be released on Chronicle Books. The book will feature more than 65 recipes from the two businessmen as a follow-up to Snoop’s book, From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen.

The last offering sold more than 1 million copies, and Snoop has connected with his Bay Area rapper cohort, E-40, who owns and operates his own food product line, called you guessed it, Goon with the Spoon.

The hardcover book is slated to go on sale on September 14, 2023, and can be pre-ordered now or purchased as a Kindle e-book.

According to People, the foreword, written by Snoop, says, “E-40 is my big homie, my brother, my mentor. Watching him expand his love for food and cooking over the years to his many successful businesses is some boss-level shit. Which is why Snoop Dogg Presents Goon with the Spoon had to be the next cookbook, ya dig?”

With hip-hop gaining even more extensive coverage this year due to the genre’s historicc 50th anniversary, Snoop Dogg, who doesn’t seem to take a vacation, has kept busy lately.

In June 2023, Petco announced a collaboration with the Doggystyle rapper in an advertising campaign that touts the benefits of the company’s products. Snoop’s Doberman persona, which he has displayed over the years in hip-hop videos, was trotted out once again in a recent commercial featuring the omnipresent entertainer.

He also has a current promotion with Jack in the Box, where Snoop’s Munchie Meal will be available until August 6, 2023. Aside from this latest business partnership, Snoop has kept himself busy with music: he and Dr. Dre put the finishing touches on their next album.

by Stacy Jackson

July 19, 2023

Black Women Of ‘BookTok’ Nominated In First-Ever TikTok Book Awards

TikTok is celebrating literacy, and Black women are a major part of the narrative.

The video-hosting service celebrated the work of writers and content creators at its inaugural TikTok Book Awards for the UK and Ireland. Several Black women were nominated for their contributions in pushing the #BookTok hashtag on the platform.

According to TikTok, “The awards are all about celebrating and recognizing the books, the independent book shops, the authors, and the creators that have made the #BookTok community such a unique place.”

The #BookTok community nominated these Black women authors for their work and influence in literature. Winners will be crowned in August.

Bolu Babalola

The UK-based author is part of the shortlisted authors. Babalola’s work, Honey & Spice, is nominated under the BookTok Book of The Year category. Babalola is in line to receive another award for BookTok Author of The Year.

Jessica George

The Maame author is also among the nominees under the BookTok Book of The Year category. George, a British-Ghanaian writer, has been recognized as a New York Times best-selling author.

Malorie Blackman

Blackman is awaiting award results in the “Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time” for Noughts and Crosses. Blackman creates her work for children and young adults.

Oyinkan Braithwaite

The British-Nigerian writer’s debut novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer, has been nominated as a “Best Book To End A Reading Slump.”

Eden

Better known as @edenvictorria on TikTok, the literary and fashion content creator has been nominated for BookTok Creator Of The Year.

Kemi & Busayo

Kemi and Busayo have also been nominated for BookTok Creator Of The Year. The content creators are highly respected for their reading content on their @compulsivebookbuyers TikTok page.

Readers are being called upon to vote for their favorite literary works and creators and can snag their literature favorites through bookshop.org on TikTok Shop.

Basketball Hoops Removed From Ohio Park Following Gunshots

by Daniel Johnson

July 19, 2023

Basketball Hoops Removed From Ohio Park Following Gunshots

In what is becoming a common occurrence, the basketball hoops at Ohio’s Reese Park were removed following reports of shots being fired in the area, according to Cleveland.com. Officials generally cite public safety as the reason to either close the courts or remove the basketball hoops, but the public usually sees things differently.

Reese Park is in Bay Village, about 13 miles from Cleveland.

Following a similar incident in Lakewood, Ohio, protests erupted from community members as well as elected officials.

“I think there is an element of bias to why the hoops were the only thing removed,” community activist Susannah Selnick said. “The sentiment of taking down the basketball hoops is saying that those that are playing on the hoops are not people we want playing at our parks.”

As part of an investigation, the basketball hoops at Madison Park in Cleveland were removed following reports of gunshots in 2021. Mayor Meghan F. George released a statement following the closure of the basketball court.

“While we understand the importance to the community that our basketball courts serve as wonderful recreational outlets, my obligation as safety director is to ensure a safe environment for all patrons of the park. We look forward to reopening the court as soon as possible.”

In Bay Village, however, there is a pickleball court right next to the basketball court which has remained open. Pickleball, according to The New York Post, is the hottest sport among the wealthy, ergo, it is seen as a sport that white people play.

This lends credence to the views of Selnick and members of the Bay Village community who say that the basketball courts are an important part of their lives and should not be closed, particularly in cases where there were no injuries reported. Some community members like Brad Thompson, who routinely use the court were stunned.

“I actually drove through [Sunday] and saw police so I knew something happened,” Thompson said. “I came up here like, ‘What is going on?’ This is my life!”

At present, there is no expected date for the park’s courts to reopen.

64-Year-Old HBCU Graduate Launches App To Prevent Police Brutality And Hate Crimes

by Iman Milner

July 19, 2023

64-Year-Old HBCU Graduate Launches App To Prevent Police Brutality And Hate Crimes

Alabama resident and Clark Atlanta alumna Maria Watkins is stepping up to help Black people contend with increased police brutality and hate crimes through her app, RTC Protech.

According to Black News.com, the app is the first-ever patented Black-owned app with a 24/7 call center that aims to promote personal safety and combat the issue of law enforcement misconduct, violence, and other dangerous encounters.

“By using technology for personal safety, we can better protect our families and loved ones,” Watkins said. “RTC Protech fiercely opposes police misconduct and a breakdown in interactions between the public and the police. Every person deserves to be treated with respect, given the benefit of the doubt, and not assumed guilty based on their skin color.”

RTC Protech hopes to work alongside officers who practice fair and just policing. The app should be seen as a helpful partner for law enforcement as well.

With the assistance of a team of entrepreneurs, a retired police captain, and a medical technology inventor, Watkins spent three years perfecting the groundbreaking software through her company, the RightThere Corporation (RTC).

“RightThere Corporation has worked extremely hard for the past three years to develop this ground-breaking software. In 2021, our patent was granted,” Watkins said. “Our expectations were exceeded when our company’s valuation was completed this year. This is our soft launch introduction, and RightThere will celebrate its full launch at the completion of its state-of-the-art call center.”

The 64-year-old RTC tech CEO feels the app is one part of her ongoing commitment to keeping her community safe. In addition, Watkins has authored two e-books—How To Be Safe In America and How To Respond To Police Stops—as helpful tools to navigate the landscape of law enforcement in this country. The app, as well as all information from the RightThere Corporation, is intended to keep all American citizens safe from civil rights violations.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, Book Ban, schools, school board, teacher, curriculum

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 19, 2023

Ta-Nehisi Coates Pops Up To School Board Meeting Over His Book Being Banned

When Ta-Nehisi Coates famed memoir, Between the World and Me, was up for debate at a school board meeting in South Carolina, the author himself appeared to show solidarity with those opposing his book being banned.

On the evening of July 17, 2023, faculty, parents, and administrators alike shocked to see Coates at the Lexington-Richland District 5 School Board meeting to hear for himself what all the fuss is about, according to The Daily Beast.

The book has remained a topic of controversy in many states and been removed in a few, as its subject matter does not shy away from addressing institutionalized racism and its impact on Black people.

The issue stemmed from an AP language teacher within the district being reprimanded after prompting students to read the book for a class discussion in February. Some of her students expressed disapproval and discomfort with the lesson plan, stating that the book made them feel “guilty” for their whiteness.

In footage obtained by CBS 19 Columbia, Coates sat next to the teacher in focus as a sign of solidarity with her and others in the fight not to shy away from controversial topics in academic settings.

“We cannot become critical thinkers without becoming uncomfortable in some way,” expressed one student to the board.

In a rise of anti-affirmative action cases and book bans, the notion to prohibit the reading of Coates’ best-selling, anti-racist memoir among various other prohibitive acts in the classroom will likely curate a false sense of history that will be taught to the younger generations.

The superintendent of the Lexington-Richland School District, Dr. Akil Ross, said this fight will either uplift or undermine democratic principles regarding academic freedom.

“Sometimes there’s going to be topics you agree with, and there’s going to be topics you disagree with,” Ross said. “Academic freedom says even if you disagree, there’ll be another opinion presented to our children. Our democracy needs that.”

Coates let those within the community speak on their rights, providing a silent support to show that others, famous or otherwise, nationwide see their efforts and are rooting for them.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 19, 2023

911 Calls In Carlethia “Carlee” Russell Disappearance Released, ‘Female Screamed And Line Disconnected’

The 911 calls leading up to the disappearance of Carlethia “Carlee” Russell have been revealed after she returned following an alleged abduction.

Audio obtained by AL.com and WVTM 13 reveal details of what was reported to authorities ahead of Russell going missing after she exited her car on a highway to tend to a toddler she claimed was wandering outside.

“Child is going to be a white male wearing a white T-shirt and a diaper,” a Hoover police dispatcher told a responding officer.

“RP (reporting party) is advising there are no cars in the area where the child’s been abandoned on the side of the road.”

Russell reportedly told the dispatcher that she would “stand by for police” after calling 911 around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 13, 2023. However, once the responding officer arrived, they found her unattended car with her belongings inside, but no Russell.

“Call the RP back–she’s not at her vehicle,” the officer tells the dispatcher.

“We’re not getting the female to answer,” the dispatcher replies. “We’re trying to call her back. She’s not answering.”

The officer noted that Russell’s red Mercedes sedan was “unlocked, running,” and contained “all her personal belongings except for her phone.”

“We got a call about a female screaming with a child … Be advised, the female screamed and the line disconnected,” one officer said.

Officers discussed using a drone to scan the area for what they believed was a “possible abduction.” A separate recording came in hours before Russell returned home after her family responded to a call from a Red Roof Inn in Vestavia, Alabama, about 7 p.m. Saturday.

“The front, per caller, said family members at this location saying they received a call from the female that’s missing, Carlee Russell, saying she was at this location,” the dispatcher says.

A few hours later, someone from Russell’s residence called police confirming the 25-year-old nursing student returned home on foot.

Carlee’s parents, Talithia and Carlos Russell, sat down for their first interview this week. They revealed the “fight” their daughter put up for her life during the 48 hours she was missing. They said little about the details surrounding her disappearance amid an ongoing investigation.

The Russells said their daughter was abducted by a suspect who is still at large. They’re also asking for the public to stop with the skepticism that’s being expressed online about her alleged abduction.

Fat Joe, BET, BET Awards, Soul Train Awards

by Iman Milner

July 19, 2023

Fat Joe Drops 200 Pounds And Talks Hip-Hop Wellness & Battling Depression To Save His Own Life

Fat Joe is opening up about his life-changing decision to lose 200 pounds and confront his battle with depression to live his best life at 52 years old.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FAT JOE (@fatjoe)

The New York- born rapper spoke to Men’s Health about once weighing 470 pounds and being inspired to start prioritizing his overall wellness following the unexpected death of his friend and fellow rapper, Big Pun.

“I went to his funeral and I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge. Like, I seen me,” Fat Joe said. “And I’m looking at his little daughter. She was the same age as my daughter. I said, ‘You gotta lose weight; otherwise you outta here.'”

Fat Joe, whose real name is Joseph Antonio Cartagena, was determined to conquer not only his physical and mental demons in an effort to reclaim crucial years of his life.

His struggles with depression were often the hardest to overcome, telling Men’s Health his mental health was “the most complex Rubik’s Cube you could ever, ever, ever, ever try to figure out”.

“That’s what depression was like to me,” he said. “When you’re fighting yourself, there isn’t a wall high enough that you can build. There isn’t an island you can go to. There isn’t a place you can go to where you get away from it, because you’re fighting your mind. You wake up, and then the minute you think about it, your brain sends you a message to say, ‘We’re not supposed to be happy.’ And then you fall right back into depression.”

Now the rapper says he focuses on the small things that truly bring him joy and embraces each part of his health journey with open arms. However, not everyone has congratulated Fat Joe on his inspiring weight loss—least of all those who saw themselves reflected in his image.

“I said, ‘Man, I thought you guys would be happy for me! Because I’m getting healthier,'” Fat Joe said, recalling a conversation he had with a fan. “And he said, ‘Nah, man, we feel like you left us. For years, you’ve been telling us being a fat guy is cool. We got upset with you, the big boys.’”

Still, the “Lean Back” rapper stands by his decision and hopes his supporters will understand that it was a matter of life or death.

“They didn’t realize I was just thinking about, yo, I really wanna be here for a long time,” he said. “I really want to work out. I really want to be healthy. I wanna be here.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 19, 2023

John Amos’ Son Arrested For Sending Sister Threatening Messages Amid Claims of Elder Abuse

The family drama between John Amos’ two children has escalated.

Amos’s son, K.C., was arrested for allegedly sending threatening messages to his sister, Shannon. According to authorities, the terroristic text messages included images of firearms, TMZ reports. Shannon contacted Essex County (New Jersey) police to report the slew of alarming messages her brother allegedly sent her claiming to have gang affiliations and brandishing a handgun and rifle.

In one video message, K.C. fired off a gun in an open field and wrote, “Gonna sleep much better tonight big sis.” Shannon reportedly told police that her brother suffers from bipolar disorder and is under the impression she hired someone to kill him.

She is reportedly in fear of her brother retaliating against her and has since issued a cease and desist for comments he’s made about her online. Most recently, K.C. posted a TikTok that seemingly accused Shannon of calling the authorities on him.

“Imagine calling the police #Swatting your own brother 24 times over the last 15 years & not one arrest,” he wrote.

The arrest comes one month after Amos, the beloved of star of Good Times, posted a video alongside his son accusing Shannon of “elder abuse.” His statement came after Shannon launched a GoFundMe a few weeks prior claiming her father was a victim of elder abuse.

‘I am very capable,” Amos said at the time. “And I am very confident in the doctors that I have here in the medical staff that my son has assembled around me.

‘My main issues are that prior to entering the hospital, I had some ongoing issues with my daughter, who I feel has taken advantage of me,” he continued. “She would be the primary suspect if you would. I don’t know if that’s the right term or not.

“She is the one I would attribute my elderly abuse to. It’s definitely a case of elderly abuse.”

In the since-deleted campaign, Shannon was seeking $500,000 to aid her father, whom she claimed was being abused and mistreated by a “caregiver”. But after speaking out against his daughter, GoFundMe deleted the campaign and the senior Amos denied the money that was raised.

Here’s What We Know About Travis King, The Black U.S. Solider Who Crossed Into North Korea

by Sharelle B. McNair

July 19, 2023

Here’s What We Know About Travis King, The Black U.S. Solider Who Crossed Into North Korea

The U.S. Army soldier who bolted into North Korea has been identified as Travis King, NBC News reports.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that Pvt. 2nd Class King, 23, is in North Korean custody after crossing the heavily forbidden border “willfully and without authorization” on July 18, 2023.

King was recently released from prison in South Korea and was being escorted by the military to Incheon International Airport outside Seoul to potentially face more disciplinary action in the United States.

However, King joined a tour group headed for the joint security area instead of going to his gate. A witness and tourist group member, Sarah Leslie, said she noticed a man “running what looked like full gas toward the North Korean side.”

Added Leslie, “Everybody was stunned and shocked. There were some people who hadn’t even realized what was going on.”

Prior to this incident, King, who has served in the military since 2021, had several run-ins with South Korean law officials. In Sept. 2022, he was accused of punching a Korean national at a nightclub in Seoul. In February 2023, he was fined $3,950 in the capital city for repeatedly kicking a police patrol car and was charged with damaging public property. He landed in jail after failing to cooperate with officers after he was apprehended at the scene and shouting profanities about Koreans and the Korean army.

With the tour visiting the Demilitarized Zone dividing South and North Korea, Leslie and other tourists assumed King’s actions were a prank, according to the Associated Press.

“I assumed initially he had a mate filming him in some kind of really stupid prank or stunt, like a TikTok, the most stupid thing you could do,” Leslie said. “But then I heard one of the soldiers shout, ‘Get that guy.’”

She said everything happened so fast and the soldiers didn’t have much time to respond. King ran about 30 feet through a gap between the distinctive blue buildings and once he was over the border, he disappeared from sight.

King is the first known American to be detained in North Korea since Bruce Byron Lowrance, who was caught entering from China in 2018.