• News

by Iman Milner

June 13, 2023

Top Tech Companies Seek Black Indiana Residents To Share $300K In Grants

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The Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative (IAAQLI) has pledged $300,000 in grant support for Black men and women in tech. Now, TechPoint, InnoPower, and Sagamore Institute are offering companies in Indiana the chance to provide tech-related apprenticeship opportunities to low-income adults.

According to Building Indiana Business, the two-year pilot program looks to be a major game changer for Indiana’s Black community. “Within our community are countless people with the ability to succeed in tech careers, but many of them don’t have the resources or relationships to access these,” InnoPower’s Founder and CEO Emil Ekiyor said. “Companies that participate in this program are opening the door to opportunities that can create generational change while helping to fill some of their most-needed roles right away and for years to come. Companies must have some skin in the development process for Black Hoosiers.”

According to Building Indiana Business, an apprenticeship program of this kind allows companies to hire apprentices and provide them with on-the-job training and educational opportunities.

However, the costs of these provisions often turn corporations away from offering them. With IAAQLI’s help, the usual $12,000 per person price tag is cut in half. “Apprenticeships are a long-proven strategy to build a pipeline of talent and the return on investment has a huge ripple effect with each success inspiring more people to participate,” Sagamore Institute President Teresa Lubbers said. “Having to invest in training can make employers hesitate. By reducing some of the risk we can get more employers involved and prove the talent in central Indiana’s Black community.”

For TechPoint, the initiative is part of their Mission14K project, which seeks to bring 41,000 new and diverse tech workers to the state by 2030. They plan to expand on tradition and develop new pathways for Black Hoosiers, especially women, to enter the tech industry.

Tennis champion Sloane Stephens is adding creative director and designer to her resume with the release of her first-ever swimsuit collection.

On Thursday, June 8th, Sloane dropped part two of her swim collection with Kitty and Vibe. Serving as Creative Designer and Investor, Sloane designed her two-part collection to reflect her unique personality and style through versatile swimsuits and cover-ups for the girl that is always on the go.

“This collection has a lot of prints and all around sparks joy which is what I strive to do in my career and everyday life,” Stephens told BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“I also love wearing color when I’m playing tennis so incorporating color into this collection was a no-brainer.”

 

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A post shared by Kitty and Vibe (@kitty_and_vibe)

Sloane’s vacation-ready pieces are made to take wearers from the beach to brunch with the linen-blend cover-ups that add class to any of her swimwear pieces. The U.S. Open champion knows a thing or two about winning, and her swimwear line is no exception.

“I’ve always loved swimwear and was part of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue back in 2018,” she said. “I’m very detail-oriented and have learned a lot from my tennis life about balancing form and function.”

“Kitty and Vibe’s proprietary sizing makes so much sense and I immediately connected with their vision and values,” she added.

With a blend of supportive, sporty, and comfy swim and cover-up styles, Sloane’s swim debut encompasses the same champion spirit she’s known for.

“This was my top priority when collaborating with the brand, especially given that they are swimsuits.” she said. “Swimsuits can be a very difficult thing for people to feel comfortable in and I wanted to make sure that we catered this collection to anyone and everyone who wanted to try it out.”

“As an athlete with a muscular build, I’ve struggled to find swimsuits that I feel comfortable in, so this was near and dear to my heart.”

 

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A post shared by Kitty and Vibe (@kitty_and_vibe)

With pieces ranging in price from $42-$110, the collection was made to be affordable and accessible. It’s also just the start of more fashion collaborations for Sloane. Now that she’s got her feet wet in swimwear, the decorated WTA Tour Singles title holder has her sights on more fashion ventures.

“I am definitely interested in more collabs down the line! I love working with brands I feel aligned with and Kitty and Vibe is definitely one of those,” she said.

“I always try to use my platforms to be really positive, especially when there can be so much negativity on social media, so I really resonated with Kitty + Vibe’s positivity and “Kind is My Vibe” approach to everything they do and share online.”

• News

by Iman Milner

June 13, 2023

Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts Ditches His Cleats For Romance In Teyana Taylor’s ‘Jordan 1’ Commercial

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took off his cleats to don a pair of Teyana Taylor‘s signature “Jordan 1” sneakers in the short film for her new collection, “A Rose From Harlem”.

Playing her love interest, Hurts is the quintessential neighborhood cutie and for the in-demand eye candy, it was a fun departure from his usual sports-centric projects, according to The YBF.  “She reached out to me and said she had an opportunity for me. She said I was the perfect fit for it, so I really appreciated that. And we kinda went from there,” he said. “You know, the neighborhood mailman in the little video. It was a fun experience. I’m glad I got to try it.”

The ad – which also features DJ Khaled, Remy Ma, Maino, Fabolous, Lola Brooke, and Taylor’s daughters with NBA veteran Iman Shumpert, Junie and Rue Rose – is a magical look at the singer’s beloved hometown of Harlem, New York. “This is my love letter to Harlem and all of the dreamers around the world,” she said in a post on Instagram. “Thank you to the village that helped tell the story of a dreamer that bloomed from the concrete with this beautiful cinematic commercial/mini movie & this beautiful sneaker.”

 

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A post shared by Jimmy Neutch- Shumpert (@teyanataylor)

Fans of the Jordan Brand and the ever-popular Hurts are wondering if his cameo may mean that the quarterback is close to creating his own signature shoe with the sports brand. After closing a historic deal to become one of the highest- paid players in the NFL, Hurts has also become one of the most bankable faces in sports. Earlier this year he was on the cover of Essence magazine’s Men’s Issue and on TikTok #jalenhurts accounts for millions of thirst-laden video montages featuring the Texas native’s signature dimpled smile and caramel skin.

Is it possible that Shedeur Sanders will have a better football playing career than his father Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders?

According to Sports Illustrated’s Fan Nation, Shedeur, who played at the quarterback position at Jackson State University, was awarded the 2022 Deacon Jones Award. The Black College Football Hall of Fame gives that honor to the top collegiate player of the year at an HBCU.

Sanders was given the honor while attending the Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Induction Ceremony in Atlanta, on June 10.

Earlier in 2023 the Black College Football Hall of Fame announced that the former Jackson State University quarterback, Sheduer, had been named the 2022 Black College Football Player of the Year. 

🏈 BREAKING NEWS 🏈@GoJSUTigersFB QB SHEDEUR SANDERS wins Deacon Jones Trophy as the 2022 Black College Football Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/tFSoP6kIkc

— BlackCollegeFootball (@BCFHOF) February 25, 2023

The Smithsonian will shelter Ebony magazine’s groovy 1970’s-era test kitchen.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) will conserve Ebony magazine’s historic test kitchen built in 1972, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The kitchen was the place where recipes would be tested before being included in the magazine’s “Date With a Dish,” and “Your Favorite Recipe” food columns.

The test kitchen may be rebuilt with original appliances in the future, per a statement from the museum. The statement read, “While there are no immediate plans to display the test kitchen inside the museum, NMAAHC seeks to feature the iconic kitchen as part of an initiative highlighting foodways’ integral role in African American culture during the modern era through digitization. In the meantime, this piece of history will undergo conservation work and new plans developed for its reconstruction.” Instead, photographs and information about the historic test kitchen are available on NMAAHC’s Searchable Museum website.

Kevin Young, NMAAHC’s director, reflected on the importance of the kitchen. He said per Smithsonian Magazine, “The kitchen was a place where recipes were reimagined, flavors were explored and stories were shared — a place that celebrates Black history and culture in a way that was not only inspiring but delicious.”

Photographs of the space show swirls of purple, green, and orange. Joanne Hyppolite, the African Diaspora curator at NMAAHC called it “legendary for its interior design,” per Smithsonian Magazine. Ebony‘s food editor from 1985 to 2010, Charlotte Lyons, told The Chicago Sun-Times last week, “You could almost taste the colors, smell the colors; it made you happy.”

Ebony‘s test kitchen was designed by William Raiser and Arthur Elrod per, Landmarks Illinois. The kitchen was located on the tenth floor of Johnson Publishing Company’s building. The African-American-founded publishing company first opened its doors in 1971. The building was the first one on Michigan Avenue in Chicago designed by a Black architect, John Warren Moutoussamy.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 13, 2023

Lebron James Secures ‘Permanent’ Affordable Housing For I PROMISE Students And Their Families

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Los Angeles Laker LeBron James has been keeping his promise when it comes to his organization and its work.

According to News 5 Cleveland, The LeBron James Family Foundation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the I PROMISE Housing development. The apartment complex is in partnership with the East Akron​ Neighborhood Development Corporation.

The building features has 50 apartments, including two-, three-, and four-bedroom units. All units have access to fiber-optic Wi-Fi and amenities that include community and fitness rooms.

And the ribbon has officially been cut. Time for tours!
The #IPromiseHousing offers 50 roomy units for @LJFamFoundation families.@IPROMISESchool kids will have a short walk to school, just a half mile.
We’ll have full coverage starting at 5pm today on @wkyc pic.twitter.com/WmRd2c6fte

— Margaret Bernstein (@margbern) June 8, 2023

“Young people who have a quality place to live are better students and become better citizens in our community,” said Dan DeVille, Vice Chair of East Akron​ Neighborhood Development Corporation in a written statement.​

In attendance at the ribbon cutting was LeBron’s mother, Gloria James, who also took part in the tour of the units.

“LeBron always says leave a place better than when you found it. This is a way of not only doing that but inspiring all of our families and everyone to do the same,” James said. “Today, we say welcome home.”

The I PROMISE Housing development is still accepting applications from families looking to live there. Seventeen families have been already approved. Families who are interested in applying can read here for more information.

WKYC reported that the building is located at 445 S. Maple St, which is only a half-mile away from the school that James opened in 2018.

• News

by Stacy Jackson

June 13, 2023

Olympic Gold Medalist Tori Bowie Died 8 Months Pregnant, ‘Undergoing Labor’

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A heartbreaking discovery was made after the death of Olympic gold medalist, Tori Bowie, a member of the 4×100 meter 2016 Olympic relay team

A coroner’s report declared Bowie died “undergoing labor.” The 32-year-old track star was eight months pregnant with her daughter at her time of death, according to the report, which was obtained by TMZ.

Bowie’s management company broke the news on social media on May 3, 2023, a day after she was found dead in her bed at her Florida home. Orange County police conducted a welfare check after Bowie’s family had not heard from her for a few days.

Black women have the highest maternal mortality rates in the U.S. According to NPR, Black women are more than twice as likely to die in childbirth than white women. Overall, maternal mortality has increased in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the maternal mortality rate at 32.9 deaths “per 100,000 live births” in 2021. The rate for 2020 was 9.1 (23.8) fewer deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2019, the rate was 20.1.

Bowie died in her home, but Black women do not necessarily find refuge in hospitals. Medical racism increases the likeliness of Black women dying in childbirth. Some Black women are turning to doulas for support during pregnancy and childbirth—Black celebrities included.

Earlier this year, singer Summer Walker gave birth to twins with her doula, Erykah Badu. Walker encouraged other women to consider a doula in a post shared by The Shade Room. “You can do it; this was my second home birth. All natural,” Walker said.

Companies like Dove have also created initiatives for Black maternal care in the U.S., including launching a Black Doula Directory to provide access to Black doulas from around the world.

RELATED CONTENT: Medical Racism is the Reason Black Women Are More Likely to Die During Childbirth

• Politics

by Derek Major

June 13, 2023

Justice Clarence Thomas Penned 50-Page Dissent As Supreme Court Upheld Voting Rights Act

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The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama’s Congressional Map discriminated against Black voters, giving voting rights advocates a surprise victory and reaffirming the remaining protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The High Court, which has a 6-3 Republican majority, ruled against the state in a 5-4 decision Thursday, saying Alabama’s map of its seven congressional districts heavily favored Republicans. Just one of the seven districts featured a majority Black population. The ruling affirms a lower court ruling forcing the state to create a second congressional district where Black voters make up or are close to a voting age majority.

The case, Allen v. Milligan, arose when the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature drew a new congressional district map after the 2020 Census. The NAACP, as well as individual voters, sued, saying the map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, joined the three liberal justices to make the majority.

According to The New York Times, the decision could impact other states in the Deep South and force them to redraw congressional maps. However, despite the victory, the two conservative justices still harbored reservations concerning the Voting Rights Act, and left the door open for future challenges.

Still, many celebrated the ruling, including NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who praised the court for ruling against what he called an effort to suppress the Black vote.

“This decision is a victory for Black America and a triumph for our democracy,” Johnson said according to NBC News. “This fight is far from over.”

Justice Clarence Thomas, who did not agree with the ruling, wrote a 48-page dissent saying the Voting Rights Act doesn’t require Alabama to “intentionally redraw its longstanding congressional districts so that Black voters can control several seats roughly proportional to the black share of the State’s population.”

Alabama has a dark history of voter suppression that continues to this day. In 2013, an Alabama county challenged the constitutionality of two provisions of the Voting Rights Act and in a 5-4 vote the Supreme Court ruled Section 4(b) of the Act was unconstitutional.

Additionally, the state does not offer early voting and is also one of 11 states that require a witness or notary to sign a voter’s absentee ballot. During Jim Crow, Alabama adopted a poll tax, a literacy test, and established property requirements as qualifications to vote.

Cardi B just secured another legal victory after crushing Tasha K in her defamation case. Now, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper is $350k richer after winning a battle over her album cover art.

A motion was filed on Monday, June 12, that ordered Kevin Michael Brophy to pay Cardi B $350,000 to cover her legal fees in his failed attempt to sue the Grammy award-winning rapper for including his giant back tattoo on the cover of her 2016 “Gangsta B*tch” mixtape cover, Billboard reports.

In addition to paying Cardi’s legal fees, Brophy also voluntarily withdraw his motion for a new trial and waive any chance at a future appeal.

“The parties now have reached an agreement avoiding the necessity of defendants’ motion for attorney’s fees and application to tax costs,” the filing stated.

The new agreement follows U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney’s December 2022 ruling that Brophy’s distinct back tattoo only played only a small role in Cardi’s cover art on an album that served “a larger visual commentary on sexual politics, via Legal Affairs and Trials.

In 2017, Brophy sued Cardi, her company Washpoppin’ Co. and her former manager Klenord “Shaft” Raphael’s company KSR Group LLC for $5 million over the cover art that shows a man performing oral sex on the rapper while she sips from a Corona in the backseat of a car.

The tattoo on the man’s back in the cover closely resembles Brophy’s real life back tattoo. While it has the exact tiger and serpent from Brophy’s tattoo, it doesn’t include the waves, rose petals or the phrase “Born to Lose” like included on Brophy’s back tat.

Cardi argued the imposed back tattoo on her album cover was just art that’s protected by the First Amendment. In Oct 2022, a jury sided with Cardi. When Brophy’s lawyers attempted to overturn the ruling, that’s when Judge Cormac County issued the final ruling.

“Brophy’s tattoo was but one tattoo on the back of the model, who was himself but one part of a suggestive portrayal of a man with his head between Cardi B’s legs while she was in the backseat of a vehicle and drank an alcoholic beverage,” the judge wrote.

“The purpose, Cardi B testified, was to show her in control, reversing traditional gender roles.”

Now after winning millions from Tasha K, which remains on hold amid the YouTuber’s bankruptcy filing, Cardi is set to receive a few hundred thousand from another lawsuit.