• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 26, 2023

Black Entrepreneurs Blocked From Buying 4.6 Acres Of Land To Develop Modern Day Negro Baseball League

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Meet Cleo Arrington & Glenn Draughn, two African American entrepreneurs who submitted a proposal to buy a local baseball field in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but were blocked by the local school board.

They submitted a proposal to the Nash County School Board at a board meeting in 2021 to buy the Old Rocky Mount Baseball Field. The plans were to use this site for an Independent Developmental Baseball League. The league would offer an outlet to continue playing baseball to African American baseball players that have completed their high school or college eligibility and/or those who may have encountered academic hardship, been under-recruited, or may not have been afforded the opportunity to be a part of a high school or college team. In addition, an entrepreneurship training program would engage participants with a working knowledge of the process of becoming a self-employed entrepreneur.

Arrington comments, “The process of purchasing this land was tainted and compromised from the very beginning, flawed with conflict of interest and possible bid rigging. Dr. Steve Ellis, Superintendent of the Nash County School Board, Rod Malone, Council for the Nash County School Board, William (Bill) Sharpe 4th district Chair of the Nash County School Board and Shannon Davis, Director of facilities of the Rocky Mount School District played key roles in obstructing us from purchasing this property.”

On June 10, 2022, they filed a formal complaint with the North Carolina State Board of Education, North Carolina Attorney General, North Carolina FBI, United States Attorney General and the North Carolina State Auditor to investigate this matter.

On August 18, 2022, and February 6, 2023, they sent a follow-up to inquire about the status of our filing as of today we have not had a reply from either party. In addition, on March 7, 2023, they filed a formal complaint with Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice (refer to their website, ALeagueofourOwn247.com, for an audio transcript and PDF attachments). 

Looking For a Home Site for the 2024 Season

Because of not being able to secure the deal, Arrington and Draughn are still seeking to identify a home city that would be interested in accommodating their Independent Developmental Baseball League starting with the spring and/or fall of 2024. They are looking for a location where the local community, surrounding communities and the business community at large would embrace this baseball league as their very own. 

This league is designed to provide family entertainment, and so they are looking to play an eighty-game spring schedule from May through August and/or a forty-game fall schedule from October through November. Six teams, three games per day, twenty-four players per team. Consisting of the best local, national and international baseball players, this league would bring great economic impact to the entire regional North Carolina. 

Field Requirements:

Seating Accommodations, Concession Stand, Field with Lights, Dugouts, Scoreboard

Meeting Rooms, Press Box, PA System, Groundskeeper and Parking.

For more information and/or for press inquiries, contact (205) 264-1468 or visit the official website at ALeagueofourOwn247.com

This news first was reported by blacknews.com

• Education

by Black Enterprise

May 26, 2023

AT&T’s Dream In Black Rising Future Makers Program Gives HBCU Student Athletes A Chance To Grow On And Off the Court

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While HBCUs produce some of the most accomplished athletes of our time, they often have limited access to resources and lack visibility, Forbes revealed HBCU student athletes face unique challenges in their pursuit of success.

Many HBCU student athletes encounter obstacles that inhibit their professional and personal progress including limited media coverage and recruiting difficulties. However, the pressure to maintain their athletic and academic prowess is one of the biggest.

In response to these problems, AT&T has launched an initiative in hopes of alleviating these difficulties. AT&T’s Rising Future Makers has established a student-athlete industry shadow trip program. Introduced in 2022, this program invites a select group of student athletes from HBCUs with an interest in the sports and entertainment industries to special events. The program’s partners are NC A&T, FAMU, and Howard University and events include NCAA Men’s Final Four, Tribeca Festival and College Football Playoffs. 

Students are offered the opportunity to witness firsthand how the industry works and to speak with professionals in the fields of entertainment, marketing, and technology. 

In 2023, six students apart of this program were able to meet industry leaders during the 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four and HBCU All-Star Game Weekend in Houston. Students met with executives and leading professionals from corporate giants including AT&T, NCAA, CBS, Warner Brothers Discovery and Wasserman.

AT&T’s chief diversity officer Michelle Jordan leads all DE&I initiatives across the company. Jordan spoke about her plans to enhance and accelerate the company’s initiatives to promote inclusivity and to incorporate diversity. “We wanted to make sure that we committed to investing in students in the community,” Jordan told Forbes.

The Dream in Black Rising Future Makers Program is not the first community building initiative AT&T has spearheaded. Apparently, the company has been in the business of partnering and sharing resources  for about 53 years, Madamenoire reported.

Eyana Dixon, a track and field athlete at Florida A&M University and a junior business administration student, opened up about the feelings of pressure she’s struggled with having to represent HBCUs. 

“Although I do feel pressure I know that I’ve been prepared by FAMU. Specifically the school of business, has molded me into not only a woman but a scholar. I’m built to take on challenges, that are thrown at me,” said Dixon to Forbes.

Kendall Smith, who is a junior volleyball player and finance student at Howard University, also expressed his feelings. “Some days I’m tired. As an athlete, there’s networking and business opportunities that you have to engage with, and to be honest a lot of times we want to sleep. I think what keeps me going and keeps me driven is remembering the position I’m in,” said Smith. 

Many student athletes are interested in building careers and lives that don’t only center on their skills on the court but also their intellect and passion and drive. That is exactly what AT&T’s initiative plans to help them do. Beyond offering career development training, the Rising Future Makers initiative also awards $5,000 to 25 HBCU students to invest in their endeavors, whether it be entrepreneurial or charitable. Student athletes are more than what they can offer on their teams and, with this initiative, AT&T is leveling the playing field.

RELATED CONTENT: AT&T’s Dream in Black Rising Future Makers Program is Connecting HBCU Students to Greater Possibilities

• News

by Sidnee Michelle Douyon

May 26, 2023

Pres. Joe Biden Sings The Praises And Leadership Skills Of Black Air Force Chief General Charles Q. Brown

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Praising his leadership and even his culinary skills, President Joe Biden on Thursday formally announced his nomination of Air Force chief General Charles Q. Brown as the top U.S. military officer, making the choice at a time of mounting American concern over security threats posed by Russia and China.

“General Brown has built a reputation across the force as an unflappable and highly effective leader, as someone who creates an environment of teamwork, trust and then executes with excellence – and someone who smokes a mean brisket,” Biden said during his White House Rose Garden announcement.

Officials on Wednesday disclosed Biden’s selection of Brown for a four-year stint as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeding outgoing Army General Mark Milley. Brown would take the post at a time when the United States is providing billions of dollars in military equipment to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion last year and is keeping a close watch on China’s stance toward Taiwan.

If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would become only the second Black officer to hold the job after Colin Powell, who served in the position from 1989 to 1993.

Biden, running for re-election next year, was flanked by Brown, Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the announcement. Harris is the first Black vice president and Austin the first Black defense secretary – the Pentagon’s civilian leader.

“He is an incredibly capable and professional officer and what he brings to the table, to any table, is that professionalism, that deep experience in war fighting and I have personal knowledge of that,” Austin, speaking earlier in the day at the Pentagon, said of Brown.

Biden urged the Senate to confirm Brown. However, the timetable for the confirmation process appeared uncertain.

Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has been blocking military nominations from moving forward since February because he contends the Pentagon improperly uses taxpayer funds to cover travel costs for female service members who obtain abortions.

A spokesman for Tuberville said Brown’s nomination would be affected because the hold applies to all high-level promotions.

*Originally published on Reuters 

The days ahead may not look so bright for 30-year-old rapper Tory Lanez.

A new court filing reported that Lanez had been convicted on three counts concerning the 2020 shooting incident of rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez could face a maximum of 22 years and eight months of jail time after a judge decides his sentence on June 13.

According to Legal Affairs and Trials With Meghann Cuniff, prosecutors found three aggravating factors that could result in the judge ruling in favor of a more severe sentence for the “Jerry Sprunger” singer.

“As Victim began to walk away from Defendant wearing only a bikini and no shoes, Defendant mocked Victim with ‘Dance Bitch’ as [he] opened fire in her direction. With no justifiable reason, Defendant fired not just one but up to five rounds in the direction of Victim in the middle of a residential neighborhood,” prosecutors stated in the filing.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 25, 2023

11-Year-Old Boy Shot By Responding Officer After Calling 911 Wants To Know ‘Why Did He Shoot Me?’

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An 11-year-old boy in Mississippi is recovering after being shot by an officer responding to the 911 call he made to protect his mother.

Aderrien Murry was released from the hospital on Wednesday after he was shot in the chest by an Indianola Police Department officer early Saturday morning, CNN reports. The officer, identified as Greg Capers, was responding to a domestic disturbance call the child made involving his Nakala Murry and the father of one of her children.

Murry said she was concerned when the father of her child showed up at her home at 4 am in an “irate” state and told Aderrien to call the police.  She recalls Capers arriving at the home with “his gun drawn at the front door and asked those inside the home to come outside.”

It was when Aderrien was walking around the corner of a hallway when the officer fired the shot.

“Once he came from around the corner, he got shot,” Murry said. “I cannot grasp why. The same cop that told him to come out of the house. (Aderrien) did, and he got shot.

“He kept asking, ‘Why did he shoot me? What did I do wrong?’” she added.

She recalls the shooting taking place about “one to two minutes” after the officer asked everyone in the house to come outside. Two other children, including Murry’s daughter and 2-year-old nephew, were in the house at the time of the shooting.

Aderrien was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson where he was given a chest tube and placed on a ventilator. He had a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, and a lacerated liver because of the shooting, his mother said.

Protests have erupted in the wake of the shooting, via CBS News, with Murry’s family demanding the officer be fired. However, Capers has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

Body camera footage was also denied due to the ongoing investigation, an attorney said.

“Aderrien came within an inch of losing his life,” attorney Carlos Moore said. “It’s not OK for a cop to do this and get away with this.”

“The mother asked Aderrien to call the police on her daughter’s father. He walked out of his room as directed by the police and he got shot.”

Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone is promising full transparency in the official probe with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, HuffPost reports.

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker are expanding business with a new venture.

According to Deadline, the entrepreneurial couple has joined the team of producers for the revival of The Wiz, where the Tony-winning musical will be reintroduced to the Broadway stage featuring new material by Amber Ruffin.

 

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A post shared by The Wiz Musical (@thewizbway)

“We are thrilled to be part of The Wiz. The songs, choreography, costumes, everything about The Wiz is epic,” Burruss and Tucker said in a joint statement. “We have always said we want to help open the doors of theatre to all people. Theatre has the power to influence and inspire people to create change through art, and that is what we all need now. Art can heal and art can change you. It has changed us. So, come on and ease on down the road with us.”

Fans of the original production of The Wiz are in for a new version of the 1975 production that ran for four years on Broadway. Even better, fans who only got to see the 1978 film adaptation have a chance to see the new rendition on the Broadway stage next year as the musical will be scheduled for limited Broadway engagement in Spring 2024.

Credits for the production is boasting a hefty list of prestigious creators that include: director Schele Williams from The Notebook team; costume designer Sharen Davi, who worked on Dreamgirls; Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” and Black is King choreographer JaQuel Knight; and scenic designer Hannah Beachler, who has been credited in Black Panther, Beyoncé’s Black is King and Lemonade. Music arrangements will be handled by Joseph Joubert and Allen René Louis.

The Wiz national tour is set to launch on September 23 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore. Mega fans might be aware that Baltimore is the city where the production premiered in 1974.

RELATED CONTENT: Kandi Burruss Secures Yet Another Bag With New KFC Commercial Ad

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

May 25, 2023

Latest Data Shows HIV Infections In Young Gay Men Drop But Racial Disparity Remains

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new report that highlights positive strides in the fight against HIV.

HIV infections in the United States have gone down in recent years, with 32,000 new HIV cases reported in 2021, a 12% drop from 2017, CNN reports. The numbers continue to look good amongst young gay and bisexual men, with infections falling 34%, more than twice as much, in the demographic ranging from 13 to 24 in the same timeframe. While this is great news for those still fighting and advocating for those infected, major racial gaps remain.

White gay and bisexual men saw more improvements than their Black and Hispanic counterparts. Black and Hispanic people don’t represent an equal share of new HIV infections. PrEP, a preventative treatment, has been successful in keeping infections down. However, the report suggests that only a few prescriptions were provided to Black or Hispanic people in 2021. A small number of Black people eligible for PrEP—11%—were prescribed it. Seventy-eight percent of white people were given the medicine, compared to 20% of Hispanics.

Even with preventive drugs and self-testing options, health officials warn that this progress is somewhat fragile. “At least three people in America get HIV every day, and that is far too many,” Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, told Politico. Several factors remain in the way of progress being stable, like location. Over half of new HIV infections reported in 2021 came from the South, where Medicaid hasn’t been expanded under the Affordable Care Act.

With Democrats and Republicans still fighting on raising the debt ceiling, experts say it could result in new infections and more people living with HIV. Part of the debate stems from politicians looking to cut funding for healthcare, including testing, case investigation, and HIV/STD treatment.

It’s a parade in my city yeah! Ja Morant is still selling out sneakers in the wake of his recent gun scandal on Instagram Live.

Nike had a deal to fulfill and decided to release Morant’s latest sneaker on Thursday, which sold out in a matter of minutes on the SNKRS app, Commerical Appeal reports. The Ja 1 “Hunger” might’ve been available online, but the option to buy the sneakers in person in the city of Memphis where Morant plays.

The sneakers were released differently than the previous two versions and only in select retail stores throughout Memphis. Employees at Nike, Foot Locker and Hibbett Sports at the Southland, Wolfchase and/or Oak Court malls confirmed they didn’t have the latest Ja 1s in stock.

A local Hibbett Sports manager said they were supposed to get the “Hunger” shoes, but they were put on hold, pending the status of Morant’s Nike deal in the wake of the gun scandal. Last week it was revealed that Nike was no longer listing the “Hunger” sneakers on its website, CBS News reports.

The mismatched red and blue colorway was seen on both the Nike and Finish Line apps up until last Tuesday when they suddenly disappeared. Many took this as a sign that Morant’s deal with Nike might come to an end due to his latest instance of waving a gun around on Instagram Live.

Morant has been suspended indefinitely following the latest exchange. In March, the 23-year-old Memphis Grizzlies star received an eight-game suspension from the league after he was seen holding a gun on Instagram Live while partying inside a Colorado nightclub.

After the initial gun incident, Nike decided to push back the release of Morant’s first Ja 1 sneaker. While the latest release made its way to the SNKRS app, the “Hunger” Ja 1 shoe was not available on the Finish Line and Hibbett Sports mobile apps, despite being promoted on the apps just last week.

Meanwhile, the NBA is reviewing Morant’s latest gun incident that could result in a significant suspension beginning next season.

RELATED CONTENT: Ja Morant’s Signature Shoe Removed From Nike Website After Latest Gun Incident

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

May 25, 2023

‘I Will Cut You’: Machete Wielding NYC Professor Charged After Threatening NY Post Reporter

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Shellyne Rodriguez is facing charges of harassment and menacing after she allegedly held a machete to a New York Post reporter’s neck, threatening to “chop” him up, the paper reports.

The incident happened on May 23 after the reporter knocked on the former Hunter College adjunct assistant professor’s apartment door. He wanted to speak with Rodriguez about the viral video of her cursing at some pro-life students. She opened the door with a large blade, telling the reporter to “get the f–k away from my door, or I’m gonna chop you up with this machete.” Accompanied by a photographer, the two quickly left the building, with Rodriguez following them outside.

“Get the f–k off the block! Get the f–k out of here, yo!” Rodriguez said. She kicked the reporter before returning to her building.

Rodriguez has been seen confronting anti-abortion activists from a campus group called Students for Life of America earlier this month. According to Independent, she was heard saying, “You’re not educating s***; this is f***ing propaganda.”

Hunter College spoke out against her actions. “Hunter College strongly condemns the unacceptable actions of Shellyne Rodriguez and has taken immediate action,” spokesman Vince DiMiceli said. “Rodriguez has been relieved of her duties at Hunter College effective immediately, and will not be returning to teach at the school.”

On her website, Rodriguez describes herself as a visual artist, writer, and community organizer and works on “strategies of survival against erasure and subjugation.” She has also had her hand in organizing “FTP” protests in the Bronx following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In a lawsuit against the NYPD, “FTP” is defined as many things, including “Free the People,” “Feed the People,” or “F–k the Police.”

Several tattoos, including “FTP,” were seen on Rodriquez as she was escorted out of a Bronx precinct after turning herself in.

• Lifestyle

by Jeffrey McKinney

May 25, 2023

Report: U.S. Default Could Bring $132B Economic Loss For Black Americans

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On a larger scale, another estimate projects a default would generate job losses totaling over 7 million, boost the unemployment rate to around 8%, and erase $10 trillion in household wealth. So far, no agreement has been reached to raise the U.S. government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, with a deadline reportedly looming soon that could crush the entire U.S. economy if a deal is not reached.