• News

by Derek Major

May 20, 2023

HOPE Fair Housing Center Hosts Event Highlighting Housing Justice Issues Including Real Estate Appraisal Bias

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The HOPE Fair Housing Center (HOPE) held its annual conference Wednesday, bringing together lawmakers, real estate professionals, civil rights organizations, and advocates in Geneva, Illinois.

This year’s conference, themed HOPE for Housing: Meeting the Moment in Housing Justice, celebrates 55 years since the passage of the Fair Housing Act and the formation of the HOPE Fair Housing Center. The event took place in person after two years of being held virtually.

The HOPE Conference provides valuable information, advice, and support for those working toward fair, accessible, and equitable housing across the U.S.

The Fair Housing Act passed in 1968, prohibits discrimination by direct providers of housing, including landlords, real estate companies, municipalities, banks or other lending institutions, and homeowners insurance companies based on race, sex, gender, disability, or national origin.

In the 55 years since the act was passed, housing discrimination continues for minorities and Black Americans through redlining, real estate appraisals, and banking discrimination.

The HOPE conference featured prominent housing leaders, including Allison Bethel, director of the Fair Housing Clinic at the University of Illinois-Chicago Law School; Government Affairs Director Neeley Erickson from the Illinois Association of Realtors; President of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), DuPage County Mabel Guzman; and attorney Kate Walz of the National Housing Law Project (NHLP).

Additionally, Gianna Baker, the co-executive director of the Chicago Fair Housing Alliance, received HOPE’s 2023 Fair Housing Hero Award for her long-standing housing justice advocacy.

“We are beyond excited to return to an in-person event that unites stakeholders from all corners of the housing industry,” said HOPE Executive Director Michael Chavarria. “We want our partners to leave the event invigorated by the powerful fair housing community in Illinois and empowered to find innovative strategies that expand the way we do our work.”

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported in March that less than 50% of Black Americans (44%) are homeowners in the U.S., which is less than Hispanic Americans (50.6%), Asian Americans (62.8%), and White Americans (72.7%).

The Elevate Prize Foundation presented Lizzo with the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award today in recognition of her commitment to social justice, driving positive change, and using her platform to amplify the work of other activists. The Grammy award-winning singer and actress accepted the award during the Foundation’s first-ever Make Good Famous Summit, a two-day event bringing together leaders in media, philanthropy, and social impact to discuss new ways in which culture can spark change.

At the Make Good Famous Summit in Miami, Lizzo thanks the Elevate Prize Foundation for recognizing her with the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award and pledges the $250,000 prize to her Juneteenth initiative.

“I’m so honored to be receiving the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award,” said Lizzo. “When I decided to dedicate myself to positive music, I always wanted to have the resources to be able to bring actual positive change to the world. I am pledging the entirety of this prize to my 4th annual Juneteenth giveback, which will be helping grassroots Black organizations who are giving back to their communities and their neighborhoods. We’ve had three really successful years and this is going to be the greatest year yet!”

Mirroring the summit’s theme of “Reimagining Culture to Power Change,” the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award recognizes prominent individuals who use their influence to inspire social action. To advance their mission and scale their work, recipients receive $250,000 in unrestricted funding, as well as valuable development resources and partnership opportunities.

Past recipients of the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award include Malala Yousafzai for her efforts with Malala Fund, Amal and George Clooney for their work with The Clooney Foundation for Justice, and Trevor Noah for his impact through The Trevor Noah Foundation.

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“We are so proud to recognize Lizzo, an icon who selflessly lends her voice and platform so others around the world can be heard and empowers her fanbase to take action. She is a shining example of how culture and creativity can challenge the status quo and catalyze progress on issues ranging from reproductive rights to social justice – a central theme of this week’s discussions,” said Carolina García Jayaram, CEO of The Elevate Prize Foundation. “This inaugural Make Good Famous Summit marks the first of many. We’re thrilled to convene so many inspiring cross-sector leaders and unite around our shared goal of igniting a global movement for change.”

Sessions held during the inaugural Make Good Famous Summit, which will conclude on May 19, have focused on subjects such as creating cultural movements, learnings from Gen Z changemakers, and the case for philanthropic investment in media and storytelling, among others. The Summit’s final panel, titled “Reimagining Philanthropy: Investing in Visibility and Media to Power Change,” will be live-streamed available to a virtual audience on Friday, May 19, starting at 1:05 pm ET via Zoom (Meeting ID: 998 8594 5653/Passcode: 808544).

Key speakers at the Summit include Nicholas Suplina, Senior Vice President for Law & Policy of Everytown for Gun Safety; Emiliana Guereca, President of Women’s March Foundation, Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director of Equality Now; Shaniqua McClendon, Vice President of Politics at Crooked Media; and Suzanne Kianpour, Foreign Affairs & Political Journalist at the BBC.

Leaders from CNN, Google, MIT, National Endowment for the Arts, Knight Foundation, Water.org, The Clinton Foundation, and other organizations also participated in the Summit. They were joined by several winners of the Elevate Prize, such as 2021 recipient Kaushik Kappagantulu, who is the Co-founder and CEO of agri-tech start-up Kheyti and recent winner of The Earthshot Prize, a prestigious award presented by Prince William and The Royal Foundation. Members of the 2022 Elevate Prize cohort were also in attendance, including Rachel Silverstein, who leads Miami Waterkeeper, a nonprofit that uses science, advocacy, and outreach to protect South Florida’s waterways from pollution and combat climate change.

The Elevate Prize recognizes and awards rising activists and social entrepreneurs with resources to raise the visibility of their work and multiply their impact. It is the signature program of the Elevate Prize Foundation, which aims to serve as an engine for social good by helping changemakers raise their visibility, inspire others and, ultimately, multiply their reach and impact to “Make Good Famous.”

Football legend, actor and activist Jim Brown has died. He was 87. 

His wife, Monique, announced his passing on Instagram. “It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of my husband, Jim Brown, she wrote. 

“To the world he was an activist, actor, and football star. To our family he was a loving and wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken…,” his wife of 20 years captioned. 

Brown was born February 17, 1936, on St. Simons Island in Georgia. He attended Syracuse University where he played football and lacrosse.

Brown was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1957 draft. He played with the team for nine seasons and was named a Pro Bowler every year he played. He led the Browns to the league championship three times and he was also named MVP three times.

Brown is the only person to be in the College Football Hall of Fame, National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and the Professional Football Hall of Fame. 

Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam honored the legend in a statement. 

“Jim Brown is a true icon of not just the Cleveland Browns but the entire NFL. He was certainly the greatest to ever put on a Browns uniform and arguably one of the greatest players in NFL history.”  

Brown shocked fans when he abruptly retired from football at the age of 30. He was filming the movie The Dirty Dozen during the offseason in 1966. When production of the film was delayed, Brown informed his team that he would be late for training camp. After Browns’ owner Art Modell threatened to fine him for every day he missed camp, Brown decided to retire to pursue his acting career. He went on to appear in over 30 movies.

The activist founded the Negro Industrial and Economic Union (later known as the Black Economic Union) to support upward mobility for Black people in the Cleveland area. 

In 1988, he created the Amer-I-Can program; the organization’s primary focus was to turn gang members to productive members of society. 

He is survived by his wife and children James Jr., Kevin, Kim, Aris, and Morgan.

RELATED CONTENT: This Day In History: NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown Was Born

Rihanna set the internet ablaze after posting a series of semi-nude MILF maternity photos to her Instagram and Twitter pages. 

The sun-kissed icon was photographed on a balcony overlooking the ocean, surrounded by palm trees. Her bejeweled hands covered her bosom as she stood wearing a pair of snakeskin stilettos and not much else, serving MILF

here’s a little series I call
“Rub on ya titties”

in honor of my first pregnancy, embracing motherhood like a g, and the magic that this body made! Baby RZA… he in there not having a clue how nuts his mama is, or how obsessed he bout to make me#maternityshoot2022… pic.twitter.com/I9NnzcaNgy

— Rihanna (@rihanna) May 19, 2023

The recent MILF photos were taken during her first pregnancy with one-year old son RZA Atelston Mayers whom she shares with rapper A$AP Rocky.   

“In honor of my first pregnancy, embracing motherhood like a g, and the magic that this body has made! Baby Rza… he in there not having a clue how nuts his mama is, or how obsessed he was bout to make me.“ 

Rihanna’s maternity post received over 10 million likes. Fans flooded the mother’s comment section singing their praises for the MILF photos. 

“I’m obsessed wow OMG ” said fellow singer Halle Bailey. 

“I want you to born me too!! RZA so lucky,” said talk show host, Jessie Woo  

The “Umbrella” singer hinted that there are more pregnancy photos on the horizon via a hashtag 

“#moretocome,“ she teased. 

The Fenty Beauty founder is expecting her second child with A$AP Rocky. She revealed what appeared to be a baby bump during her highly anticipated Super Bowl 57 performance on Feb. 12.  Her reps confirmed the pregnancy to Rolling Stone reporters soon after the 13-minute performance. 

“Rihanna has so many things she is grateful for. She is ecstatic about how her show went. She felt great about performing again. She was also super excited to confirm her pregnancy,” an insider told People magazine. 

The mogul has kept her due date under wraps, but one source told People that baby #2 will make an appearance this summer. 

RELATED CONTENT: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Celebrate Their Son’s First Birthday With Adorable Family Photos

• Career

by Jeffrey McKinney

May 20, 2023

5 Tips To Help Black College Graduates Earn More

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Seale offered tips that Black college graduates can take to potentially get a raise after they start working:

The city of Oakland will have a street named after the late rapper Tupac Shakur.

According to People, the renaming will occur on MacArthur Boulevard between Grand Avenue and Van Buren Avenue. This is also the street Tupac stayed on while he lived in Oakland. 

In a unanimous decision, the city council voted in favor of the new street name, Tupac Shakur Way.

The controversial artist made his way to Oakland in the early 1990s. In a 1993 video interview, he said he got his “game” from Oakland. “When I got to Oakland, that’s when I learned the game,” he said. “I give all my love to Oakland. If I’m a claim somewhere, I’m a claim Oakland.”

Shakur is joining an esteemed list of Black people with a street named after them, including Black Panther Party Co-founder Huey P. Newton and Oakland’s recording artist, Too Short.

NBC News reported that the street being renamed is located by Lake Merritt, and the Tupac Shakur Foundation will pay for the commemorative plaques and signs that will replace the current name.

The legislation says that the street naming will remind the people of Oakland of Shakur’s “contributions to Oakland and our communities through the celebration of art and culture as an awakening tool towards changes in society.”

RELATED CONTENT: Miami Street Renamed After City’s First Black Bahamian Restaurant Owner

Seven years ago in 2016, the mayor of Oakland proclaimed June 16, Tupac’s birthday, as Tupac Shakur Day. 

The rapper, who at the time was making strides in his acting career, was only 25 when he was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996 following a Mike Tyson fight. There has been no word yet on the timeline for the renaming ceremony. Tupac’s indelible footprint continues to impact legions of people beyond the music industry. His pioneering work has left a lasting legacy nearly 30 years after his death. 

RELATED CONTENT: Tupac Shakur’s Pop-Up Restaurant, Powamekka Café Makes Its Way to Los Angeles for a Limited Time

• Education

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 19, 2023

Forest Whitaker Expands Peace and Development Initiative in Impoverished Area of Paris

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Forest Whitaker is expanding his Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI) with a new Community Learning Center (CLC) in the poorest area of metropolitan France.

On Wednesday, the Oscar-winning actor and star of The Butler was in Aubervilliers, a town in Seine-Saint-Denis just north of Paris, for the ribbon-cutting of the WPDI’s latest CLC. The center provides free access to courses for youth, women, and other vulnerable groups that focus on ICT, entrepreneurship, and conflict resolution.

It’s among the 15 locations Whitaker has opened to develop a grassroots Youth Peacemaker Network since the WPDI started in 2012. Other CLCs are located in impoverished areas of South Sudan, Mexico, Uganda, and South Africa.

The centers serve as hubs for learning and information aimed at creating conditions for lasting peace and sustainable development for those in overlooked or misrepresented areas across the globe.

“I would see in some of their eyes this look…a look that I knew from when I remember gang members from my neighborhood,” Whitaker said to a crowd of local officials and members of his French NGO.

“I started trying to figure out how to fix that. I knew that the only way to really find peace was to work together as a society and to work together on the ground.”

The latest location began offering its free classes in late April and already has over 70 students in courses that teach entrepreneurship, communications, computer science, and social mediation. The goal is to have 200 students by the end of the year.

It’s an honor for Whitaker to open the center in an area that has an unemployment rate of 39%, poverty at 34%, and soaring crime rates.

“Sometimes we have to address peace that way, to work as a team on the ground … we have to know that we can make a difference ourselves,” Whitaker said.

Power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé purchased the most expensive home ever sold in California.

The billionaire hip-hop mogul and global superstar dropped a whopping $200 million for a 30,000-square-foot Malibu mansion, TMZ reports. They even got a deal considering the home’s asking price was $295 million.

Jay and Bey surpassed the previous record of $177 million spent on a California home and come in second behind the most expensive home sold in the entire country, a NYC apartment purchased for $238 million.

The beachfront mansion sits on an 8-acre bluff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Paradise Cove, otherwise known as Billionaires’ Row. Designed by Japanese master architect Tadao Ando, the home was owned and built by William Bell, who spent almost 15 years building the all-concrete structure.

Ando is also working on designing another Malibu home purchased by Jay’s longtime music collaborator, Kanye West. It’s the second home Beyonce and Jay-Z purchased in Los Angeles, following the Bel-Air mansion they bought for $88 million in 2017.

It’s the first Malibu home the Carters have owned after renting a home that sold for $50 million in 2018, CNBC reports. The “Everything Is Love” creators rented the lavish, 6.5-acre Malibu estate dubbed La Villa Contenta up until they purchased their mansion in Bel-Air.

 

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A post shared by Dream Homes Magazine (@dreamhomesmag)

Their latest home purchase is a sure sign of how happy the Carters are raising their family of five in Los Angeles. Beyonce and Jay-Z have been married since 2008 and share three children, daughter Blue Ivy, 11, and 5-year-old twins Rumi and Sir Carter.

Beyonce is currently on the European leg of her Renaissance world tour, her first world tour in about seven years. The tour is projected to rake in more than $2 billion, which means $200 million on a mansion is nothing to the Carters.

• News

by Sidnee Michelle Douyon

May 19, 2023

Tim Scott, Lone Black Republican in U.S. Senate, to Run for President

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Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott has entered the 2024 presidential race, according to a filing with the U.S. election regulator on Friday, in what amounts to a long-shot bet that a message of unity and optimism can still appeal in a party where many voters are hungry for a bare-knuckled fight.

The impoverished child of a single mother and the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, Scott often points to his personal story as proof that America remains a land of promise.

On the campaign trail, his sunny disposition presents a major contrast with other declared and prospective candidates, including former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who have portrayed the U.S. as a declining nation in need of rescuing from a corrupt, leftist elite.

As a Black conservative, Scott is a rarity in a country where politics are sharply divided along racial lines. Some 92% of Black voters backed Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, while 55% of white voters backed Trump.

Scott often called out Trump when he was president for making racially insensitive comments and blocked several of his judicial nominees for that reason as well. At the same time, the South Carolina senator has accused Democrats of exploiting racial tensions for partisan gain.

While Scott has described being the victim of racial prejudice, he has repeatedly insisted that America is not a racist country.

Scott enters the race with his work cut out for him.

Only about 2% of Republicans plan to vote for him in the primary, according to polling averages, and his national name recognition remains low. Over half of Republicans plan to vote for Trump and about a fifth favor DeSantis, who is expected to jump into the race in the coming days.

Still, Scott’s chances may be stronger than they appear on paper.

He is well-known and liked in his home state of South Carolina, which plays a crucial role in the Republican nominating contest as it is only the third state to cast its ballots.

Scott also has a strong rapport with donors. Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle, has been a consistent backer and is planning to keep his weight behind the senator for the foreseeable future, according to people close to both men.

Andy Sabin, a metals magnate and Republican donor, told Reuters earlier this month he was switching his allegiance to Scott from DeSantis amid concerns about DeSantis’ electability.

COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATISM

While Scott has a solidly conservative voting record in the Senate, he has attempted to portray himself as unusually compassionate.

He says he struggled in school until the owner of a fast-food franchise gave him his first job at age 13 and encouraged him to work and study. Before entering politics, Scott worked in insurance and real estate.

Among the policies he has supported are the creation of “opportunity zones” to boost blighted communities and a tax credit program which helps low-income families with children.

In 2020, he was tapped by Republican leaders to develop police-reform legislation, after several high-profile police killings of Black people spurred nationwide protests.

However, bipartisan talks collapsed the following year after Democrats said his proposals were inadequate, and he said they were more interested in scoring political points than reaching a compromise.

On the stump, Scott has shied away from discussing police reform in recent months, and many Republican primary voters are ambivalent or hostile to efforts to increase oversight over law enforcement.

Scott’s entrance into the race puts him in direct competition with Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, who launched her campaign in February.

Both South Carolina natives are appealing to a similar pool of donors and elected officials for support, and both candidates likely need to win their home state in order to have a shot at securing the nomination.

Snoop Dogg is extending his reach further into the world of animation.

According to Variety, Snoop recently collaborated with the creators of the animated series Gracie’s Corner to release several children’s videos to help empower the next generation. Through song, rap, and dance, the series, led by Graceyn “Gracie” Hollingsworth and the Bow Wizzle character, voiced by the “What’s My Name” rapper, are educational videos that teach children. The collaboration features the character Snoop, popularized in his animated series on YouTube, Doggyland.

“I’m excited to partner with the amazing Graceyn, who has paved the way in fun and educational programming,” Snoop Dogg said in a written statement. “There was a natural synergy with Doggyland and Gracie’s Corner because we both want the world to learn in a new, fresh way, and ultimately our programming aims to empower future generations. We can’t wait for the world to check this special collab out. This is just the beginning… shine bright young stars.”

RELATED CONTENT: How the Black Family Behind ‘Gracie’s Corner’ is Shifting the YouTube and Educational Space for Kids

Gracie’s Corner was created by Hollingsworth and her father, Dr. Javoris Hollingsworth, in 2021. In the short existence of the series, it has already won two coveted Webby Awards for “The Phonics Song,” and it has been nominated for an Outstanding Animated Series at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards and Favorite Female Creator at the 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards.

“Gracie’s Corner and Doggyland joining forces for an inspiring content and empowering anthem, ‘Girl Power,’ is a dream come true,” Dr. Javoris Hollingsworth said. “When we formed Gracie’s Corner three years ago, we wanted to reimagine children’s programming to be reflective of the conversations we have in our home about daily rituals, education, and values.”

The new collaboration is co-executive produced by Doggyland’s Claude Brooks and Snoop Dogg, along with Dr. Javoris Hollingsworth for Gracie’s Corner.

RELATED CONTENT: The Animated Sing-a-Along Series’ Gracie’s Corner’ Empowers Representation and Learning