Tems’ ‘Free Mind’ Breaks Female Record Spending 17 Weeks At No. 1
by Iman Milner

May 19, 2023

Tems’ ‘Free Mind’ Breaks Female Record Spending 17 Weeks At No. 1

Tems is in her winning season. The Nigerian singer-songwriter has captured hearts and ears with crossover appeal with her single “Free Mind,” which has now spent 17 weeks at No.1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, according to Billboard.

The feat breaks the record for a song by a lead female artist as Ella Mai‘s “Boo’d Up” once held the spot for 16 weeks in 2018. “Free Mind” was not initially a standout on Tems’ 2020 EP For Broken Ears as her song “Damages” reached No.1 on the Nigerian Apple Music charts; however, last year, the track caught fire, and it hasn’t let up since.

For Tems, whose real name is Temilade Openiyi, the past few years have been what dreams are made of. Her collaboration with Future and Drake on the track “WAIT FOR U” earned her a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance, making her the first Nigerian woman to receive the honor and an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Song. In addition, Tems co-wrote the Oscar-nominated song “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack alongside director Ryan Coogler. She also caught the ears of former President Barack Obama when he included her song “Vibe Out” on his annual summer playlist last year, according to Insider.

The record-breaking week for “Free Mind” on this week’s Billboard charts continues to be ‘the most-heard song from a combined slate of U.S. monitored adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the week ending May 11’, according to Billboard. The 27-year-old joins music legends like Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, and Alicia Keys on the list of artists that dominated the genre. Tems also holds the record as a featured artist as her and WizKid‘s track “Essence” held down the No. 1 spot for a whopping 27 weeks.

Princeton University Names Dorms After Black and Latino Donors For The First Time in 275 Years
by Sharelle B. McNair

May 19, 2023

Princeton University Names Dorms After Black and Latino Donors For The First Time in 275 Years

Two housing units on Princeton University’s campus have been named after a Black and Latino donor.

According to a news release, Princeton University hosted a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano Hall on May 5, named after Kwanza Jones Hall and José E. Feliciano.

The brand-new dorms are the first buildings named after donors of color in Princeton’s 275-year history.

The accomplished married couple are prestigious alums, Jones, a 1993 graduate, and Feliciano, a 94’ grad. Jones is a Billboard charting artist and CEO of SUPERCHARGED, while her husband is the co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital. The duo received the honor after donating $20 million to their alma mater in 2019. Experiencing racism as students, they hope to promote campus diversity and support high-achieving students from all backgrounds. “We see this gift as the color of commitment,” Jones said. “It also demonstrates that people of color belong and we are at the table to help the university to continue to do the work of anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion.”

Fellow Princeton alum professor Michael Eric Dyson attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, The Grio reports, and applauded Jones and Feliciano for establishing “a building that is a lasting monument to the beautiful creativity of equity.” At the ceremony, Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber said the dorms represent “what it means to belong” before calling the couple “two very special members of the Princeton community.”

Both Jones and Feliciano, who allegedly had their first date at the very spot the dorms were built, have been strong advocates for rewriting the racist legacy Princeton holds. They wrote “An Open Love Letter to Princeton” to Eisgruber and Vice President for Advancement Kevin Heaney, requesting the school remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from the Residential College and the School of Public and International Affairs.

Independent Candidate Elected First Black Mayor of Colorado Springs
by Iman Milner

May 19, 2023

Independent Candidate Elected First Black Mayor of Colorado Springs

On Tuesday night, Yemi Mobolade became the first Black mayor of Colorado Springs after defeating Republican opponent Wayne Williams with over half of the votes.

According to the Associated Press, Mobolade made history as a Black and non-partisan candidate by appealing to voters on both the left and the right. The Nigerian immigrant and entrepreneur centered on issues like hiring more police officers, creating affordable housing, conserving water, and cutting red tape for businesses throughout his campaign.

With his win, he becomes the first person who is not a member of the Republican Party to become mayor since the city started electing mayors 45 years ago, according to The Gazette.

Mobolade believes he represents a growing desire from many not to see politics divided into just two parties but to instead create a democracy that places people’s everyday needs over the desires of special interest groups.

“That same hunger is not only in Colorado Springs but it’s across the country,” he told the Associated Press. Though he has never held public office before, Mobolade has worked for the city government in roles focused on economic development and helping small businesses. Williams, who served as Colorado’s Secretary of State, conceded the race to the victor and called on city council members to work alongside Mobolade in efforts “to continue the progress we’ve been making.”

Colorado Springs is the state’s second-largest city and has become increasingly diverse. The Associated Press estimates that more than one-third of the city’s 491,530 residents are non-white. The only other Black person to come close to Mobolade’s achievement in Colorado Springs was Leon Young, who served as interim mayor after the elected mayor retired early, according to The Gazette. The election results will not be officially finalized until later this month after overseas and military ballots are counted; however, Mobolade’s commanding lead over Williams is expected to hold up.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 19, 2023

Flavor Flav Brings Food and Shows His Support for Striking WGA Writers

Reality TV personality and rapper Flavor Flav supported Writers Guild of America members on strike for two weeks when he appeared outside Warner Bros. studios.

According to Billboard, the former Public Enemy group member showed up with pizza, burger, and fries to show solidarity with the writers union, WGA, in its campaign to be paid more equitably against movie and television studios. 

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TMZ reported he brought 25 Prince Street pizzas, 100 burgers from Irv’s Burgers, and Liquid Death Water.

While there, he also took a bullhorn to offer encouragement as one of his group’s more popular songs, “Fight the Power,” blared from speakers. He was seen dancing and rapping along to the lyrics of the song.

The Flavor of Love star also took pictures with Jason Sudeikis, the Ted Lasso team, Quinta Brunson, and her Abbott Elementary team.

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This month, the union went on strike after a contract agreement with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers did not meet its demands. In March, the members of the WGA agreed if a satisfactory contract was not complete before the latest one expired, they would walk out.

Earlier this week, Deadline reported that as the strike enters its third week, California is losing almost $30 million a day with no agreement in place. The latest update from the guild’s negotiating committee was sent on May 16 to members addressing the issue.

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Women of Color for Equal Justice Submits Application to Ban Vaccine Mandates
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 19, 2023

Women of Color for Equal Justice Submits Application to Ban Vaccine Mandates

  • First lawsuit in the U.S. that challenges the constitutional authority of federal, state, and private employers to mandate any vaccine as a condition of employment.
  • 30 years ago, the Occupation Safety & Health Act (OSH Act) abrogated federal, state, and private sector authority to mandate any vaccine to control airborne communicable diseases even during a pandemic.
  • According to the Application submitted by WOC4EJ, all vaccines violate the OSH Act minimum environmental method standards because they are incapable of shielding employees from exposure to any airborne viral hazards in the atmosphere nor can they remove viral sprays or vapors from the atmosphere in any public place as required under 29 CFR 1910.132(a) and OSH Act Sect. 5 General Duty Clause because vaccines are manufactured for medicinal internal personal use only.
  • The OSH Act protects the fundamental right of all citizens to refuse vaccines and bans employer wrongful separation of employees for exercising their right.
  • The right to refuse and choose medical treatments is a fundamental right of every citizen based on a 100-year Supreme Court precedent that includes the right to choose Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine

As thousands of Americans remain locked out of their careers despite the lift of the federal vaccine mandate due to the continued enforcement of state and private sector Covid-19 vaccine mandates, on May 18, 2023, the 127th year anniversary of the landmark case Plessy v. Ferguson – wherein the US Supreme Court declared on May 18, 1896 that separate and unequal facilities for African-Americans was constitutional, the U.S. Supreme Court will vote in private conference on whether to rule on the merits of an Emergency Application that asks the Court to forever ban vaccine mandates by any public or private employer, which have caused cause millions of employees to be separated from their jobs based on their unvaccinated status.

The application submitted by the Women of Color For Equal Justice (WOC4EJ), on behalf of New York City employees, asks the Court to declare that all vaccine mandates are illegal and have been unauthorized since 1970 because they violate the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) minimum safety standards as well as the Free Exercise and substantive Due Process clauses of the Constitution.

This news first appeared on prnewswire.com.

‘Red Flags Everywhere’ According to Shanquella Robinson’s Family Attorney
by Stacy Jackson

May 19, 2023

‘Red Flags Everywhere’ According to Shanquella Robinson’s Family Attorney

There is still justice to be served concerning Shanquella Robinson’s 2022 death, and the Robinson family is seemingly disappointed with the lack of transparency in the investigation.

The U.S. Sun received updates on the case from the family’s attorney, Sue-Ann Robinson.” The FBI says we cannot release the documents [case files] to you because the case is still open, because we are waiting for documents to be translated to English that we received from the Mexican authorities,” Sue-Ann told the outlet.

“Which again, red flags everywhere because you’ve made a decision in the case, you’ve announced the decision publicly to the family and to the public, but you’re saying the case is still not closed and admitting that some of the documents from the investigative file that arguably would affect your decision to charge have not been fully translated,” she added.

In April, the Department of Justice confirmed that federal charges would not be pursued against Robinson’s aggressor, identified by the family as Dejahanae Jackson.

The 25-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native died last October during a trip to Mexico with six friends. The FBI opened an investigation following footage of a fight Robinson had with her friends that circulated on the internet. Robinson appeared defenseless in the viral video, and no one rescued her.

A statement from attorney Ben Crump stated that Robinson’s autopsy revealed “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation,” following claims from the friends who said her death was related to alcohol poisoning. Crump and Sue-Ann Robinson addressed President Biden and Secretary Blinken in a letter stating, “Either the U.S. extradites Shanquella’s killer to Mexico or the U.S. takes jurisdiction of the case and her killer is prosecuted here.”

According to Sue-Ann Robinson, Shanquella’s family and lawyers plan to appear in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2023, to demand diplomatic intervention.

Shanquella’s lawyers are urging that the U.S. prioritize the case and “allow Mexican authorities to prosecute the person they’ve identified as the aggressor in Mexican courts.”

Mexican officials deemed the case a femicide, Mexico’s term for the homicide of a woman.

Sue-Ann Robinson is preparing to travel to Mexico to represent Shanquella’s family.

by Sidnee Michelle Douyon

May 18, 2023

U.S. Democrats Warn Biden Against Toughening Aid for the Poor

Democrats in the U.S. Congress expressed frustration with President Joe Biden’s willingness to engage with Republicans demanding tougher work requirements for food aid recipients as part of any deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

They have stopped short of threatening to block such moves, as talks on lifting the federal government’s $31.4 trillion borrowing limit shifted into a bilateral format between Democrat Biden, Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and their staffs.

If Biden and McCarthy reach a deal, possibly as soon as Sunday, Congress could struggle to get enough votes for passage ahead of a June 1 deadline, when the Treasury Department has warned the government may be unable to pay all its bills.

Some hardline Republicans may push back against any increase in the debt ceiling, while some progressive Democrats voiced opposition to the work limits after spending months calling for a “clean” hike without conditions.

Liberal Democrats, including Senator Raphael Warnock and Representative Ro Khanna, put Biden on notice that they do not support more stringent requirements to existing law.

Khanna, asked whether revisions would prompt him to vote to torpedo a deal, said: “It would be a strong consideration.”

Republicans have called for saving $120 billion by expanding work requirements to qualify for food aid, monetary help for poor families and other assistance. Biden on Wednesday reiterated his opposition to imposing new requirements the Medicaid program for low-income Americans.

He added that there could be a “few” changes in current law but none “of any consequence.”

Those assurances did not soothe Democrats, as negotiations kicked into high gear over spending and the urgent need to raise the borrowing limit.

Warnock accused Republicans of “using poor people as pawns” in negotiations, saying their proposal “presupposes that poor people are in some way morally deficient. People want to work. And some people can’t.”

Warnock is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee which, writes the farm bill that funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

A Republican bill that passed the House in late April would place more work demands for SNAP on adults without disabilities or dependents up to age 56, instead of the current cutoff of 49.

Massachusetts’s Jim McGovern, a House Democrat known for his anti-hunger work, said: “I will not support anything that screws poor people — period.”

The Republican-controlled House Ways and Means Committee describes the steps as “common-sense work requirements to help lift families out of poverty and revitalize the American workforce.”

“Why wouldn’t he want to help people get out of poverty?” McCarthy told reporters.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson said expanded work requirements for SNAP would be especially harmful to those “experiencing homelessness or people affected by local economic conditions like the closure of a major local employer.”

The USDA estimates an additional 1 million low-income older adults would be subject to SNAP time limits and, as a result, could lose vital food benefits.

Eric Mitchell, executive director of the nonprofit Alliance to End Hunger, called such requirements “punitive and ineffective” against people who face obstacles to employment or community service.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 18, 2023

Eddie Murphy Set to Become The First Black Inspector Clouseau in ‘Pink Panther’ Reboot

Eddie Murphy is about to make history as the first Black actor to play the infamous Inspector Clouseau in a new adaption of The “Pink Panther.”

The famed actor and comedian is in talks to star in MGM’s upcoming “Pink Panther” film, Variety reports. The reboot is still in the development process but would follow in the footsteps of being a live-action/CG hybrid (via Hollywood Reporter) that captures Inspector Jacques Clouseau and the Pink Panther’s search for the famous Pink Panther diamond.

The role of Inspector Clouseau was first made famous by Peter Sellers in the 1963 original. Sellers would go on to reprise the role in 1964’s “A Shot in the Dark,” 1975’s “The Return of the Pink Panther,” 1976’s “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” and 1978’s “Revenge of the Pink Panther.” Actors Alan Arkin, Roger Moore, and Steve Martin followed in Sellers’ footsteps in reprising the role in future films.

Now, Murphy is set to join the franchise as the first Black actor cast in the iconic role. The Golden Globe award-winning actor was last seen in Netflix’s “You People” alongside Nia Long, Lauren London, and Jonah Hill.

He released the highly-anticipated sequel to his 1988 cult classic “Coming to America,” in 2021 called “Coming 2 America.” The film saw Prince Akeem return to New York to find his long-lost son and bring him back to Zamunda in hopes of securing a male heir to the throne.

Murphy is best known as a breakout SNL star who left the show and went on to star in the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, his “Coming to America” film, “The Nutty Professor,” and voicing the role of Donkey in the “Shrek” franchise. There are reports that Murphy’s expressed interest in a Donkey spinoff might be coming in the future after assembling the cast for a fifth “Shrek” film. Antonio Banderas has seen success with his two “Puss in Boots” spinoff films.

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Vital Witness of George Floyd’s Murder Files Lawsuit Over Minneapolis Officers’ Threatening Actions
by Atiya Jordan

May 18, 2023

Vital Witness of George Floyd’s Murder Files Lawsuit Over Minneapolis Officers’ Threatening Actions

Donald Williams, one of the devastated bystanders who witnessed George Floyd beg for his life, is suing the City of Minneapolis.

On May 16, the professional mixed martial arts fighter filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court, with allegations citing assault and emotional distress, Associated Press reported.

According to Williams, he and other bystanders feared for their safety on that fatal day of May 25, 2020. He alleges that former officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd’s neck and held it there for almost nine minutes, was one of two officers who threatened them.

After Williams expressed concern for Floyd, Chauvin allegedly shook a can of mace at them. In addition, another former officer Tou Thao, who reportedly kept bystanders back during the incident, was named in the suit for placing his hand on Williams’ chest.

The officers’ actions brought Williams to seek more than $50,000 for one count of assault, one count of intentional infliction of emotional distress, and one count of negligent infliction of emotional distress, per the news outlet.

As for justice, Chauvin is currently serving two concurrent sentences. He was convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges in Floyd’s death and was sentenced to 22-1/2 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to a separate federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights. During Chauvin’s trial, Williams testified that Chauvin was putting immense pressure on Floyd and yelled at the ex-officer that he was stopping the flow of Floyd’s blood supply.

In recent news, Thao was found guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter. He rejected a plea agreement, and Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill finalized the decision based on written filings from each side and evidence from previous cases.

“While we have now reached the end of the prosecution of Floyd’s murder, it is not behind us,” Minnesota Attorney General and lead prosecutor Keith Ellison said, per a previous AP News report. “There is much more that prosecutors, law-enforcement leaders, rank-and-file officers, elected officials, and community can do to bring about true justice in law enforcement and true trust and safety in all communities.”

The Minneapolis City Council has recently agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by John Pope Jr. and Zoya Code for $8.9 million, who said Chauvin pressed his knee into their necks years before Floyd’s murder, as reported by CBS News.

Ja Morant’s Signature Shoe Removed From Nike Website After Latest Gun Incident
by Iman Milner

May 18, 2023

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

Ja Morant is facing the consequences of his actions. Nike has removed the athlete’s signature shoe after he was seen brandishing a gun for the second time.

After waving a gun on Instagram Live, the 23-year-old Memphis Grizzlies star was suspended for eight games this past season. The punishment cost him about $669,000 in salary, according to Fortune. Words of support followed the initial incident, with NBA veterans like Jalen Rose and Shaquille O’Neal urging the young leader to take account of his inner circle and make changes.

However, their words seem to have fallen on deaf ears as Morant repeated the action in a video last week.

And it looks like his sponsors may be starting to rethink their connection to him. According to TMZ, as of this morning, Nike has removed Morant’s shoes from its website and SNKRS app, even though a new colorway is slated to be released next week. The decision comes after harsh criticism from popular sports pundits, including Mike Wilbon, who said he wouldn’t allow his children to wear the Ja 1s.

Morant was also the topic of conversation during this week’s episode of Inside The NBA, which aired alongside the Western Conference Finals. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley expressed his deep disappointment in the NBA All-Star and took aim at those who may feel he’s being unfairly judged.

“You’re not a thug. You’re not a criminal. You’re not a crook,” Barkley said. “You’re a guy making 200 million to dribble a stupid basketball… You got to look in the mirror and say, ‘You know what, maybe I’m the problem.'” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has not decided what Morant’s punishment will be this time, but some speculate that the athlete could stand to miss half of the 2023–2024 season.

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