Tennis great Serena Williams retired from the sports world to concentrate on other aspects of her life, including motherhood, recently announcing that she is pregnant again. She is also starting production on an upcoming docuseries that will be aired on ESPN.

Williams announced that the sports network had started production on a new ESPN series, In the Arena: Serena Williams. This is an extension of a franchise she began with the success of the Emmy Award-winning docuseries “Man in the Arena: Tom Brady.”

The project will air as a multi-part series and will document the successful career of arguably the best tennis player to hit the tennis court. Throughout her sports reign, which spanned over 20 years, she has won 23 Grand Slams (singles). This “In the Arena” edition will showcase the “most complete, intimate, and compelling account” of her long career. The series will feature firsthand perspectives from the 41-year-old and other notable figures that have been there throughout her life.

The docuseries will also examine some of Williams’ most significant Grand Slam tournaments and pinpoint defining personal achievements as the details are discussed and decoded for the cameras. The struggles to maintain her dominance throughout the sport while trying to transition into juggling family life and her entrepreneurial goals will be shown and assessed.

In the Arena: Serena William will be directed by Gotham Chopra and co-produced by ESPN, Religion of Sports, and Tom Brady’s 199 Productions. Williams and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions will also co-produce. The release date will be announced at a later time.

In April, the retired tennis pro announced that her newly started production company, Nine Two Six Productions has a first-look TV deal at Amazon Studios, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Currier, a former vice president of Grand Electric, serves as the president of the production company aimed at amplifying women and diverse storytellers.

Republican voters in Kentucky on Tuesday chose Daniel Cameron, the state’s popular conservative attorney general, to challenge Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, setting up one of the most closely watched elections of the year, according to an early call of the race by the Associated Press.

Cameron, who is Black and has a rising national profile among conservatives, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. With 39% of votes counted Tuesday night, he led his nearest opponent by more than 20 points.

Republicans also voted to renominate incumbent Secretary of State Michael Adams, who fended off a challenge by a candidate who endorses false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by Democrats, according to the AP’s call.

A dozen candidates battled for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, with three emerging as the leading contenders in public polls: Cameron, who is the state’s first Black attorney general; Kelly Craft, a former U.N. ambassador under Trump; and state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.

Cameron will face Beshear, who enjoys high approval ratings despite being a Democrat in a strongly Republican state and is seeking his second term as governor, in the November general election.

Trump won Kentucky in the 2020 election against Democrat Joe Biden by more than 25 percentage points.

While Cameron had Trump’s official endorsement, other candidates also sought to claim the mantle of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

“The role of Donald Trump, the man, may be different from the role of Trumpism, the political orientation,” said Stephen Voss, a University of Kentucky political science professor. “These candidates cannot afford to ignore the Trump vote.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to challenge Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, on Monday endorsed Craft.

Craft, 61, whose husband is a billionaire coal magnate, poured millions of dollars from her personal wealth into the campaign. Her allies attackedCameron as a political insider and highlighted his ties to Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky U.S. senator and Senate minority leader who has clashed with Trump.

Craft focused on culture issues, including school policies affecting transgender students, and vowed to “dismantle” the state education department. At a recent campaign event, she said Kentucky “would not have transgenders in our school system” if elected, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

A campaign spokesperson told reporters she was referring to combating “woke ideologies” in school.

Republican lawmakers in April overrode Beshear’s veto to enact a bill that outlawed gender-affirming care for minors and permitted teachers to refer to transgender students by their birth pronouns, among other limits.

Cameron, 37, emphasized his record in office, reminding voters of his lawsuits against Beshear and the Biden administration over abortion, immigration and COVID-19 policies. In his first television ad, he attacked Beshear for closing churches during lockdown in 2020 and said he sued to ensure religious freedom was protected.

Quarles, 39, largely avoided the fray, instead touting his rural background and criticizing Cameron and Craft for going negative.

In the race for the party’s nomination for secretary of state, Kentucky’s highest election official, Republican Adams held a commanding lead late Tuesday with 33% of votes counted, beating his nearest opponent with 64.4% of votes to challenger Stephen Knipper’s 26.4%.

Knipper, one of two challengers, has echoed Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged and endorsed conspiracy theories about voting machines. The third Republican in the race, Allen Maricle, called for expanding investigations into voter fraud.

• News

by Iman Milner

May 17, 2023

Beyoncé Hints At New Haircare Line In Photo Recalling Her Salon Days

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Beyoncé fans were sent into a frenzy yesterday when music’s reigning Queen posted what many believe to be an announcement of an upcoming line of haircare products.

In a rare Instagram post not connected to her Renaissance World Tour, the 41-year-old is seen sitting at a vanity, curling her famous locks in front of labeled bottles of products. In the carousel is also a photo of a young Beyoncé having her hair styled by her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, as well as a handwritten letter in which the star said, “How many of y’all knew my first job was sweeping hair in my mama’s salon? Destiny’s Child got our start by performing for clients while they were getting their hair done.” She continued, “I was exposed to so many different kinds of entrepreneurial women in her salon. I saw firsthand how the ways we nurture and celebrate hair can directly impact our souls.”

 

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The singer has often spoken about the power of women getting together and having safe spaces to talk about their lives, a sentiment she also echoed in the post. “I watched her heal and be of service to so many women. Having learned so much on my hair journey, I’ve always dreamed of carrying on her legacy,” she said. “Can’t wait for you to experience what I’ve been creating.” The news seems to have come practically out of nowhere for her fans as many expected her to announce what the mysterious acts two and three of her Renaissance era, as promised on her website last year, would be. However, some have pointed out that her signature blonde ‘do looked more luscious than ever during the opening nights of her tour.

Still, The Hive had a time responding to the announcement.

lmfao, Beyoncé said… pic.twitter.com/l3DOKZduN7

— The Moment. (@itsKARY_) May 16, 2023

Me after using my Mrs. Carter Curl Crème from Beyoncé’s new haircare line pic.twitter.com/r4keuBBISM

— Kyle (@onthebulletin) May 16, 2023

the girls after using that organic honey infused Beyoncé hair care pic.twitter.com/9FBeEeBRbV

— oni (@__Onixivy_) May 16, 2023

We’ll surely have our heads on a swivel for the next part of Beyoncé’s big announcement.

RELATED CONTENT: Tiffany & Co. Announced As Official Jeweler of Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ World Tour

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

May 17, 2023

Breaking: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved In ‘Near Catastrophic Car Chase’ With NYC Paparazzi

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Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, were involved in a car chase similar to the fatal crash that killed his mother, Princess Diana.

CNN reports that Harry was with Meghan, attending the Women of Vision Awards at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, was also with them. In a statement, a spokesperson for the royal couple claimed “highly aggressive paparazzi” pursued their car, causing a “near catastrophic car chase.”

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and two NYPD officers,” the statement said.

Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997. For years, rumors spread that the crash was a result of a paparazzi, but it was never officially established.

The event honored Markle and activists, including LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the voting rights group Black Voters Matter, for their advocacy in the gender justice movement, Variety reports. At the event, Markle said, “You can be the visionary of your own life. There is still so much work to be done.”

The couple stepped away from their royal duties in January 2020 and moved to the U.S. to avoid media harassment. In an interview with former Late Late Show host James Corden,” Harry said the decision to move was made to protect his family’s mental health. “This is toxic,” he said, according to NBC News. “So I did what any husband and what any father would do — I need to get my family out of here.”

While both Prince Harry and Markle understand they are public figures that people find interesting, they said, “It should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety.” “Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said.

The awards ceremony was the first public event the couple attended since King Charles III’s coronation earlier this month, which Meghan did not attend.

• News

by Iman Milner

May 17, 2023

Janice Darko Becomes First Black Woman Graduate From The University Of Utah’s School Of Dentistry

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Janice Darko made history, becoming the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Utah’s School of Dentistry.

Darko, who moved to America from Ghana with her family, will receive her historic degree later this week. “This is bigger than me. This is not just about me. This is about representing my community,” she said in an interview with KUTV. “Being a Black woman from Africa, I still have to go home. Cook, clean, be a wife, take care of my children. I have all of those responsibilities”.

Though the University of Utah’s program is relatively new, a spokesperson says it has been a major attraction for students of color.

So, Darko decided to use her time at the institution to create the Black and Dental Art Student Association, according to AfroTech. “The mission of the BDSA is to provide a firm and stable policy environment for effective mainstreaming of the African culture into all aspects of University of Utah Dental school life,” she said during an interview with the school. “To ensure strong emergence of a vibrant, creative art environment at the University of Utah campus. To entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe and the dental community through the power of unparalleled art, reflecting iconic creative minds, and innovative technologies to bring inspiration, and innovation to every dental student, faculty, and staff who has a talent for art.”

In addition to her commitment to her family and peers in the program, Darko is also a member of the United States Navy Reserve, according to AfroTech. “When I interviewed her, I realized what a remarkable young woman that I was interviewing,” said Dr. Bart Watts, DDS, who is part of the admissions committee for the program. Dr. Watts hopes that more students of color will feel encouraged to apply to the University of Utah’s School of Dentistry despite its lack of diversity. “Apply. Come. Come. Just because Dentistry has been traditionally a white profession in the state of Utah for so many years, that doesn’t mean that the profession is closed to anyone else,” he said.

R&B artist Tank, born Durrell Babbs, got candid about his finances during a recent episode of his “R&B Money” podcast. From covering all his bills to blowing a $250,000 advance from a record deal, the Grammy Award-winning singer and producer learned to navigate the fast lane of fame in his climb in the music industry.

According to the “When We” singer, having money made him highly sought after, spending his money fast in the strip club and on other expensive purchases, including a Platinum Edition Lexus 300. When asked how long his money lasted, Tank said, “Not long,” but one thing was clear, he knew to pay his bills.

“The good thing I had done is with my money when I was on tour with Ginuwine and Aaliyah; I paid off all my bills. That was the first thing, my mama made me pay off all my bills,” Tank told J Valentine and Leon Thomas during the episode.

ABC reported that the singer started as a background singer for R&B singer Ginuwine, who later introduced him to the late music legend Aaliyah.

After signing to Aaliyah’s record label, which Revolt reported as Blackground Records, Tank said he received a $250,000 advance from his publishing and record deal. “When I got my record deal advance and my publishing deal advance, that’s when it went left,” he said. “That’s when Frank the Tank came out and started getting knocked. I’m talking about crab legs as big as your back.”

“You couldn’t tell me nothing,” Tank told the two songwriters, adding that he didn’t realize how fast the $250,000 would move.

Tank said he moved to Los Angeles with $1,000 in his pocket because he had blown the rest of his money. The songwriter realized it was time to change up his investments and get down to business.

“When you say investing in that gear, that’s one thing I did do. I said, ‘I’m gonna buy this MPC. I’m gonna buy this Mackie-Mixer,” Tank shared. “I’m gonna buy these and I’m just gonna work and I’m gonna figure this out,” he said, emphasizing his drive to be able to feed somebody and himself.

• News

by Iman Milner

May 17, 2023

Cherelle Parker Wins Democratic Mayoral Primary In Philadelphia

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Former state representative and City Council member Cherelle Parker has won the Democratic nomination for Philadelphia mayor.

If she wins the general election in November, she will become the first woman to lead the city. Her campaign has been controversial as she has run on a ‘promise to increase the number of police in the racially segregated city,’ and bring back “constitutional” stop-and-frisk. Parker, 50, was the only Black candidate and appears to have a great chance of becoming mayor, as Philadelphia is more than 40% Black, according to The New York Times.

Parker claims that her plans to tackle issues are focused on the “middle neighborhoods”—working and middle-class areas that have been struggling in recent years to hold off decline—insisting that she is simply responding to what she’s been told from the community. “They know it’s not Cherelle engaging in what I call ‘I know what’s best for you people’ policymaking, but it’s come from the ground up,” she said on Tuesday night. She believes that solutions should come from the people of Philadelphia and “not people thinking they’re coming in to save poor people, people who never walked in their shoes or lived in a neighborhood with high rates of violence and poverty. I’ve lived that.”

Still, many have drawn comparison to New York’s Mayor Eric Adams, who, though Black, has supported what some deem as harmful legislation that disproportionately criminalizes Black and Brown people. However, the excitement around what Parker’s win could mean for Black women in politics has not been dimmed.

“It’s really exciting because it’s another glass ceiling that’s broken. Women and Black women especially have always been underappreciated,” said Catherine Hicks, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP. Among some of Parker’s other campaign promises are a proposition to extend school days from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and a plan to work with state leaders to significantly increase the minimum wage.

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

May 17, 2023

Lawsuit Filed By Former Employee Claiming Upscale NYC Restaurant Allowed Racism Against Black People

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A fancy New York City restaurant group is under fire in a new lawsuit for allegedly allowing racial discrimination against Black employees.

The Daily Beast reports that the Dinex Group is being sued by a former Black employee claiming he was fired after speaking out against managers who racially discriminated against wait staff. The lawsuit states the restaurant, owned by French chef Daniel Boulud, violated state labor laws by allowing blatant racism in the workplace.

Working as a host at Le Pavillon in Manhattan’s high-end East Side, the employee recalled an incident from Aug. 19 when a customer refused to have him take them to their table, according to the lawsuit. When he told the lead host what happened, he was told Le Pavillon tends to have a common practice of catering to patrons’ needs, including racist tactics of not wanting to be served by Black wait staff.

He later explained the situation to a manager on Aug. 25. According to the lawsuit, the workplace environment became tense for him. Shifts were scheduled for days he wasn’t available to work, he wasn’t allowed to take breaks during his shifts, and staff became overly critical of his work. He was fired on Sept. 9 after the restaurant claimed he lost some keys, but the suit says he was not responsible for the keys on the day the keys went missing.

Due to his firing, the former employee says he has suffered financially and mentally. He is suing for lost wages and benefits, legal fees, punitive damages, and looking for The Dinex Group to receive a civil penalty. Ironically, Le Pavillon won ENR New York Magazine’s Regional Best Project for Best Residential/Hospitality in 2022.

The Dinex Group’s CEO Sebastien Silvestri says the allegations against the restaurant aren’t true. “We look forward to defending our reputation,” he said.

In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop, Master P revealed that the cereal brand he partnered with Snoop Dogg would be in retail stores like Walmart, Targe, and online retailer Amazon beginning this summer.

In 2023, Snoop Dogg, with the help of his one-time label mate, Percy Miller, who goes by the moniker, Master P, introduced the “best tasting cereal in the game” Snoop Loopz on his Instagram account. At the time, the cereal’s name was blocked by another cereal company, so the pair had to rename the cereal, and the title became “Snoop Cereal.”

In a recent Instagram post, Snoop announced that “Snoop Cereal” will be available in Walmart stores beginning in July.

 

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Master P told the media outlet that adding diversity into grocery stores is one of the reasons he and the Doggfather partnered to debut the Black-owned cereal brand.

“When you talk about Snoop Cereal, this is bigger than just cereal. I know a lot of people may ask. They want to talk about the ingredients and how it started. Me and Snoop believed in putting out brands that could feed our culture and feed our people. I grew up eating cereal. I grew up on WIC. We are able to sell at WIC now, and it’s all about adding diversity into the grocery stores,” the New Orleans mogul said. 

Earlier this year, Snoop and Master P signed a national distribution deal with Post Consumer Brands. The deal includes their breakfast food products Snoop Cereal and Broadus Foods.

“Me and Snoop are the kings of breakfast food because we are fighting for our culture and our people to put brands in the stores. So now we’ll be in Walmart on July 15. We’ll be in Target, Albertson’s, Kroger’s, Ralph’s, and Safeway, all the major stores in June; June 24th we’ll be on Amazon. So this is a blessing. We’ve come a long way from hip-hop.”

The empire of both legendary rappers continues to expand, especially with Snoop recently announcing his partnership with businessman Neko Sparks to buy the Ottawa Senators, an NHL team, to become the first Black owners.

Kirk Franklin has been an industry staple with a career spanning over 30 years, countless accolades, and record-breaking moments. Known as a pioneering phenom for bridging gospel, R&B, hip-hop, and pop music, the 19-time GRAMMY® winning artist, songwriter, and music producer credits his family, particularly his wife, Tammy Franklin, as “The One” who keeps his creative spark alive and motivation to continue pushing the needle forward. 

Now, the couple is embarking on a joint venture as co-hosts of the dating competition series The One, providing insight into finding love, identifying dating red flags and green flags, and maintaining a healthy relationship with the right partner. 

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with the Franklins about the growing pains in their 27-year marriage, current struggles stemming from past trauma, nurturing blended family dynamics, and creating a lasting legacy. 

BLACK ENTERPRISE: What is one message you’d like to share with people currently on the dating scene and aspire to be married or partnered?

Kirk Franklin: You have to ensure that marriage is not the total of what you think your existence is for. In Western culture, we almost make marriage synonymous with breathing and as important as oxygen. We make that the pinnacle of existence for people and put that pressure on young women, which is unnecessary. We have to debunk that within our society to stop making marriage the total of why people are born and why they’re here to live in existence. I think it’s very important to normalize things we try to idolize.

Tammy Franklin: And being honest about what you want, especially women. We tend to downplay and downgrade the desires of our hearts. You may start dating someone, and they say, “Oh, I’m not wanting marriage,” but you think you can change their mind or believe that by dating me, he’ll change. Don’t wait. You would’ve wasted so much time because he’s telling you exactly what the truth is for him. 

Since we’re talking about finding the one, can you speak to how you knew the other person was the one?

TF: There was something about Kirk that felt like home, and I could not shake it even when I wanted to. I felt an instant commitment within my heart that was unquestionable, undeniable.

KF: Tammy’s an incredible woman, an incredible friend. She believed in me, and I’m extremely blessed to have someone that saw past all my flaws and failures, as I didn’t come to the planet with all the right tools. I was adopted, so I didn’t have a mother and father and didn’t see what those pictures were supposed to be. There was a lot of trauma that I still have to walk through. Tammy will tell you, I’m dealing with some stuff even right now. I keep living in these family spaces where something is coming up that reinforces these spaces of tension that I’ve had to walk through life with being a Black man, trying to figure it out on my own. 

Being married for 27 years, what were some of the other growing pains you’ve experienced, and what did you learn from it, or how did it strengthen your partnership?

KF: Having a blended family because we got married with kids. We had to face some challenges early on with one of our kids that took a lot of time, attention, and energy. So those were some early bumps, and then I had a career with no blueprint. We hear all these things about Kirk being the first to do this. Kirk’s the first to do that. Well, whoever’s in the door first gets the bullets. First ain’t all glory. It’s a lot of bullets. It’s a lot of failures. There are a lot of growing pains. Trying to figure all that out has sometimes been very daunting.

TF:  From a societal standpoint, we are a celebrity couple or celebrity family. We may not have that mindset of ourselves, although we know that to be true in others’ eyes. But that did not infiltrate our family, our home, in trying, as best you can, to raise normal, healthy children. Much of that had to do with the intentionality of not bringing that mindset home that we were somehow more special than others. The community we decided to raise our kids in was intentional, and even staying in Texas was intentional. 

Tammy, part of the caption on one of your more recent Instagram posts reads, “I anticipate the blessing of another grandchild. Legacy is what comes to mind.” So what is the lasting legacy you hope to leave behind?

TF: That is such a great question! I was a woman of faith, substance, and integrity, and I left the world and the people I encountered better in some way. Not necessarily the doing aspect of who I am, but the internal person of who I am. That’s a legacy for me. If I can do other things from a platform standpoint nationally, that’s OK, and that would be amazing. But the people I encounter within the sphere of the circle that God gave me are important to me.

RELATED CONTENT: Kerrion Franklin Is Released From Jail And Thanks His Estranged Father, Kirk Franklin