Natural Haircare Brand Awarded Historic Contract To Supply Hospitals With Textured Hair Products
Strands of Faith, a beauty brand dedicated to providing clean hair care solutions for textured hair and promoting mental wellness and self-love, has achieved a significant milestone. The company has been awarded a contract to supply its line of textured hair products to hospitals across the United States, making it one of the first in the new category of “Ethnic, Scalp, and Skincare” to receive such a contract. This partnership will allow Strands of Faith to expand its distribution network while increasing its visibility in the healthcare industry.
For Black patients, access to adequate healthcare has been an ongoing struggle, including basic patient needs such as hair care. The disparity in knowledge and training related to the care of textured hair in the healthcare industry has often led to inadequate treatment for patients. However, this partnership marks progress towards addressing this disparity, as Strands of Faith is working with Premier to provide high-quality products for patients with textured hair in hospitals across the United States.
Ameka Coleman, Founder of Strands of Faith, expressed her enthusiasm for partnering with Premier. As someone who had worked in the healthcare field in the past, Coleman called this opportunity a “full circle moment,” and sees it as an extension of the company’s mission to improve the well-being and mental health of their customers and the hospital’s patients through their products. Coleman stated, “Studies have consistently revealed the presence of racial inequities and unconscious bias within the United States healthcare system. These biases also extend to haircare. I am super excited that this partnership will allow for a more equitable healthcare landscape.” This collaboration represents a step in the right direction.
She also shared that she is excited because in her previous career, she used to work in hospitals as a clinical research professional. So, to now be on the other end of supplying products from her own company is surreal and a blessing. Coleman’s main goal has been to create intentional hair care products for textured hair that have historically been underrepresented. Therefore, receiving the opportunity to be awarded for this new ethnic care category is a dream come true.
Strands of Faith’s product line, including conditioners, shampoos, and stylers are specifically designed to keep patients’ textured hair cleansed and moisturized during their hospital stay. These non-toxic formulas are free of sulfates, silicones, parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, and paraffins, making them a safe and healthy choice for patients and their families.
Strands of Faith has been recognized for its mission of promoting self-love and this partnership with hospitals further demonstrates their dedication to providing clean beauty products for multicultural textures, improving the mental health and well-being of women, and bringing communities together.
As collaborations between hospitals within the Premier, Inc. system begin to take place, Strands of Faith will begin supplying its products to a variety of hospitals. For more information about Strands of Faith and its products, please visit their website at www.strandsoffaith.com or contact Ameka Coleman at 601-724-9277 .
Coi Leray Shows She’s Got More Than Game In WNBA Promo Ad
The WNBA season is fast approaching! To kick things off, the league has tapped Coi Leray to promote the upcoming season in its new promo video.
Also, with the highly anticipated return of Brittney Griner, this season looks to be an exciting one. The promo video consists of background music from the New Jersey native’s hit song, “Players,” while showcasing the skills and plays of last season’s Most Valuable Player, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. The video also shows other players during league play shooting and hooping while Leray provides the voiceover.
She says in the video clip, “Yeah, this league is a sisterhood. It’s way more than just a game; it’s an empire. A fearless empire. More side-swiping steals? Check. We got hoops, drive, and passion; easy. More buckets, extra sauce? Order up. More dimension-defying dimes, more dancing than a Saturday night. Now this is what I call primetime! You see that?”
WNBA Champion @_ajawilson22 helps us define More Than Game ‼️
MORE THAN GAME takes what’s already loved about the WNBA and shows that there’s even more. More supernatural. More multidimensional. More practice. More perfect. More primetime.
The WNBA announced the 2023 season tip-off would commence on Friday, May 19, with four games, including the Connecticut Suns against the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis. At the same time, the New York Liberty will play against the Washington Mystics in D.C. The Chicago Sky will take on the Minnesota Lynx, while the Phoenix Mercury is set to play the Los Angeles Sparks.
All eyes will be on the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks game as Griner makes her return to the court after being imprisoned in Russia for nearly 10 months before the U.S. and Russia agreed to a prisoner swap for her release.
KRS-One Talks 50 Years Of Hip-Hop And Moving The Culture Forward With Essence Festival Performance
If hip-hop were a person—that person would be none other than Lawrence “Kris” Parker. Please believe the hype.
As hip-hop enters its senior years—turning 50, to be exact—quite a few folks can say they have witnessed our beloved culture from its inception. But how many can say they’ve witnessed, participated in, and moved hip-hop forward—and into futurity—in significant ways over the span of its existence?
The Blast-master KRS-One can check off each of those boxes and then some. Having grown up within a few footsteps of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue—the historical birthplace of hip-hop, KRS saw the culture unfold. He jumped into lyricism during his teen years and flipped the rap game on its head with hard-hitting battle rap verses and songs of caution. When it comes to hip-hop, its foundation, bones, and flesh, KRS has been a student and teacher, a scholar and historian, a practitioner, and a humble servant. Recently, the hip-hop god sat down with BLACK ENTERPRISE to discuss the rudiment of the culture; its seedbed during the civil rights movement, how it traversed the Black Arts Movement, and how it finds its way back not only to 1520 Sedgwick Avenue but also to its modern-day essence.
BLACK ENTERPRISE: I must let you know that the bridge has never been over, OK?
KRS-One: Yeah, Nas lets me know that every day.
This is coming from a Queens native and a child of hip-hop. Please share what it means to witness hip-hop in its 50th year.
You know there’s a key word that you put in there; you said witness.
Yep. That was intentional.
That’s a key word, “witness,” because not many have actually witnessed hip-hop over 50 years. I didn’t realize this until I spoke to DJ Hollywood a couple of months ago. We were talking about DJs; a lot of DJs are celebrating 50 years, but they haven’t worked for 50 years. And I thought about that, you know, I’ve actually worked for 50 years.
Speak on it. Even Kool Herc starts out in 1973, ’74, and then he drops off in the early 80’s for about 6-7 years. Others who we claim as our legends have also dropped out. There are gaps in their careers. I thought about that, and I applied it to myself.
Wow, that tracks. You were active the entire span.
I say this because— if you’re celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, that means you’re starting in ’73.
If you’re starting in ’73, you’re starting at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx; you’re starting with the story of Kool Herc, his sister Cindy, the breakbeats, and all of this type of stuff. So, I was there, In 1973, August. I couldn’t attend Kool Herc’s parties, but Kool Herc lived in 1520 Sedgwick, I lived in 1600 Sedgwick. I was eight years old. This is before River Park Towers was built. We were watching the Trade Center be built, all of this stuff. This was the early 70’s. I’ll start there.
Coming back to that word “witness.” The work is witnessing.
Indeed.
Part of the work, at least, is witnessing that you were there, and I was able to. Keep in mind a lot of people were there, but over the years, very few have articulated their experience over this 50-year period.
So, coming back to the word witness, this is what creates hip-hop. This is why I’m interested in this word. What have I witnessed over 50 years? Let us separate hip-hop from rap music, or let us say that hip-hop is break dancing, emceeing, graffiti art.
It’s performance art in all forms.
Say it again!
There’s the performance and the performative.
Yes, it is.
Portrait of American rapper KRS-One (born Lawrence Parker) as he poses against a white background, New York, March 29, 1990. (Photo by Rita Barros/Getty Images)
Then there’s also the fashion.
And the language. All of it. It constitutes culture. And this is what we’ve always had our eye on, the culture of hip-hop, the community of hip-hop.
How Bruce Lee made us feel when Enter The Dragon came out in ’73. How did this affect us?
Roe v Wade came out in ’73, approximately 50 years later, it’s gone.
The Endangered Species Act— a lot went on in ’73. You know, Nixon, the Vietnam War, the whole heroin era, and when you say witness … we just lost Dr. King in 1968. Not to veer off too far, but 2023 is also the 60th anniversary of the “I Have A Dream” speech.
The “I Have A Dream Speech was given Aug. 28, 1963. So right after hip-hop has its celebration on Aug. 11, on Aug. 28 is the “I Have a Dream” 60th anniversary, and hip-hop has a lot to do with this. These are our parents, Dr. King, Malcolm X, Kwame Ture—Stokley Carmichael, Leroy Jones—Amiri Baraka; these are our fathers and mothers. These are the people who started this.
Coming back to the witness. In ’63, these kids grow up with the “I Have A Dream” speech. Dr. King, in that speech, is talking directly to us, he’s talking to the future.
He’s actually even talking to his kids. He says, “I want my kids to not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This is Dr. King’s words to his children. Well, hip-hop was his direct child. The very next generation to be born was us—Generation X.
This is interesting … fascinating. I’ve never heard anyone correlate hip-hop with the Black arts movement. I think about the two as parallel, but never one and the same or intersecting in any way. So I appreciate the perspective and lesson you’ve given me.
As a contributor and a scholar of hip-hop, you talk about what Dr. King was thinking about in the future. How do you see the future of the genre? How do you see it? How do you imagine it?
Oh, it’s bright. It’s wonderful. In fact, when we first began, we saw our future. Oh, this was wonderful. As a matter of fact, I’ll give you both an abstract view of the future and a concrete, material view of the future.
Let’s start with the material view. The material view of the future for hip-hop is we’re winning elected offices. This is something to look at because if you’re fighting a struggle, if you’re an activist, if you’re someone who cares about the rights of people—[you’re hip-hop].
KRS-One at Jive Records, London, UK on April 16 1988. (Photo by David Corio/Redferns)
The FBI is hip-hop. The CIA is hip-hop. Elected officials, government, mayors, governors, senators, are hip-hop. Now just take this in for a hot minute. In New York City when I was growing up, Mayor Koch planned a war on graffiti and it was brutal for us.
Forty-some odd years, Mayor Eric Adams, who not only is the top cop but is also siding with the power of hip-hop—you have Eric Adams, mayor, cutting a hip-hop birthday cake with KRS-One. KRS-One is “Sound Of The Police. “KRS One is “Black Cop.”
Here is the “Black Cop” and “The Sound of The Police. “Here is the graffiti writer with the mayor of the city who spends trillions cleaning up grafitti. Here we are cutting cake together like brothers. This is the future of hip-hop. This is it.
We were never a music genre, we were always a culture. We were always a community. And a community deserves land, deserves sovereignty.
I love that!
We deserve self-governance. We have to prove to ourselves, and we thought about this early on, this is when we started the Stop The Violence movement back in 1989. We thought about this and we said, You know we have to figure out how to govern ourselves and again this is the material future of hip-hop. The material future of hip-hop is self-governance. We need a hip-hop city. And we may have it in Newark, New Jersey, under the guidance of Mayor Ras Baraka, another hip-hopper. He goes to work every day in Adidas. So we may have our portion of land over there in Newark. But the idea was always for hip-hop to have its own space. The future of hip-hop is to actually have a land mass, a land space that we call ‘Hip-Hopia.’
For now, you have Chinatown, You have Little Italy.
Little Italy. Little Haiti
You got Little Caribbean in Flatbush. So I’m asking mayors to consider a Little Hip-hop.
Let me piggyback off that idea. Would you not say that what you’re doing with the community at 1520 Sedgewick is some semblance of that?
Well, that’s the proper word, some semblance of it. It’s not really. 1520’s a different beast. A different thing going on at 1520. 1520 has more to do with the perseveration of sacred spaces.
1520 is a historical landmark, a hip-hop historical landmark in the Bronx. But just real briefly on that, we’re looking to secure hip-hop sacred spaces. This is the cultural part of it.
My friends over at UNESCO; we talk about this type of stuff all the time, about the perseveration of sacred spaces. That their not ran over, forgotten about, bulldozed, this kind of thing. If we had any power 10 years ago or even 20 years ago, we would still have the Latin Quarters, We would still have Union Square. We’d still have The Rooftop.
The Fever.
The Fever, what am I talking about? Start right there with The Fever, big up to Sal. But, no we didn’t have the power. So, [with] 1520 we are declaring that our first sacred space. There are other sacred spaces, you know where Flash used to live and developed the peek-a-boo technique, the cutting and scratching of records.
There’s a building, there’s a home, there’s a place where he did this at. Not to get off into that, but 1520 is a sacred space.
It’s more for tourists, students, teachers. People who want to come through, feel the energy of where hip-hop began.
We’re putting an exhibit there as well. August 11th, there’ll be a full exhibit. 1520 exhibit, hip-hop 50 exhibit. In 1520, in the community center, you know right there. So that’s 1520.
But Newark is jobs. Newark is—if we can have a section of Newark—which were looking at the Weequahic, section of Newark New Jersey, it’s 9th ward it’s called—but the old Indian name is Weequahic. We’re looking at that.
We started something called The Temple of Hip-hop in Newark so that we could start training the people in the area as to how to be a citizen of this city.
There’s crazy emcees all over Newark.
Newark, as far as hip-hop is concerned, this is the second Mecca. And I would even say the first because this is where we’re actually able to organize.
I mean Naughty By Nature’s coming out of Newark.
Right.
Queen Latifah’s coming out of Newark. Even Whitney Houston’s out of Newark.
Redman.
Come on, how can I forget about Redman. I just got off the phone with Redman, as a matter of fact, he confirmed a concert date we’re doing on August 12th. We’re shutting down Sedgwick Avenue, we’re doing our thing in the park.
If we pull this off and you know, Hip-Hopia becomes real and you have the police, you have the fire department, you have sanitation—these institutions really working for the people in the area, really rising to a level of excellence.
I want to pivot though for a minute and ask you about the Essence Festival. How does hip-hop culture and the Essence Festival align for you?
Well, I was just about to answer your question and then you said, “for you.” Those are two different questions. How does hip-hop and the Essence Festival align—and I was ready to do you right there. And then you said, “for me.” Well, that puts a tail on it. It puts a little tail on it.
You know, to be honest with you, I am honored. I will start there. I am honored. It’s very difficult for me to be honored about things like this.
And I tell you the truth, because this is a corporate situation. I’m a cultural guy, I’ll keep it really real with you. I turn down a lot of these gigs, and not a lot, it’s not every day Essence is doing this. But you know, the Grammys and their afterparties, you know these types of award shows and magazine publications, I don’t really mess with this type of stuff at all.
The problem is that Doug E. Fresh does. That’s the problem. Doug E. messes with all of the stuff, Doug E and MC Lyte.
Yes. Absolutely. I’m seeing the connection here.
Right, you know what I’m saying? So Doug E. calls me up and he wants to get me, Kane, Rakim, together and have this blowout there at Essence. So in a lot of ways, I’m honored to be on that kind of platform—I’m there with my friends. Rakim is there, others. Kane, obviously others will be there as well. It’s really a fun moment for me as well. Essence doing it is an eyebrow raiser, it’s an eyebrow raiser. Hip-hop as a culture hasn’t had such a tough time, I should say a great time with Essence or Ebony or Jet. These magazines kind of ignored hip-hop the whole time we were in existence.
But times are changing. Like I said, the old government ain’t the old government no more. Even universities, these institutions, even police departments—nobody’s the same anymore. People have—especially after COVID—you know, if you survived COVID there’s a little bit of humility on you right now.
Oh Yeah
You know what I mean, you’re a survivor right now, OK. And you’re kind of looking at the world kind of grateful right now. Some of us have actually lost loved ones and you know, and this kind of thing. So it’s like for Essence to do this now, I think they’re finally living up to their name and the word Essence.
I think we’re finally getting to the essence. And the essence is that—I see what’s going on. It’s the 50th anniversary, they got their shows going. You know, we’re club promoters as well, we do festivals, we know what it is. This is a good thing. This is a good festival date. It’s in New Orleans, it’s a great place to have this. People will travel to New Orleans, the tourism there is great, you know it’s wonderful. There’s nothing you can say critical, negatively critical about this kind of an event. Essence is doing its thing, Doug E.Fresh has a stage, we’re going to be on that stage. Were going to rip that stage too on another level. We’re not pulling no punches, we’re coming forward.
Oh my God.
But there is that cultural side of it where we say: Well look, let this be the beginning of a new relationship with the publishers of Essence and hip-hop’s actual culture.
You know, we shouldn’t have to meet on the 50th. There were 49 other years here.
But moving forward, right? This is the future.
That’s right. We are.
This is the future of hip-hop.
You hit it on the nail. The future. We’re moving forward. We’re not dwelling on the past. I mentioned it to give some context, to give some depth.
But, no, for Essence to do this as well and their partners. For them to even want to do this is an honor.
And it does point in a—as a matter of fact, it does answer your other question about the future. How do I see the future of hip-hop in that way? I see it right here. I see it with real hip-hoppers that have grown up now and are becoming the executives and the CEOs of these companies that used to ignore us.
Instead of going backward and saying, “Oh well, you used to ignore us”; look there’s nothing we can do about that. But what we can do is what you just mentioned. We can look to a bright, bright future.
We have Essence to thank for that part. We have you all to thank for bringing that together for us. It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be crazy.
KRS: You know what. Absolutely. And let me underline, we have Essence to thank for that. This was my point. That this is the beginning of a bright future if you can see it. Meaning the people at Essence. If it’s not just another gig for them. If you can see it, this is the beginning of a bright future.
Essence Festival runs June 30–July 3. The 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop is curated by Doug E. Fresh with Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, KRS-One, and Slick Rick. Other Hip-Hop acts include Salt-N-Pepa, Remy Ma, Eve, Trina, and Mia X, along with Jermaine Dupri’s curated show with Southern rappers and Ice Cube, Yo-Yo, and a list of West Coast rappers.
Stay tuned for the second segment of BE’s interview with KRS-One as part of the Hip-Hop Turns 50 series
Receipts Show Kanye West’s Presidential Campaign Website Was Funded By Marjorie Taylor Greene
From The College Dropout to Republican presidential candidate, who would have ever thought rapper Kanye West would be tied up in a MAGA scandal with Marjorie Taylor Greene?
Rolling Stonereports the Grammy-award- winning artist may have used Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s credit card to pay for his 2024 campaign website, Ye24.com. While West, now known as Ye, hasn’t officially announced a presidential bid, speculation was sparked after campaign insider Milo Yiannopoulos allegedly charged $7,000 to Greene’s card.
According to receipts obtained by The Daily Beast, Greene’s camp reported a charge of $7,020.16 to hosting service GoDaddy on November 22. Ye’s 2020 committee also paid Yiannopoulos $9,955 for “domain transfer” on the same day.
A Greene insider said the right-wing political commentator oversaw the transaction, however, the person didn’t know if Greene’s campaign knew about the expense at that time. To make matters worse, the event happened on the same day Ye dined with former President Donald Trump and white supremacist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago.
In an attempt to save face, Greene’s consultant, Isaiah Wartman, released a statement saying, “Congresswoman Greene knew nothing about the gross negligence made by a vendor and is being unfairly attacked as a result. The campaign was told the purchase was refunded. This wasn’t the case.”
There may be some legal matters associated with the scandal as there are limits on how much a campaign can donate or gift to another. Currently, the limit is $2,000 a year under federal law—much less than the $7,000 charged.
Saurav Ghosh, director of Federal Campaign Finance Reform for the Campaign Legal Center, toldRolling Stone it’s an “excessive, prohibited contribution. Whether Marjorie Taylor Greene or her senior staffers knew about it, the value was well in excess of the amount that one campaign can legally contribute to another campaign.”
Reports of a refund will come out soon as Greene’s next filing is due on July 15.
IRS Admits Black Taxpayers Are Five Times More Likely to Be Audited Than Any Other Race
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently confirmed research findings that Black taxpayers are are at greater risk of having their federal tax returns audited at higher rates than taxpayers of other races.
According to CBS News, the internal investigation called for the IRS to review its auditing processes at the demand of lawmakers and policy experts after a study from Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research revealed Black American taxpayers are up to five times more likely to be audited at rates that don’t reflect their share of the U.S. population.
“[O]ur initial findings support the conclusion that Black taxpayers may be audited at higher rates than would be expected given their share of the population,” IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel wrote in a letter to the U.S. Senate.
“Back in March my colleagues and I raised alarms to the new IRS boss about Black taxpayers being over-audited and today he confirmed our suspicions,” Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) tweeted. “The IRS is making strides but extra audits of Black Americans is disgraceful and must end.”
The study claimed Black Americans saw higher audit rates as a result of an artificial intelligence algorithm used by the tax agency that may have been flawed.
Werfel confirmed the IRS plans to use an $80 billion fund through the Inflation Reduction Act to “understand any potential systemic bias in compliance strategies and treatments.” The agency will undergo an evaluation of its processes and examine the source of racial disparities, reconsidering its system for choosing which tax returns to audit.
A study released in 2022, found that the tax agency audited poorer families at five times the rate than everyone else.
“We will work to identify any disparities across dimensions including age, gender, geography, race, and ethnicity as well as continually refining our approaches to compliance and enforcement to improve fairness in tax administration and maintain accountability to taxpayers as informed by our research,” Werfel noted in the letter.
Rihanna Surpasses Eminem As Second Artist With The Most Certified Singles in the US
Despite the seven-year hiatus since her last album release, Rihanna continues to rake in musical accolades. The billionaire superstar just beat out Eminem when it comes to certified singles.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Rihanna surpassed Eminem and is now the second artist with the most certified singles in the United States. With 166.5 million certified units under her belt, the Barbados native beat out Eminem by just 500,000 units, UpRoxx reports.
Rihanna’s top singles, according to RIAA, are her diamond single “We Found Love” feat. Calvin Harris, “Needed Me,” “Work,” and “Stay;” all nine times platinum, with the first two being included on her 2016 album Anti. Rihanna’s 2007 smash hit “Umbrella” is certified eight-times platinum.
Her other singles, “This Is What You Came For” with Calvin Harris, “Diamonds,” “Disturbia,” and “Only Girl (In The World)” are all listed at seven-times platinum. Rihanna currently sits behind Drake in music certifications, but Rihanna Navy fans are confident she’ll beat out the Toronto rapper when she makes her musical return.
“She will overtake Drake before she even releases R9,” one fan wrote.
Drake tops the list with 184 million certified units. After Rihanna and Eminem, Kanye West comes in at No. 4 with 142.5 million certified units, and his longtime nemesis Taylor Swift comes in at No. 5 with 137.5 units.
The last five artists included in the top 10 include Post Malone at No. 6 with 134 million certified units, Justin Bieber at No. 7 with 116 million certified units, Beyoncé at No. 8 with 114.5 million certified units, the Weeknd at No. 9 with 111 million certified units, and Katy Perry at No. 10 with 109.5 million certified units.
Meanwhile, despite pleas from her fans, Rihanna hasn’t released an album since Anti in 2016. Many were hopeful new music was on the way when she headlined the 2023 Super Bowl. But Rihanna came out and announced her second pregnancy instead.
With a son who just celebrated his first birthday on May 13 and another baby on the way, it’s not certain when Rihanna will return to the studio to record and release a full album.
Her last single, “Lift Me Up,” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Orginal Song, which she performed at the award show.
“Update from the family: sad to see how the media runs wild. My dad has been out of the hospital for weeks”, she said via her Instagram stories. “In fact, he was playing pickleball yesterday! Thanks for everyone’s prayers and support. We have an exciting work announcement coming next week too!”.
And it seems that the actor is well on his way to making his reappearance soon.
According to TMZ, Jamie Foxx has been recovering at the top physical medicine and rehabilitation center in the country. His daughters, Corinne and Anelise, as well as Anelise’s mother, were all seen visiting him last weekend, according to photos taken at the center.
There has still been no word on what happened to Foxx, but the facility does specialize in treatment for traumatic brain injury rehab, spinal cord injury rehab, cancer rehabilitation, and stroke recovery—the latter of which many believe is the cause of Foxx’s poor health.
According to reports, the actor has been receiving treatment at the Chicago-based center since late April after initially being treated in an Atlanta hospital. TMZ did not provide the name of the rehabilitation center in Chicago.
TMZ also reports that all of the visiting family seemed to be in good spirits, a potential positive sign regarding Foxx’s health. His eldest daughter originally broke the news that he had experienced a medical emergency while filming Back in Action. Reports later revealed that it had not happened on set and that, despite rumors to the contrary, the actor had not been transported to the hospital via an emergency vehicle.
New Basketball Court Unveiled at Shaquille O’Neal Boys and Girls Club In Georgia
Shaquille O’Neal is known for his big personality and his even bigger heart.
The retired NBA player is looking to influence the next generation of athletes with a new basketball court located in Henry County, Georgia.
WSB-TV reports the court opened last week at the Shaquille O’Neal Boys and Girls Club of Henry County. At the grand unveiling, Shaq was joined by McDonough Mayor Sandra Vincent and team members of The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, Icy Hot, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.
Many may think the focus is to encourage kids who only want to pursue basketball, but the court is made for numerous activities, including tennis and pickleball.
The sports analyst is no stranger to the Henry Country community as he is often involved in different giveaways and meetings with kids. Kids who attended the court reveal walked away with brand-new MacBooks. The Boys & Girls Club was renamed in 2022 in O’Neal’s honor after he donated $1 million to the new building.
O’Neal is placing his mark in numerous neighborhoods across the country. Last year, he opened basketball courts in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, CBS News reported. The renovated Combaq Court on Hawthorne Avenue received some much-needed love with a designed blacktop, new baskets and scoreboards.
The Louisiana State University alumnus told the children present at the grand reopening that’s where his love of basketball came from. “I’m you. We come from the same place. I have the answers to all the tests and I give you all the information,” Shaq said.
“First thing you need to do is listen. Listen, listen to your parents, listen to your teachers. Second thing you need to do is believe. Follow your dreams.”
Shaq’s foundation and Icy Hot created the Combaq Court initiative to rehabilitate basketball and multi-use courts across the country.
Fans React to Drake Selling $415 Socks to Celebrate 4-Year Anniversary of ‘Air Drake’
Canadian superstar Drake announced the sale of merchandise related to the anniversary of his luxury private jet, Air Drake, which debuted in 2019.
Drake posted to his Instagram account last week promoting the items designed by The Elder Statesman.
“First class anywhere you sit ✈️🦉
“For the first time ever experience the elevated luxury of Air Drake. @TheElderStatesman crafted an exclusive line of custom hand-spun cashmere socks, eye-masks, loungewear and blankets for your inflight comfort. For a limited time, in commemoration of Air Drake’s anniversary, the collection will be available tomorrow at www.Drakerelated.com”
A few of the goods available for purchase have led fans into a frenzy questioning Drake’s motives behind the price tag of these items. A hooded Air Drake robe costs $3,515, Air Drake Patch socks are going for $415, a blanket costs $4,100, and an eye mask sells for $995. But, the sweatpants seem reasonable in comparison with the cost being “only” $100.
In 2019, Insider reported that the private jet, a converted Boeing 767, seats 30 passengers and costs $185 million. Drake purchased the plane from a Canadian company and declared hometown pride as the reason for the purchase.
“Supporting homegrown businesses has always been a top priority of mine, so when an opportunity came up to get involved with a great Canadian company I was honored to do so,” Drizzy said in a statement at the time.
Air Drake was conceived by a company based in Canada, CargoJets, and it reportedly has a theater/entertainment room, three fully enclosed master bedrooms, and fully carpeted flooring. It allegedly can fit up to 45 people comfortably.
BLACK ENTERPRISE Presents ‘The Future of Work’ In Upcoming Town Hall With Ed Gordon
The future of work was shifting even before COVID-19 disrupted labor markets and upended livelihoods. Today, as we navigate through the remnants of a punishing pandemic, it is vital to understand the existing trends within the global economy in order to plan for what’s to come.
For a much-anticipated town hall, BLACK ENTERPRISE has tapped in the incomparable Ed Gordon, CEO of Ed Gordon Media, to moderate “The Future Of Work” on Thursday, May 18, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EST.
This virtual experience, sponsored by Nationwide, welcome speakers Debbie Dyson, CEO of OneTen, Shelley Stewart III, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, and Leader of McKinsey’s Institute for Black Economic Mobility, Quita Highsmith, VP and Chief Diversity Officer at Genentech and BLACK ENTERPRISE CEO Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr.
“As the No. 1 Black Digital media brand, BLACK ENTERPRISE has continuously documented the economic and professional elevation of African Americans.” Graves said. “Where we could, we have helped bring about those advances by serving as an information resource and vehicle for wealth-building and smart money management.”
Graves continued: “Standing here upon that history and looking ahead to the future of work from a Black perspective, we are confronted with a challenging reality. Much of what we have gained collectively is at risk. An unprecedented convergence of economic, social, and political factors has upended work and industry norms that affect everyone.”
Over the past few years, Corporate America has undergone changes, big and small —some representing the effects of the pandemic, a call for institutional DEI efforts, and a continuation of remote work. Moreover, there has been a major push for a skills-based workforce versus a credentials-driven employee pool as well as digitization and other trends.
“One in 16 workers may have to switch occupations by 2030. That’s more than 100 million workers across the eight economies studied—and the pandemic accelerated expected workforce transitions,” according to a recent McKinsey & Company report on the future of work.
The report findings also stated that “job growth will be more concentrated in high-skill jobs” such as healthcare and STEM fields, while”middle- and low-skill jobs” such as food service, production work, or office support roles will take a plunge.
McKinsey & Company pointed out the trends more likely to reshape work. There are four to five times more remote work than pre-COVID-19. The fast adoption of automation and AI as well as the virtual transactions (e-commerce), which is growing at two to five times the pre-COVID-19 rate, are also highlighted in the McKinsey & Company as “macro trends.”
What do these developments—and more—mean for shifts in jobs, recruitment, and mobility for African American workers?
During the “Future of Work” town hall, panelists will lean on their expertise in the corporate world to discuss the state of racial equity in workforce development, the value of retaining Black talent, and employee trends transforming today’s workplace. These topics will also give better understanding to remote/hybrid environments, workplace surveillance, the impact of A.I. on job categories and workflow, copycat layoffs, and more.
Whether you are seeking to add security to your professional life in the face of recession, called career cushioning, or you’re rage applying because you feel under-appreciated at your current job, this town hall discussion is for you. If you have experienced a shift shock, or that feeling of disappointment when you start a new job and realize, that the position or company is very different from what you were led to believe, our panelists can give you some perspective.
