Garfield High School basketball coach Tre Simmons has extended his entrepreneurial endeavors by launching his own ale brand in his hometown called TR3. 

According to The Seattle Medium, the hometown hero, who already has a clothing brand called True Motivation, recently partnered with one of two Black-owned breweries in Seattle’s Central District, 23rd Ave Brewery.

Simmons’ ale, “TR3,” with the number three substituting the letter “e” in his name. The number three in “TR3” also signifies the record-breaking 80 three-pointers he made in a single season while playing at the University of Washington (UW).

Simmons says the ale is made using a grain build usually found in whisky distillation. Raspberry puree and a non-apple mix are also incorporated, bringing a unique tasting “Washington Apple” beer.

RELATED CONTENT: Meet Hannah Ferguson: Owner of the First Black, Female-Owned Cidery Dwelling on Positive Energy

“It’s a hazy ale that has a natural raspberry flavor with a Washington Apple kick,” says Simmons. “The grains are made from whiskey. For those who aren’t big beer drinkers or alcohol drinkers, you would also like this—it goes down really smooth, and it is light.”

The official launch of TR3 Ale will be on June 7 in Seattle at Queen Anne Beer Hall. The event will be hosted by Chukundi Salisbury, with Simply Seattle also present to sell its merchandise.

“I hope to see TR3 Ale enjoyed worldwide one day, and I rely on the support of the people who have always been there for me, near and far, to help spread the word. I can’t embark on this new journey alone,” Simmons shared. This latest collaboration marks another milestone for the former basketball player that he can proudly add to his ever-changing résumé. 

RELATED CONTENT: First Black Brewery in Montgomery County, Maryland, Pushes to Expand to Virginia and Beyond

On May 21, Brittney Griner is set to play her first professional basketball game since October 2021. As part of the celebration, Grammy-Award-winning artist Wyclef Jean will perform during the halftime celebration.  

According to TMZ Sports, the Phoenix Mercury joined forces with The Sum, a music platform, to bring the former The Fugees member to perform at Griner’s first home game as her Phoenix Mercury team takes on the Chicago Sky at the Footprint Center. 

TMZ reported that fans will be selected to perform with Wyclef, as he will reportedly perform Bob Marley’s infectious hit record, “One Love.” 

Jean will also perform a post-game concert, according to a press release. 

Griner’s comeback is remarkable following her recent ordeal. In February 2022, the WNBA star was taken into custody at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow for having hashish oil. She was jailed for nearly 10 months before being sentenced to 9 ½ years in prison. 

President Joe Biden negotiated a one-for-one prisoner swap with Moscow officials for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Dec. 8. 

In February 2023, Griner signed a one-year contract with Phoenix Mercury, and many basketball fans are anticipating her return. 

Breaking: Brittney Griner has signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury, sources confirmed to ESPN.

More: https://t.co/3gTiF8hYYu pic.twitter.com/3Orh4igTX8

— ESPN (@espn) February 18, 2023

“It’s a great day for all of us to announce that Brittney Griner has officially signed to play for the Mercury in 2023,” Phoenix General Manager Jim Pitman said in a statement. “We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed. We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly. This is a special signing and today is a special day for all of us.”

Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was detained in Russia for nearly 10 months last year, made her Met Gala debut. https://t.co/HJsRBopSAK pic.twitter.com/fyIVzyFBbq

— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 2, 2023

RELATED CONTENT: We Love to See It! Brittney Griner is All Smiles at the Met Gala Alongside Wife, Cherelle Griner

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will kick off fundraising for her 2024 re-election campaign in the swing state of Georgia on Friday as she and President Joe Biden tap donors for contributions to a ticket that raised over $1 billion in 2020.

Harris will be headlining the Democratic Party of Georgia’s Spring Soiree fundraiser – a gathering expected to have hundreds of attendees. She will also attend a private fundraiser hosted by the Democratic National Committee, a White House official said.

The events come a day after Biden began his 2024 fundraising spree and attended two events in New York hosted by wealthy donors, where he addressed concerns about his age and said the upcoming campaign could be “a pretty ugly” one. The president launched his re-election bid in April with a promise to protect personal freedoms.

Georgia, which was considered safely Republican just a decade ago, has since seen significant change as Black voters, college-educated suburban women and young adults become more politically active.

Harris played a key role in mobilizing those voters ahead of the midterms with a focus on abortion rights to help boost turnout for Democrats. Biden won the state by a narrow margin in 2020.

Biden and Harris face significant political headwinds in their bid for a second term, including low approval numbers and concerns about Biden’s age. Political strategists have said Harris’s appeal as a fundraiser for the re-election campaign will be tested in the coming months.

Harris’s 2020 campaign ‘Kamala Harris for the People’ raised over $40 million, with nearly 57% coming from large contributors, according to campaign finance records.

Harris cited a lack of “financial resources” when she dropped out of the 2020 presidential campaign but had a bundler donation list that spanned from Wall Street to Silicon Valley that was considered among the most valuable in the 2020 field. She is expected to tap those resources in 2024.

In April, Biden and Harris met 150 high-dollar donors and fundraisers in Washington, who will tap their networks to help fund their campaign over the next 18 months.

Biden’s campaign in 2020 was the first presidential campaign in history to raise over $1 billion. Campaign officials say it may need well more than $1 billion this time to re-elect Biden, hold the Senate and regain control of the House of Representatives, which Republicans took in the 2022 midterm elections.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington, Editing by Chris Sanders and Edwina Gibbs)

Pras Michele is not backing down when it comes to being labeled an FBI informant. The Fugees member is sending off legal letters with plans to sue 50 Cent, Kyrie Irving, and Rolling Stone.

On May 10, Pras’ attorney fired off a round of legal notifications to 50, Irving, and Rolling Stone for mislabeling him as an FBI informant, The Los Angeles Times reports. The defamation lawsuit is in response to a Rolling Stone article that referred to Pras as an “FBI informant,” and social media posts where 50 called him a “rat” and Irving echoed the “informant” claims.

Last month, the “Ghetto Superstar” rapper was convicted in federal court on 10 counts related to charges of conspiracy, witness tampering, and failing to register as an agent of China, NPR reported. Following the conviction, Rolling Stone posted an article on April 18 referring to Pras as “an informal FBI informant.” The article was later changed to say he “voluntarily met with FBI agents,” according to Hip Hop DX.

Pras’ representative, Jonathan Noah Schwartz, sent letters telling Rolling Stone that the article caused Pras to lose business deals that hurt his music revenue.

“It is and was absolutely and demonstrably false for You to publish that Michel was a ‘government informant,’” Schwartz wrote to Rolling Stone.

“Labeling a Hip Hop artist such as Michel, the reputation of whom is dependent upon ‘street credibility’ and not being a ‘snitch,’ a ‘government informant’ most certainly tends to subject said Hip Hop (sic) artist to hatred, distrust, ridicule, contempt, and/or disgrace, along with injury in their trade or profession.”

On April 24, 50 Cent shared a screenshot of a headline naming Pras as an FBI informant in a since-deleted Instagram post, saying, “I knew this fool was a Rat! I’m glad I never fvck with this guy.”

The following day, Irving referred to Pras in a tweet, saying, “A whole FBI informant was in the Fugees for that long??”

And that’s why a rapper, NBA star, and media outlet may have to pay up.

RELATED CONTENT: Pras Michel Denies Being CIA Informant, ‘This Is Not a Tekashi 6ix9ine Situation’

• Business

by Derek Major

May 12, 2023

CEO Loida Lewis Empowers Women In Her New Book, ‘Why Should Guys Have All The Fun?’

---

Loida Lewis is a shining example that women can have a strong marriage, a career, and a family.

The mother, businesswoman, and widow of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc. CEO Reginald Lewis has released a book Why Should Guys Have All The Fun.

The book chronicles her relationship and marriage to Lewis and becoming the CEO of TLC Beatrice after his death. Ms. Lewis, 80, celebrated her book at a signing in April at a Barnes & Noble in Manhattan.

During the signing, the mother of two daughters explained her motivation to write a book.

“I want to tell women, especially like me who are hard-charging and ambitious, that we can do it all, meaning have a husband, have children and a career, but not at the same time,” Lewis tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Because when I did it all at the same time my body suffered, so everyone has to make choices in their life and when you get married or whoever it is that is special in your life, you have to talk to each other about values, about savings and about children. Are you going to be strict or are you going to be fair?”

During the event, Lewis’ co-writer Blair Walker, a family friend who also co-wrote Reginald Lewis’ book, Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun, says Why Should Guys Have All The Fun is about more than just helping women, but people of color in general.

“Being married to a Black man, she saw him struggle with things like access to capital and so she wanted to help not just women, but people of color and Asian Americans,” Wilson says. “She wanted us to be in a position where we would call the shots, where we are starting to impact more businesses and drive the narrative instead of sitting back and sort of passively letting things happen to us. So she’s all about hard work. She’s about having a plan, she’s about being principled, she’s one of those odd people that you need that’s always doing the right thing.”

The event also featured some lighter moments including Loida Lewis describing the first time the pair discussed marriage.

“So we were in the subway and when there weren’t a lot of people around I said, “Darling do you want a big wedding or a small wedding?’ and he replied, ‘A small wedding,'” Lewis recalls. “Then I asked where do you want it and he said there’s a small chapel at NYU and suddenly he realized what he was saying, so I kissed him,” said Lewis  “So, in short, I proposed to him.”

Reginald Lewis, a Harvard-trained lawyer and entrepreneur, was the first Black American to build a billion-dollar company with TLC Beatrice. The Baltimore native launched his investment firm, the TLC Group, which in 1987 purchased Beatrice International Foods Cos., a manufacturer of processed meats, dairy products, and beverages. When Lewis purchased the company it contained 64 food-processing and distribution companies in 31 countries.

Despite a few failures along the way, by 1992 Lewis showed the corporate world an African American CEO  could run an organization focused on boosting shareholder value. However, in 1992, the businessman was diagnosed with brain cancer and the Black business titan died in January 1993.

Lewis initially put his brother Jean Fugett Jr. in charge of the business, but a year later the company announced Ms. Lewis would take over the business. In the first two years of running TLC Beatrice, the company made more than $3 billion in net sales and in 1995 she was recognized by Working Woman Magazine as the businesswoman of the year.

RELATED CONTENT: Historic Black Enterprise Magazine Covers: Reginald Lewis’ $985 Billion Deal, Nov 1987

Dallas-based non-profit organization Project Still I Rise aims to close the generational wealth gap amongst African Americans by gifting 500 students with Roth IRAs and stock as first-time shareholders through their signature financial education program. The program is multi-tiered: The Gift of Home Ownership, and The Gift of Stock, Tech, and Entrepreneurship (S|T|E). The goal behind the financial education program is to build a continuum from pre-K to high school in financial literacy.

“It’s clear that there is a gap in knowledge of basic financial principles related to saving, retirement, credit, taxes, banking fundamentals, and mortgages but there’s also this knowledge gap on stocks, bonds, risk, inflation, and interest rates that we wish to close, beginning at an early age, through education and exposure,” says Project Still I Rise’s Executive Director, Kevin Mondy, Sr. Financial management companies like Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab and E-Trade have provided support and assistance with onboarding, education, and investment strategies.

Through the PSIR Gift of Home Ownership tier of the program, parents and children from the age of four are gifted custodial Roth IRA accounts with the idea that upon maturity, these savings will springboard participants into home ownership — which is one proven tool for wealth-building. Comerica Bank, also headquartered in Dallas, TX, has been a major underwriter of this tier of the program by providing an investment of $25,000 to gift participants with IRA seed funding, books, and other financial tools. The cumulative investment of Comerica Bank in this program and related PSIR programs such as Books and Banking, totals over $45,000.

Through the Gift of Stock, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (S|T|E) tier of the program, middle and high school students will participate in an interactive 12-week cohort featuring Investopedia Stock Trading simulations, field trips, and hands-on mentorship provided by partners including the Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta through their EMBODI program. The initial cohort kicked off on Sunday, February 28, 2023, with graduation on April 23, 2023, and the second cohort will be held in Summer 2023. Participants are given weekly copies of the Wall Street Journal as well as $1,000,000 to practice investing based on what they’ve learned in the cohort with hands-on experience through the tech platform, Investopedia.

S|T|E also hosted its 2023 Spring Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium on Friday, April 14, 2023, at Comerica Bank’s new Business HQ Center. At the Symposium, founders and business leaders shared their insight into how the pursuit of an entrepreneurial path is a viable way to financially invest back into our communities— building sustainable businesses that positively impact society. “We stimulate the development of our children’s mental and ethical growth through mentorship. Our program helps to not only lead youth towards the necessary financial resources but also build a supportive eco-system for youth entrepreneurship,” states PSIR Program Manager Marcus Robinson.

This news first appeared on blacknews.com.

U.S. President Joe Biden piled pressure on Republican lawmakers on Wednesday to move quickly to raise the country’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling or risk throwing the U.S. economy into a recession that would kill thousands of jobs.

“We’ve got to fight. We’re going to win this fight,” Biden said at a flag-bedecked event at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York.

Biden made his case in a congressional district that Republicans won by a narrow margin in November, as his aides and staff for congressional leaders met in Washington in a desperate search for common ground ahead of a June 1 deadline.

The Treasury Department says the government will be unable to pay its bills as early as June 1.

Republicans are vowing to support raising the debt ceiling only if Biden agrees to retroactive reductions in government spending. Biden wants the debt ceiling lifted without spending cuts attached, but said he wants to negotiate the next budget.

Biden warned that the post-pandemic economy would be destroyed by a government default, and he listed programs that would be slashed if Republicans get their way, like suicide prevention for veterans.

“This is no time to put all this at risk, to threaten a recession, to undermine America’s standing in the world. Republican threats are dangerous and they make no sense,” he said.

Biden also said the fossil fuel industry wants the government to eliminate tax credits for individuals and businesses for installing energy-saving devices.

“Here’s the real truth: Big Oil doesn’t want it, and Republicans are carrying their water,” he said.

Biden spoke a day after he met with top Republican and Democratic lawmakers for the first time in three months to try to move forward on the debt ceiling and avoid a historic default.

The White House has dubbed the Republican budget-cutting proposal the “Default on America” act.

White House aides are meeting with congressional leaders’ staff in Washington daily before Biden and the leaders meet again on Friday.

The college where Biden spoke is located in a suburban district represented by Republican congressman Mike Lawler, one of a handful of New York Republicans who unseated Democrats in 2022, giving their party its narrow 222-213 House of Representatives majority.

Lawler appeared at the event but did not speak.

Democrats view Republican House members who narrowly won election as possibly vulnerable to being pressured into breaking with their party’s leadership and voting for a bill to raise the debt ceiling without conditions.

The president also was attending two fundraising events for his 2024 reelection bid hosted by wealthy donors – former Blackstone executive Tony James and Executive Chairman of the Libra Group George Logothetis.

Tickets for the James gathering will go for $25,000 per person, according to a memo to donors. Biden announced this year that he would appoint James to his intelligence advisory board.

“It can be a pretty ugly campaign coming up,” Biden, 80, said at the James fundraiser, where he spoke for more than 30 minutes. “It wasn’t an automatic decision to run again.”

Logothetis has regularly donated to the Democratic Party and hosted gatherings in support of former President Barack Obama.

While Biden has largely focused on his presidential duties since announcing his bid for re-election, his campaign operation is coming to life.

The events are expected to generate some $2.5 million for Biden’s reelection campaign, according to sources.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Valhalla, additional reporting by Steve Holland, Susan Heavey and Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Heather Timmons, Stephen Coates, Bill Berkrot and Cynthia Osterman)

Meet Adryan Moorefield and TJ Perry, the co-founders of the popular ‘Hey There’ series. These seasoned educators are reimagining the genre by inserting characters of color in real-life situations. Sporting curls, braids, and twists, each sun-kissed character explores everyday emotions and even how to navigate through troubled waters.

According to a recent article by Education Week, white characters still dominate kids’ books and school texts. Though the study finds Black faces are underrepresented in picture books and curriculums, one dynamic duo is upending the status quo.

In Hey There Little Black Boy and Hey There Little Black Girl, 59 Affirmations To Help You Learn Your Feelings, the authors set the tone for a teachable moment. Children of color see themselves depicted positively as they flip through the winding stories and hear the voice of the narrator saying, “Hey there, little Black boy, that reflection you see is light. Don’t be afraid to let it shine, for yours is really bright.”

Readers are captivated by the affirmations and thoughtful illustrations that capture the real faces of today’s youth. Each colorful representation supports the substory that every little life needs to be valued and seen. The thoughtful prose dances on the pages as these Dallas-based authors impress upon the reader how to be happy in their skin and acknowledge their emotions.

Educators throughout the country praise Moorefield and Perry for this powerful series. Cassie S. raves – “This book is important! As educators, we have moved beyond teaching and into
social-emotional learning, and the Hey There series does just that. It’s an excellent way to get our children started early on practicing positive affirmations. It’s a must for all home and classroom libraries.”

One renowned psychotherapist Dr, Mariam Robin, concurs, “Hey There Little Black Boy is the book you never knew you needed to read, hear, meditate on, or experience. This is a book of affirmations; everybody needs young, old, and all ages in between.” Dr. Robin knows the toll society can take on Black children and adds, “This book plants and tends to the seeds of our
self-worth and helps foster the worth of those we deeply care about. Hey There Little Black Boyalso discredits the lies that we unconsciously or unassumingly adopted just by walking through our day-to-day lives in a broken world.”

According to Moorefield and Perry, “The Hey There series of books were created to help Black children actively see themselves in literature.” This riveting body of work aims to stem the tide of disinformation around the Black experience and give children wings to fly to higher heights. “ We hope to give Black children the opportunity to dream again. To know that with imagination, determination, skill, and support, they will possess the tools to go as far as they want in this life.” add the two creatives.

These books have garnered a growing following and were recently featured in Kia’s “The Mic is Yours” campaign. Adryan and TJ are impacting the next generation one page at a time.

Learn more at HeyThereSeries.com, or follow on social media @HeyThereSeries.

This news first appeared on blacknews.com