Spelman College Senior Receives STEM Scholarship From Astronaut Joan Higginbotham
A graduating senior at Spelman College has received a STEM scholarship from renowned and retired astronaut Joan Higginbotham, the third Black woman to travel to space.
“We are not just as capable as everyone else but we are even more than that because we know how to problem solve in a way that no one else does and I think that is truly the key to getting us to Mars, getting us anywhere in terms of new inventions, and the future in general,” Bostick said.
Higginbotham also encouraged students at Spelman to always steer toward their goals.
“I always tell students, or even adults, who are looking to venture into areas, where there’s not many people that look like us or people who have not chartered those paths, I always say, ‘Have faith in yourself and your abilities,'” she said. “Always use your voice as a conduit to speak the truth and to have confidence in what you’re saying.”
According to NASA.gov, Higginbotham began her career in 1987 as payload electrical engineer in the electrical and telecommunications systems division at the Kennedy Space Center.
In 1996, NASA selected Higginbotham as an astronaut candidate. She completed more than 308 hours in space. Her first mission was with STS-116, where she served as operator of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS). She was also assigned to the STS-126 mission in 2008. Higginbotham now works in the private sector.
Bostick added that Higginbotham has always been one of her”biggest inspirations,” however, she plans to go farther than anyone has ever gone in the space of STEM.
Here’s Why Black Women Have Become Major Money Makers in 2023
Breadwinning mothers, especially Black women, continue to be the norm today.
New research from the Pew Research Center indicates that 1in 4 Black wives out-earn their husbands. This study, which sparks a drastic change in gender norms, comes 50 years after men were considered the sole breadwinners in 85% of opposite-sex marriages.
Today, Black women are making intentional choices when it comes to getting their bags. They are pursuing higher education at higher rates than any other group, including white women, Asian women, and white men. But that’s not all. Black women are also choosing to have fewer children or none at all.
Higher Education
A degree is often seen as an opportunity to scale your career and paycheck. For Black women, who tend to shoulder a lot of their households’ financial burden, earning higher levels of education reflects how much their wages are heavily relied on.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Black women earned 134,435 bachelor’s degrees out of 206,527 Black college graduates in the 2020-2021 academic year. Black men, on the other hand, earned 72,092. This is no easy feat. Education does not shield women of color from the pay or wealth gap. Black women are far more likely to pay for school with federal student loans than white women, as shown in AAUW research.
For instance, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported on a rare situation highlighting efforts and factors directly affecting a Black woman’s drive to pursue higher education. Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, who helps more women gain access to capital through her platform, EnrichHER, once raised over $600,000 to fund her college education. She became motivated at 15 when she witnessed her mom working multiple jobs to ensure she had everything she needed. The Atlanta-based entrepreneur knew she had to create a strategic plan for college.
Using her crowdfunding skills, Novellus paid for 11 years of higher education. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of California, Santa Cruz. In addition, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management Economics from the same university, a Master of Science in Information Technology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and then a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering, with a minor in Finance, from The George Washington University. Now, she’s investing in other women.
Marriage
According to Pew’s survey, Black women are more likely than any other ethnic group to be in marriages, which can financially benefit Black families. In ideal egalitarian marriages, husbands and wives share wage-earning and family responsibilities equally.
However, Black wives with bachelor’s or advanced degrees still earn approximately $50,599, which is almost equivalent to what white, non-Hispanic men make with some college education, but no completed degree. On average, Black women were paid 58% of what non-Hispanic white men were paid in 2020. As a result, they continue to face a wider-than-average pay gap even though they participate in the workforce at much higher rates than most other women.
Dianne M. Stewart, professor of Religion and African American Studies at Emory University, asserts that there is a likely chance that Black women will make more money than the man they are marrying based on their education status and job skills, per The Sacramento Observer.
“It’s fairly likely that millions of Black women are marrying Black men who either have a high school degree or an associate degree. Therefore, many millions of Black women with college degrees might be in skilled labor jobs,” Stewart said.
Still, Black women are facing unique challenges in the fight for equity pay, but they can’t afford to keep losing.
Students at Loyola University Protest Dismissal of English Department’s Only Black Professor
These students aren’t leaving their favorite professor in the dark.
After Loyola University decided last fall to fire assistant professor R. Scott Heath, also the African American Studies director, nearly one hundred of the institution’s students gathered last week to protest against what some call an “unjust” move.
NBC Newsreported the nearly two-hour protest included an on-campus march to the administration building where students demanded university officials reconsider Heaths’ dismissal, as the decision may fracture the university’s Black studies program.
Heath was a faculty member at Loyola for four years and the only Black professor in the English department. According to the former Loyola professor, there was no straightforward answer to the reasoning behind his termination from his position with a 3-2 vote from within the English department.
Heath feels his emergency trip to North Carolina in September for the funeral of North Carolina Central University’s jazz studies director, Brian Horton, may have sparked the decision. While away in North Carolina, Heath continued to fulfill his duties as a professor. However, he missed the deadline to renew his contract.
After the English department provided an extension, there was no follow-up about a new deadline and no response once he submitted the required materials to the department.
“This experience is just a reminder that there are a lot of institutional bodies that see Black people, Black faculty as disposable — replaceable,” Heath said. He continued, “It’s one thing to be uncomfortable in a workspace. But there are some people who have gone to lengths to let me know that I’m unwanted.”
Carson Cruse, a sophomore and president of the university’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, believes the termination is a “clear attack” on diversity, equity, and inclusion at the university, according to the student paper.
“Our education is not negotiable,” Loyola’s NAACP chapter secretary and junior psychology major Akilah Toney said. “We won’t take no for an answer because we need an African-American studies department in a majority Black city.”
Professor Mark Yakich, who supports the students as they fight for Heath, said there were alleged student complaints but never any evidence, not even during an “informal formal” meeting the dean called to discuss Heath’s job performance.
Yakich, who has been teaching at the university for 16 years, voted for the university to renew Heath’s contract and signed the petition to keep him on staff.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Hit With Lawsuit For Allegedly Stealing Beats
Houston-based producer, Kerry D. Brown of Krushial K. Productions, filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z’s Roc Nation on May 1, alleging copyright infringement.
According to court documents sourced by AllHipHop, the Roc Nation entertainment company is being sued for stealing beats and tracks that were used in GloRilla’s “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and A$AP Ferg’s “Plain Jane.”
The lawsuit reads: “Within 21 days after this summons on you…you must serve on the plaintiff an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 or the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The answer or motion must be served on the plaintiff or plaintiff’s attorney.”
The documents claim Roc Nation received access to the tracks through the company’s vice president, Lenny Santiago, to whom Brown allegedly gave copyrighted music samples in hopes of building a working relationship. According to Brown, two instrumentals, “You Don’t Know Nothing About Me” and “AUDIOBOX,” were used for GloRilla’s and A$AP Ferg’s hits.
Defendants in the lawsuit include Roc Nation, Lenny Santiago, Sony Music Entertainment Digital L.L.C and Blac Noize Recordings L.L.C.
Brown said none of the parties ever obtained a Notice of Intent to Use the copyrighted music. Spotify was the only company to send a Notice of Intent to Use the music, and he never received royalties for either track.
Vibe reported that “Plain Jane” became Ferg’s most successful single after its release in 2017. GloRilla’s “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” certified gold record brought her significant publicity, including honors such as Best New Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Hip Hop Awards, an iHeartRadio Music award, and a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
BLACK ENTERPRISE will continue to follow this story.
Kandi Burruss Snags Emmy And Tony Nominations Within 24 Hours
Kandi Burruss tried to tell people she was “worldwide” and now she has more accolades to prove it. In 24 hours, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star secured both an Emmy and Tony nomination.
On Monday, Burruss took to Instagram to announce her nomination for a Southeast Emmy Award in the “Historic/Cultural/Politics/Government/Societal Concerns” category for her work in “La Musica de La Familia.”
“It’s a money-making Monday, an extremely exciting money-making Monday and I got a lot to be excited about,” she said in the video.
“I’ve been screaming all morning and am super-excited,’ she added, noting her reluctance to share the big news since she hasn’t won anything yet.
“But even a nomination is something to be excited about,” she shareD. “I got an Emmy nomination y’all.”
“It’s a project that I never even told anybody I was involved in,” Burruss said. “Hopefully I will have another moment like this tomorrow, as they announce the Tony nominations tomorrow.”
She had to cut her celebratory video short to attend to her motherly duties. But the accolades kept rolling in by Tuesday morning when Burruss’ husband Todd Tucker took to his Instagram page to share the exciting news that the Broadway show they produced, The Piano Lesson, received a Tony nomination in the “Best Revival of a Play.”
“Wow we are Tony Award nominated Producers! [Kandi] you[’re] on your way to that EGOT,” Tucker captioned his post. “What a great week[.] Emmy nomination and a Tony nomination!”
Burruss already has two Grammy awards for penning hits like “No Scrub” for TLC. She still has to secure an Academy Award nomination to potentially reach EGOT status.
But a Southeast Emmy Award nomination proves Kandi’s point that she is indeed “worldwide.”
Black Women on Broadway Awards to Honor Natasha Yvette Williams, Joy Woods, and Nikiya Mathis
After a successful inaugural event, the Black Women on Broadway Awards expects more than 100 guests as it returns for its 2023 celebration.
In honor of the outstanding achievements of Black women in the Broadway space, three were chosen as recipients to be acknowledged for their work in commercial live theater.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, this year’s awards will honor Some Like It Hot’s Natasha Yvette Williams as its Audra McDonald Legacy Award recipient; Six the Musical’s Joy Woods, who was chosen as the recipient of the Florence Mills Shining Star Award, and wig designer Nikiya Mathis, who is set to receive the Kathy A. Perkins Behind The Curtain Award as a rising artist in the space.
“We saw with our first-year celebration how necessary it was, how people left in tears and were so elated to be in a space where they didn’t have to be anything other than the Black women they are. There was such a freedom in the room, a vulnerability that is not often felt,” BWOB co-founder and Tony nominee Danielle Brooks said.
“Natasha has been out here for a very long time, and we’re very excited to give her her flowers. Nikiya has been doing hair on Broadway and off-Broadway for years but also is an actor. And Joy Woods is up and coming; she was in Six and is now in Little Shop of Horrors. She’s the first Black woman to play Audrey full-time in the 2019 revival,” Brooks explained.
The goal for the awards is to maintain a guest list that includes 50% talent and 50% behind-the-scenes changemakers to celebrate every individual who takes part in the production process, from stage management to casting, producers, and swings, a member of the company who understudies several ensemble roles according to the New York Theatre Guide. “We want all of us to be in the space together and hold space together,” Brooks said.
Brooks founded Black Women on Broadway in 2019 alongside The Color Purple actress Amber Iman and Jocelyn Bioh. The 2023 Black Women on Broadway Awards will occur in New York at the Knickerbocker Hotel on June 5.
Da Brat Opts For White Sperm Donor Since The Black Option ‘Looked Like Jiminy Cricket’
Da Brat and her wife, Jesseca “Judy” Harris-Dupart, will welcome a biracial baby boy after selecting a white sperm donor who cummed a lot for a celebrity to conceive their first child.
The happily married pair are sharing their pregnancy journey in season 3 of their WeTV series Brat Loves Judy. Last week, the show followed the rapper and haircare mogul as they began their IVF journey and selected a sperm donor.
As excited as the couple was to begin the process, Da Brat and Harris-Dupart were disappointed to learn how small the pool was for Black sperm donors.
“We looking through the cryobank thing but we don’t see no Black people,” Brat told their doctor.
Their doctor, a Black woman named “Doctor A,” appeared somber while addressing the issue behind the lack of Black donors.
“This is an issue. Unfortunately, there just aren’t enough Black donors,” Doctor A told the couple. “Black sperm donors. Black egg donors. Unfortunately, the pool is limited.”
The couple decided on a sperm donor, but the matches dropped after pairing donors.
“We had to find a donor that was negative of the four different things that I’m a carrier of that actually reduced our candidates by like 90%,” Harris-Dupart explained.
Of the options they were left with, only one was Black and Da Brat called out how he looked like a classic cartoon character.
“And that [dude] looked like Jiminy Cricket,” Brat jokingly toldThe Root. “I was like, “I’m sorry but that wasn’t gonna be my choice.”
As a result, the couple selected a white sperm donor and will welcome biracial son after confirming the baby’s gender at a reveal party last month.
“Because we didn’t have a lot to choose from, he definitely wasn’t Black,” DA Brat said.
”But I think we did a great job with picking. He’s handsome, he’s tall and I think he’s going to look beautiful with my wife’s egg.”
The McBrides Sisters SHE CAN Fund was established in 2019 and has invested over $3 million into the professional advancement and career growth of professional women working in male-dominated industries, with a particular focus on women of color, according to the statement. This year, the fund invites women working in and seeking leadership positions in the wine and spirits industry and entrepreneurs in related fields to apply for the program and one of their three available scholarships.
“I’m very excited to announce this year’s Fund focus on the business of wine,” says Robin McBride, co-founder of McBride Sisters Wine Company and The McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund. “This area is where my sister Andréa and I can lend most of our personal expertise to professional women and students entering the wine industry. Our experience building our business from the ground up and touching every aspect of the wine business hands-on gives us the ability to showcase how broad the wine industry is and how to lead from within it.” This year, the fund will also award grantees of the #SHECANTHRIVE 2020 initiative with membership to 510media’s Hope Academy, an organization providing mentorship, training, and community to women in the field.
Courtesy IStock
“I am particularly excited about 510media Hope Foundation’s involvement with our #SHECANTHRIVE 2020 sisters,” states Agnes Uboma, chief social impact officer at McBride Sisters Wine Company. “Both Nana Kofi Nti and Courtney Smith helped me to better understand and account for culture-specific psychological challenges and behavioral economics African American entrepreneurs traverse in addition to the daily grind that all entrepreneurs must surmount to be successful. I am confident that 510media Hope Foundation’s classes and workshops will guide the #SHECANTHRIVE 2020 sisters in creating bespoke mental models tailored to their business needs.”
To date, the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund has awarded over 30 wine education scholarships and has built a national membership database of over 6,000 women. Eligible applicants are encouraged to apply starting today.
Detroit Man Spends 30 Hours In Jail After AI Technology Misidentifies Him
AI technology is in the news again after a Detroit man spent 30 hours in jail after being misidentified as a subject in a pending criminal case.
In January 2020, Robert Williams, a Black man, was arrested in front of his wife and children for a robbery committed at a Shinola store in 2018. According to Newsweek, the store’s security cameras captured a suspect stealing watches who was not, in fact, Williams. Not only was he apprehended for the crime, he was not told what he was being arrested for until after his release 30 hours later. “The day I was arrested, I had no idea it was facial recognition,” Williams told Newsweek. “I was arrested for no reason.”
In the wake of Williams’ wrongful arrest, Chief of the Detroit Police Department, James E. White, issued a statement that read: “There are a number of checks and balances in place to ensure ethical use of facial recognition, including: use on live or recorded video is prohibited, supervisor oversight, and weekly and annual reporting to the Board of Police Commissioners on the use of the software.” Despite the reassurance from White and others, many experts fear that AI facial recognition will further exacerbate the same discriminatory and prejudicial practices that existed before the latest technological advancements.
In a study from Harvard University, Ph.D. candidate Alex Najibi argued that in the matter of fairness, Black people would, once again, be at risk. “In 18th century New York, ‘lantern laws’ required enslaved people to carry lanterns after dark to be publicly visible,” Najibi wrote. “Advocates fear that even if face recognition algorithms are made equitable, the technologies could be applied with the same spirit, disproportionately harming the Black community in line with existing racist patterns of law enforcement.”
Williams, who had his case dismissed without prejudice by the judge, is now suing the Detroit Police Department for the traumatizing experience he and his family had at their hands.
Walton Isaacson CEO Aaron Walton Inducted Into American Advertising Federation Hall Of Fame
As co-founder and CEO of Walton Isaacson, an advertising and marketing agency, Aaron Walton has built the Los Angeles-based agency into a perennial player. It delivers exceptional results for A-list clients, including Lexus, American Airlines, Constellation, McDonald’s, Pepsi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Amazon.
In a nutshell, high-profile entrepreneur, influencer, groundbreaker, and titan are just a few nouns that describe Walton, one of the nation’s top Black advertising executives.
Walton founded the firm in 2005 with Cory Isaacson and partnered with NBA legend and serial entrepreneur Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Isaacson left in 2019 to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors outside the agency’s business. Walton told BLACK ENTERPRISE that his firm is now billing over $100 million in revenue. Walton Isaacson previously ranked No. 1 on BLACK ENTERPRISE’sBE 100s list for advertising agencies.
Aaron Walton, Carolyn Everson (Chair of Hall of Fame 2023), Antonio Lucio (Hall of Fame inductee) Photo credit: Akintayo Adewole / DRKR PXLS. Photo provided by American Advertising Federation.
Walton was honored for his work in New York after being introduced by Vinay Shahani, vice president of Lexus Marketing, into the 2023 American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hall of Fame. Shahani and Walton have worked closely together for the past 2½ years. Among seven new inductees in this year’s class, Walton joins elite, iconic, and legendary figures who have achieved the industry’s highest recognition.
Their deeds have helped change the mighty industry and its culture. They are highly regarded too for their extraordinary philanthropic efforts in their business and communities.
Walton Isaacson engineered the award-winning partnership between Japanese luxury automaker Lexus and Disney’s Marvel Studios for the global blockbuster film Black Panther. Lexus is Walton Isaacson’s largest client.
Influencing The Advertising Industry and Being a Game Changer
On presenting Walton the award, Shahani says, “I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition. Aaron has worked tirelessly to help us put Lexus at the epicenter of cultural relevance through a pioneering approach to branded integrations and cultural marketing that allows us to speak to our constituents with an inclusive and authentic message.”
And Steve Pacheco, president and CEO at AAF, talked about Walton’s accomplishments and the influential impact he has had and continues to have on the business.
“Aaron Walton has built a solid career of success that covers entertainment, media, and advertising as well as pop culture, fashion, and tech,” Pacheco said. “He has helped shape modern-day advertising in positive ways and shown clearly what opportunities and possibilities are available in our industry and what can be.”
Walton says he never, ever thought about doing anything other than what he’s doing right now—advertising. “To be honored by the industry and acknowledged by industry leaders I have looked up to has really had a very special impact on my life.” He says for him to be included as part of this illustrious group of people, which includes inductees who were mentors to him, is a humbling experience.
One of Walton’s mentors was Roger Enrico, former CEO and board chair of PepsiCo. “Pepsi was a training ground for me, if you will, in terms of my first job, first opportunity to get involved in marketing and advertising.” Walton worked with Michael Jackson on the global Bad tour sponsored by Pepsi. Another Walton mentor was the late Alan Pottasch, creator of the “Pepsi Generation” ad campaign.
Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson of Urban One, was another mentor. Enrico, Pottasch, and Hughes are AAF Hall of Fame members. “All of these people who I’ve watched and wondered how they did it— people who have been gracious enough to give me advice—it has been amazing. To be included in that company has really meant the world to me.”
Developing A Bold Business Plan and Differentiating His Firm from Rivals
A true innovator, Walton’s initial focus on cultural engagement and diversity has helped set him apart from rivals, transforming conventional marketing and advertising strategies. He recalls sharing his business plan with friends that were CMOs at different corporations and trying to get their feedback.
Before he even shared the plan, Walton remembers them saying, “OMG, Aaron, we don’t need another agency. We’re trying to slim the rosters right now.” Yet Walton stood his ground. “And I was like a dog with a bone: No, you don’t understand. This is going to be different. We’re going to lead with culture. We’re going to expand the marketplace and expand opportunities.”
That approach has resulted in big dividends for Walton and his firm. Walton’s work has gained much praise, including an AAF Mosaic Award for Best Integrated Campaign and Auto Campaign of the Year at the Think LA Idea Awards, among many accolades.
Further, Walton’s pledge to value differences and build cultural inclusion has helped WI win recognition from many major outlets. They include Advertising Age,Black Enterprise, OUT magazine, and the Hispanic Public Relations Association. WI’s creativity and ability to thrive in an industry where others struggled helped the firm capture Black Enterprise’s Advertising Agency of the Year in 2013.
Overcoming Obstacles and Catering to Multiple Cultures
But the journey has not always been easy. Walton admits his firm started very small with just a couple of clients. He says his firm was lucky Lexus was one of those clients – “because they believed in what we were all about.” He says what has made the difference is people understand his firm’s “Why.” He says clients understand his firm’s mission and the critical need to expand their brand into markets that have been overlooked.” He added that it had created new opportunities and markets for the clients, translating into new revenue streams and growth for his agency.
Simultaneously, Walton overcame obstacles while focusing on growing the business. He noted one challenge has been convincing major US corporations not to put his firm in a box – the box being a belief that Black-owned means Black only. “The reality is we are marketers; we are professional advertising executives. We don’t just do powerful advertising catering to the Black consumer.”
He pointed to American Airlines, a brand that understood his firm’s full potential. In 2021, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported WI was named the new multicultural agency for American Airlines, reportedly the nation’s largest airline. Walton says, “They got it and didn’t put us in a box.”
He says another challenge is the lack of diversity in corporate America, specifically in the C-suite or
other leadership positions with decision-making power. “We need to see more people of color in
positions within these organizations where they can make marketing-related decisions.”
Looking at the big picture, Walton explained part of it is shifting the perception that Black-owned only means that you can only do Black targeted advertising. His firm serves multiple segments, including the general market, DE&I, Hispanic, Black, millennial, LGBTQ+, and women.
“I love doing targeted work and will continue doing it. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be included in some of the larger opportunities. I can do both – targeted and broader cross-cultural work across all audiences.”
