• News

by Ida Harris

April 24, 2023

Gervonta Davis Wins Boxing Bout But Allows Ryan Garcia To Keep $5M Bet

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On Saturday, a one-punch knockout won Gervonta “Tank” Davis the title match at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Davis also won a $10 million purse and the earnings of his opponent Ryan Garcia. The undefeated Baltimore champ was gracious enough to allow Garcia to keep his $5 million bag, according to the prizefighter’s comments during a post-match interview. 

When asked if he’d collect on the bet, Davis simply replied: “Nah, he can take the money. He can take the money. He can take it.”

https://twitter.com/kameronbennett/status/1650259851300286464?s=46&t=EnI8LpkKUkdwbsuH0OtHUQ

In the highly-anticipated boxing bout between two of the sport’s promising talents, Davis punished his adversary in the seventh round with a winning blow to the body. He has not shared his reason for not cashing in on his $5 million-dollar bet. Perhaps the young southpaw felt taking the W in the boxing ring was more than enough.

Boxing and betting tend to go hand-in-hand, and it should come as no surprise since bets come a dime a dozen in Sin City.

Drake, the Champagne Papi, Certified Lover Boy, and serial bettor, claimed a reported $1.38 million payday for betting on Davis’ win, breaking the “Drake curse.”

Other notable people who bet on Davis and received payouts are fellow boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather against boxer Jermall Charlo for a meager $10,000; influencer Kai Cenat claims he is owed 10 stacks from Adin Ross; and boxer Errol Spence reportedly put up a $60,000 bet.

The state of Nevada is also a winner when it comes to legal betting. The “Battle Born State” experienced record-breaking revenue gains in 2022 thanks to gaming, Forbes reported back in February.

While the aforementioned boxers, influencers, and rappers may have disposable income to afford such high-end betting, many people who gamble do not. The reality is that excessive gaming has devastated many households and left people flat-broke due to its addictive nature. Gambling is considered the “invisible disease” because many are impacted without others knowing the depth of destruction. 

If you know anyone who struggles with gambling addiction, help is available through the National Council on Problem Gambling. The organization has a 24-hour confidential, nationwide helpline and can be reached by phone, chat, and text. 

Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Chat 1800gamblerchat.org

Text 800GAM

RELATED CONTENT: Deep Pocket Drake Partners With Online Gambling Company’ Stake’ After Betting Over $1B

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 24, 2023

Tyrese Wants Black Fathers And Civil Rights Leaders To Join Him In Prayerful Protest Against Judge In His Child Support Case

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Fast & Furious cast member Tyrese Gibson has requested media, civil rights leaders and Black fathers meet him in Atlanta on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

Tyrese used his Instagram profile to enlist help in an upcoming custody battle against his ex-wife and the mother of his child, Samantha Lee. The R&B singer is accusing Judge Kevin M. Farmer of being racist. He says the judge referred to Lee as a b**ch in front of his attorney, Tanya Mitchell Graham, in his private chambers.

“Now listen, we ain’t together no more. We have our share of issues,” Tyrese said.

“But I have never referred to the mother of my child as a b**ch. To hear this man, this white man, on the bench, wearing a black robe, who is supposed to represent the law, to refer to my ex-wife and the mother of my child as a b**ch… why is he still on the stand?”‘

The actor wants the judge removed from the case and requests Farmer recuse himself. The “How You Gonna Act Like That” crooner also wants media outlets to attend and witness the case, asking to file a rule 22, permitting the press to attend and record all proceedings.

“WE HAVE A RACIST JUDGE IN ATLANTA WHO CALLED MY EX-WIFE AND THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD A BITCH….We tried to get him thrown off the bench…. They kept him on, and not only THAT??”

His post continued: “They just put him BACK ON MY CASE….. meet me at the courthouse at 8:30 am FATHERS for a PRAYER!!!!!!!! Please tag all BLOGGERS, PRESS, AND MEDIA in Atlanta; you guys need to file a RULE 22 motion to be in the actual courtroom with your cameras on IG, FB LIVE, and or the media in itself…..”

 

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The case is set to start on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, specifically, Courtroom 4D. But, before the case gets underway, Tyrese has also asked several prominent Black figures to show support and offer prayer, including civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, legendary Atlanta civil rights leader Andrew Young, and Martin Luther King III.

He says he is doing this for other fathers who aren’t judged fairly in the system.

The “Sweet Lady” singer said he isn’t asking to gain an advantage in the case but wants it to be done fairly and under the legal agreement his former wife signed before they were married. He also requests other judges and/or anyone who has permission to review past transcripts of Farmer’s cases to review his  previous custody cases.

RELATED CONTENT: Tyrese Blames Depression Meds for Falsely Claiming Will Smith Gave Him $5 Million, ‘I Was Out of My Mind’

Government officials from Brazil are using their president’s first visit to Europe since being elected to raise awareness and fight against the racial discrimination faced by the Brazilian community in Portugal and elsewhere.

Brazil’s minister of racial equality, Anielle Franco, was one of the officials who travelled with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Her mission was to bring discussions about racism to the table.

“We’re not going to be able to solve 523 years of problems in just one visit but I hope we can move forward because that’s why we’re here,” Franco told reporters on Sunday, referring to centuries of oppression faced by Black people.

Franco is the sister of Marielle Franco, a Black councilwoman in Rio de Janeiro who fought for racial justice and was shot dead in 2018.

When elected, Lula said he aimed to attack racism and Brazil’s legacy of slavery. Portuguese vessels carried nearly 6 million enslaved Africans into slavery. Most went to Brazil.

Europe’s top human rights group previously said Portugal had to confront its colonial past and role in the transatlantic slave trade to help fight racism and discrimination in the country today.

“Let’s build a future without forgetting the debts of the past,” Franco wrote on Instagram. “Let’s build a future where cooperation is mutual between countries to seek justice and reparation.”

In a letter addressed to Lula on Sunday, Lisbon-based migrant association Casa do Brasil said cases of discrimination against Brazilians in Portugal were on the rise.

A study by Casa do Brasil showed 91% of Brazilians in Portugal, a community of around 300,000, have faced some sort of discrimination in access to public services.

Franco met Portuguese parliament affairs minister Ana Catarina Mendes on Saturday to discuss policies to tackle racial injustice.

Both governments agreed on a national strategy to combat racism.

“We need to make it happen,” said Franco.

Kemah Duopu, Founder and CEO at Harmon Polish, is celebrating winning $5,000 at the Heaven Center Pitch Competition at Awakening Trade & Conference held in Plano, Texas. The Awakening Africa Hub, a one-stop-shop resource for helping today’s entrepreneurs and Black- owned companies build tomorrow.

The Expo provides an opportunity to strengthen business and economic relationships among business people operating in Africa, America and the rest of the world. This hopes to produce shared prosperity, mutual trust and collective incentives for the public and private partnerships leading to the development of prosperous and sustainable economic initiatives between the US and Africa. The event included 25+ speakers, 70+ exhibitors, 10+ workshops, and entertainment representing more than 50 countries. It offered valuable opportunities to learn about the latest in trade, investment, and market trends.

The Heaven Center Pitch Competition featured five finalists with an opportunity to win $5,000 to a minority entrepreneur. The competition was for minority entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas and build strong networks with ambitious and passionate individuals and mentors. Their goal is to encourage and support entrepreneurship in the African American community by offering competitions where entrepreneurs can receive constructive feedback from experienced venture capitalists and established CEOs.

The award recognizes founders of African descent who build innovative solutions to unlock untapped markets and create new opportunities. As a Liberian native, Kemah Duopu, CEO of Harmon Polish won the 2022 Heaven Center Pitch Competition organized by Awakening African Magazine that was sponsored by Kethia Kayumba, a realtor and investor.

“We hit our sales goal for 2022 and are so excited for the 2023 year,” says Kemah. “We have so many exciting products coming from Harmon Polish such as press on nails and nail care. What sets us apart is our social impact. During Breast Cancer Awareness month, we partnered with local beauty brands to give $5 of every nail polish sold to help kick breast cancer. This year we have some exciting opportunities to give back to the community and we need support to make that happen.”

Harmon Polish is in their pre-seed funding stage with iFundWoman Crowdfunding. Harmon Polishes’ goal is $20,000 for Q1. Read more about the Harmon Polish here: https://ifundwomen.com/projects/harmon-polish-toward-growth-sustainability

This news first appeared on blackbusiness.com

With Black women’s reproductive rights under attack, Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) issues the following statement on SCOTUS’ decision to preserve access to safe medication abortion:

“Black women across America have one less worry,” Linda Goler Blount, MPH said, President of Black Women’s Health Imperative.

Late last week the Supreme Court issued a decision to pause a lower court ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.  A ruling that challenged the FDA’s 23-year-old approval of mifepristone, part of a two-drug protocol for medication abortion, the most common form of abortion in the US.

“The preservation of the right to drugs used to support women’s overall reproductive health means Black women can make healthcare decisions without fear of arrest or incarceration,” said Blount. “Since the dismantling of Roe, BWHI has worried about the health and safety of Black women in the face of unabashed legal maneuvers flagrantly designed to prevent Black women from making the most basic health care decisions. This morning, we are less worried, but we remain vigilant. Our fight for complete rights to bodily autonomy continues.”

BWHI will continue to stand with partners in this fight and remain steadfast in missions to protect and promote the health equity needs of Black women.

About the Black Women’s Health Imperative:
The Black Women’s Health Imperative is the first and only national non-profit organization created for and by Black women dedicated to improving the health and wellness of our nation’s 22 million Black women and girls — physically, emotionally, and of course financially. Our core mission is advancing health equity and social justice for Black women, across their lifespan, through policy, advocacy, education, research, and leadership development. www.bwhi.org

SOURCE Black Women’s Health Imperative

Related: BLACK WOMEN’S HEALTH IMPERATIVE LAUNCHES ‘THE MEN’S ROOM’ PROGRAM TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF BLACK MEN 

BeyGOOD, the initiative founded by global cultural icon, Beyoncé, in 2013, to support people and programs around the world, is now BeyGOOD Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity.

The entertainer, who made history recently as the artist with the most Grammy wins, founded the former initiative to make a difference in communities along the 2013/2014 Mrs. Carter World Tour. Ten years later, BeyGOOD has focused on a wide range of issues including education, disaster relief, food, water and housing scarcity, mental health, and career development in the United States, Africa, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.

With the global public health crisis in 2020, the uncertainty of many small businesses and the growing need for economic support in communities, Beyoncé established the Black Parade Route to highlight and support Black-owned small businesses in the US and abroad. More than 900 small businesses were provided with grants and/or highlighted on socials.

“I am hugely proud of the work we have done over a decade at BeyGOOD, here in the US and around the world,” said BeyGOOD founder, Beyoncé.  “From scholarships to the water crisis in Burundi, to helping families during Hurricane Harvey in my hometown, Houston, it has been beyond fulfilling to be of service.  Now as a foundation, we will continue the work of engaging partners through innovative programs to impact even more people.”

BeyGOOD Foundation focuses on economic equity and education by supporting organizations that serve marginalized and under-resourced communities.  The highly celebrated Black Parade Route continues with luncheons in various cities along Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR.  The Foundation will host luncheons the day before the tour stops to give entrepreneurs a 5-star, inspirational afternoon, with networking opportunities and the potential to be a grant recipient from $100k funds allocated to each luncheon. One thousand small businesses will be supported financially by a commitment totaling one million dollars.

BeyGOOD will also support students through the RENAISSANCE Scholarship Fund that will be given to colleges and universities in ten different cities along the tour. Each school will be given one hundred thousand dollars and will select the student recipients. BeyGOOD’s total scholarship commitment during RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR is an additional and separate one million dollars.

“We believe that everyone has the right to economic equity. And we are keenly aware of the barriers to access, opportunity, and resources that disproportionately impact BIPOC communities,” said Ivy McGregor, BeyGOOD Foundation’s Executive Director.  “Our work is rooted in the belief that education, pathways for employment and support of entrepreneurship are vehicles that help drive sustainable outcomes. As we celebrate a decade of good, it continues to be my great honor to lead the philanthropic vision of Mrs. Carter and to be hands and feet of hope and help for those in need globally,”

Black Parade Route Small Business luncheon cities include London, Chicago, New York, Charlotte, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, and New Orleans. The RENAISSANCE Scholars College cities include Paris, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. Additionally, BeyGOOD will continue its history of visiting local non-profit organizations along the RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR and delivering surprises to celebrate them for their commitment of service to humanity. This begins in Stockholm, continues in Barcelona, Frankfurt, Warsaw, Toronto, Nashville, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Las Vegas, and Dallas.  Local charities in every tour market will also be gifted with tickets to attend the show.

Applications for the Black Parade Route Small Business relief grants are available on www.BeyGOOD.org, starting today. Applicants can apply immediately through April 27.

This news first appeared on prnewswire.com.

• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 23, 2023

A Breakdown of Shaquille O’Neal’s Franchise Ventures

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Shaquille O’Neal has been in the business game for a long time. The 7′1″ former basketball player actually studied business when he was a college student and has been able to put his knowledge to use with business ventures that include being Carnival Cruise Ship’s “chief fun officer” and a celebrity spokesperson for a variety of brands endorsements. Many of his business experiences come from the franchising world, and his reported net worth of $400 million speaks to his success in the industry.

Here’s what you should know about Shaquille O’Neal, franchisee and franchisor extraordinaire.

Shaquille O’Neal the franchisee

Franchises seem to have a special place in the 49-year-old’s heart. When the Wall Street Journal asked O’Neal why he found franchising so attractive, the entrepreneur said, “It’s just partnering up with another reliable, excellent brand. Being in business with people, and just owning stuff.” At one point, it was reported he owned 40 24-Hour Fitness gyms and 150 car washes.

But O’Neal also has experience franchising for several famous restaurant brands. He has owned and sold 155 Five Guys Burgers restaurants — which totaled 10% of the company’s entire franchise portfolio. He also owns 17 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels restaurants and nine Papa John’s franchise units. In fact, O’Neal is a brand ambassador for Papa John’s and has been on the pizza company’s board of directors since 2019.

Out of O’Neal’s franchise ventures, Krispy Kreme seems to be his current favorite. According to his WSJ interview, the celebrity was introduced to the donut in college and wants to be a large part of the business. The celebrity says he owns a few Krispy Kreme franchises and is on the lookout for more.

Shaquille O’Neal the franchisor

O’Neal also knows what it’s like to be on the other side of the franchising relationship as a franchisor of his own food brand. In 2018, O’Neal founded chicken sandwich brand Big Chicken. The Las Vegas-based chain has 10 locations, with partnerships that include Toronto-based Ghost Kitchen Brands and Carnival Cruise Ships. Big Chicken started franchising in 2021 and is looking to expand in cities like Austin and Phoenix.

While a startling 60% of former NBA players go broke within five years of leaving, O’Neal’s desire to diversify his career portfolio seems to have helped him steer in the other direction. So no matter whether IFA conference attendees identify him with his former athletic pursuits, franchise ventures or even his DJ career (yes, he’s a DJ), it’s clear O’Neal can’t be defined by any success metric other than his own.

This news first appeared on entrepreneur.com.

New research centered on the civil rights movement seems to be never-ending and that’s a good thing. Marc Arsell Robinson, Assistant Professor of African American History at California State University released a new book that examines the civil rights protest in the Pacific Northwest region. 

Prof. Robinson spoke with The Conversation about his new book Washington State Rising, his research, and why he chose to focus on Washington as a site of civil rights protests. 

“As an African American born and raised in Seattle, I was curious to learn if and how my hometown was connected to the protests of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements,” Prof. Robinson said during his interview with The Conversation. “I was pleased to learn the city, and region was deeply connected to these larger movements. I felt a responsibility to share what I had learned.”

Much of the research based on civil rights focuses on Southern states with Oakland, Calif., being an exception. However, The Washington Post reports, Pacific cities like “Portland [had a] small but growing Black community helped transform the city, sparking new civil rights activism.” Now, Prof. Robinson is adding to civil rights protests near the Pacific. 

“My book shines light on Black Power’s reach beyond major cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles,” Prof. Robinson said.  “It shows Black Power’s impact on higher education, and it details how some Black student activists used community organizing and interracial alliances to create change.”

Through the research process for Washington State Rising, Robinson made some interesting discoveries about the connection between the University of Washington and the Seattle Black Panther Party. 

“The Black Student Union, or BSU, at the University of Washington, helped connect the Black Panther Party to Seattle,’ Robinson said to The Conversation. “The group formed in the fall of 1967, and later several of its members helped co-found the Seattle Panthers in April 1968. This includes Aaron Dixon, who confirms in his memoir that he was in the Black Student Union at UW before being appointed by Bobby Seale as Captain, or leader, of the Seattle Panthers.” 

To echo the late essayist, Stanley Crouch, nothing says I want to live more than hip-hop. This street-born culture has saved lives—literally.

As hip-hop culture celebrates its 50th birthday, Toby S. Jenkins, associate professor of education at the University of South Carolina, has penned a hymn showing how hip-hop has enhanced American education over the last half-century.

According to the scholar, hip-hop-based education began making its way into the classroom during the early 2000s, mostly through English courses. As an example, Joquetta Johnson, a library specialist for Baltimore County Public Schools,  juxtaposed Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” with Queen Latifah’s “Ladies First.”

This isn’t far from Michale Eric Dyson referencing the late Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z to Pluto and Socrates or writers connecting hip-hop to larger issues such as global activism.

This type of teaching is known as hip-hop pedagogy, described by Jenkins as “incorporating the elements and values of hip-hop culture into the full educational experience. This includes not only the classroom environment but also teaching techniques, student-teacher relationships, and subject matter,”  she writes for theconversation.com.

In fact, Marc Lamont Hill released his opus, Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity, where he showed, among other things, how conversations on keeping it real in hip-hop language can be connected to larger topics.

Outside of classroom curricula, hip-hop has inspired new schools and community organizations, Jenkins writes. In St. Paul, Minn., The High School for Recording Arts, a public charter school, teaches music, art, entrepreneurship, and dance to students who have been expelled or removed from school. New York City’s Cyphers for Justice is a 15-week program where incarcerated youth learn to use hip-hop as a way to engage with racial justice and other policies.

Also, Howard University became the first university to offer a hip-hop course. The genre has inspired dissertations, inspired the research of educator Christopher Emdin, also known as the “ratchemdic educator.” Hip-hop has even been credited as transforming gritty street guys into Ivy League students.

Decades ago, Malcolm X said, “Anytime you see Blacks marching and singing “We Shall Overcome” the government has failed us…It’s time to stop singing and start swinging.“

Well, the government has failed us whether or not we sing or rap. Hip-hop, like jazz and blues, has proven to be an effective form of not only education, as Jenkins has shown, but also a collective space for Blacks to engage with self-improvement as well as social and political issues.

With scholars like Jenkins and her contemporaries, as well as artists like Lupe Fiasco, Kendrick Lamar, among others, and listeners who do not view hip-hop as a form of entertainment, but as a space to practice self-didacticism, the genre will continue to educate, inspire and empower generations. 

• Business

by Booker Jones

April 22, 2023

Kareem Holmes, Wife And Son Own The Only Nautical Black-Owned Business In New York City

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Kareem Holmes owns Big City Tourism, New York City’s only nautical Black-owned business. 

Holmes’s vessel, the Franklin D. Roosevelt, takes patrons through New York City’s Hudson and East River tours. 

“If a person registers for a company, LLC corporation, or sole proprietorship as a ticket-selling business, they get a license to buy, sell, and trade tickets in a public space throughout New York City,” he said in an interview with The Amsterdam News. “Then there’s tour guides. You can acquire any one of these licenses down at the [NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection; DCWP]. I knew it would be great for my community.” 

Holmes owns and operates the nautical Big City Tourism alongside his wife and son. The family-owned business has a mostly Black and Brown staff. Holmes told The Amsterdam News that his experience growing up in New York City played a role in Big City Tourism, “allowing guests to engage with not only the city but also the people who live there,” The Amsterdam News wrote.

Raised in the Lower East Side’s Jacob Riss Houses, Holmes would stare at the East River from his bedroom window.

A formerly incarcerated individual, Holmes recreated his life upon his release. Holmes moved to New Jersey, where he invested in a taxi cab company. According to The Amsterdam News, this investment grew to become the startup money for Big City Tourism. 

“I realized the bottom level of tourism are immigrants and African Americans selling the tickets for these big companies, pushing all the money to the top, but [the companies] wouldn’t really give anything back,” he said to The Amsterdam News. “I knew there was a place we needed to have a Black-owned business, so I created Big City Tourism so we can have something fresh.”

He acquired the Franklin D. Roosevelt after an audition with NY Waterway. The nautical Big City Tourism’s debuted its Freedom Liberty Tour last year. The Free Liberty Tour travels from the Hudson River to under the Brooklyn Bridge before hitting Lady Liberty and Governor’s Island.  

“The Franklin D. Roosevelt is the most advanced ferry in our fleet and represents our vision of the future of the harbor,” Armand Pohan, NY Waterway’s chair, said to The Amsterdam News. “We are delighted to share that vision with a high-energy partner like Kareem, who is committed to bringing the sights and sounds of the harbor to visitors from all over the world. We immediately understood and admired what he and the Big City Tourism team set out to do, and we believe in their efforts to boost tourism as the region continues to bounce back from the pandemic.”

For anyone interested in booking a tour on Big City Tourism, visit bigcitytourism.com or email kholmes@bigcitytourism.com.