• News

by Booker Jones

April 12, 2023

FBI: Hackers Targeting Public Phone Charging Stations

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The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is warning citizens that phone, tablet, and computer hackers are targeting public charging stations. 

According to NBC News, hackers have figured out how to infect phones with malware at public stations. 

“Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels, or shopping centers,” the FBI’s Denver field office shared in a tweet. “Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead.”

Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers. Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead. pic.twitter.com/9T62SYen9T

— FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) April 6, 2023

The FBI, which also posted a similar warning on its website, has not made public recent cases involving hackers infecting phones, tablets, or laptops with malware. 

“Consumer devices with compromised USB cables can be hijacked through software that can then siphon off usernames and passwords, NBC News wrote. 

The Washington Post reported the practice of infecting devices with malware is known as “Juice Jacking,” which enables hackers to use USB ports to steal valuable information, mostly credit card numbers or passports.  

Ritesh Chugh, professor, and technology and society at Central Queensland University, revealed told the Post that charging stations are a hazard to one’s privacy: “[A]s little as one minute of charging time may be adequate for compromising a user’s phone,” 

Tony Coulson, executive director of the Cybersecurity Center at California State University at San Bernardino, advised that citizens should view cell phones, laptops, and tablets as credit. “You don’t just go anywhere and start plopping your debit card in,” Coulson told the Post. 

“There’s no fail-safe in between, and once you’re plugged in—if data talks, then data talks,” he added. 

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 12, 2023

Report: Four Months into the New Year and There Have Been More Mass Shootings In 2023 Than Days

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We were hoping 2023 would be different.

ABC News reports the number of mass shootings in 2023 supersedes the number of days seen this year. According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 146 mass shootings this year alone—with only 102 days into the year. That’s less than the 647 mass shootings in 2022 and 690 in 2021.

Approximately 15 mass shootings have occurred in the U.S. in the first 10 days of April.

The archive defines a mass shooting as an incident where four or more victims are shot or killed. Americans have been continually mourning after gun violence occurred in Nashville, at Michigan State University, at Monterey Park, and most recently, in Louisville, Kentucky. Earlier this week, five people died, and eight others were injured after a man opened fire in a bank downtown. These victims add to a recorded 11,521 deaths related to gun violence.

While President Biden signed an executive order last month to boost the number of background checks for gun purchases, some experts don’t think that will be enough to stop these mass casualties. Kelly Drane, research director at Giffords Law Center, expects to see numbers similar to 2021 and 2022. “It’s a little bit hard to say at this point that it’s gonna result in massive changes in the overall landscape of mass shootings,” Drane said, reported by Insider.

She also wants Americans to focus on gun violence as a whole. Giffords Law Center states Americans are 25 times more likely to die from a gun homicide than citizens in other high-income countries. “Americans are much more likely to die from gun suicide or to be shot in other forms of gun violence outside of mass shootings,” Drane claims. “Mass shootings, particularly like the one that we saw this past weekend, they represent a very, very small fraction of gun deaths in this country.”

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 12, 2023

Atlanta Teenager and Family Friend Die After Saving Four Children From Drowning in Florida

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A heroic act from a teenager from Atlanta saved four young children but cost his and a family friend their lives.

According to WSB-TV,  Bryce Brooks, 16, rescued four children he did not know on a Florida beach last Thursday. His family said Brooks and their friend, Charles ‘Chuck’ Johnson II, reacted when they saw several children in distress while swimming off the coast of Pensacola.

The children were rescued but Brooks and Johnson, who jumped in to save Brooks, never made it back to shore.

Brooks’ parents, Shivy and Crystal Brooks are obviously devastated. Shivy Brooks said their sons noticed the four other younger kids being swept away by the water’s currents, and they all jumped in to save them.

“Being selfless, our son, Bryce, while being pulled by the currents himself, literally called for help, not for himself, but he was calling for help for the little kids that he was looking out for,” Shivy Brooks said. “Bryce is a hero. He literally saved the lives of four kids at the expense of his own.”

A GoFundMe account was created to help the Brooks family. The goal of $75,000 was surpassed. Over $83,000 was raised as of Wednesday morning. .

“We’re never going to get to see Bryce grow up and be the full man that he was going to be. But we know that he stepped into his manhood to save these children. That makes me proud. It doesn’t take an ounce of pain, but it makes me proud of our son,” said Crystal Brooks.

An Instagram post was shared with the caption: “REST IN PEACE🙏 16-year-old Bryce Brooks of Atlanta died after heroically jumping into action last Thursday at Johnson Beach in Perdido Key and trying to rescue four younger children from drowning.

“Our son saved the lives of kids he did not even know.”

 

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A post shared by WEAR Channel 3 News (@weartv)

The beauty scene is buzzing in anticipation once again, as natural hair professional and enthusiast, Taliah Waajid’s annual hair, beauty and wellness show is taking place on April 22nd and 23^rd at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. What’s unique about The World Natural Hair Show is that it has become a cultural movement for the Black community that continues to “positively shape society’s views of Black beauty, lifestyle and culture.”

Waajid shared that The World Natural Hair Show this year will focus specifically on the important topics of self-love, confidence, and community through their many influencer-and-expert-studded panels and informative workshops. In addition to this, the event has an impressive awards gala, over 300 vendors and “leaders within multicultural beauty, live music / entertainment, and meaningful conversations that uplift and encourage the community. [The event has] information for people to make the best decisions that they can in their life…it is a lifestyle event, as well as a hair show.”

The Natural Hair Legend, Taliah Waajid

The World Natural Hair Show founder Taliah Waajid has over 25 years of experience as a leading natural haircare specialist. She is also a licensed Master cosmetologist and the manufacturer of the popular self-named hair and body care line, Taliah Waajid.  The Taliah Waajid brand was the first complete line of chemical-free beauty products for natural hair. What started out of her salon and in her garage, can now be found on the shelves of Sally Beauty, Target, Walmart and many others.

Taliah Waajid is a beauty pioneer legend who has channeled her understanding and appreciation of natural hair into a fruitful venture that has created immeasurable opportunities for people in the Black community. BLACK ENTERPRISE  had the opportunity to speak with Taliah Waajid about why she believes this show is needed. She shared,

“I don’t want the excitement about natural hair to fade away. This is the only relevant show that celebrates natural hair and gives information to customers, professionals, retailers, and everybody [else] about this industry. I want them to know that we are still just as excited today as we’ve ever been.”

The World Natural Hair Show Details

The wide array of vendors present at The World Natural Hair Show event always creates excitement amongst the thousands who attend each year.  This year’s event will have popular favorites like Mielle Organics, AMBI, Camille Rose Naturals and Creme of Nature, in addition to many new and undiscovered brands hoping to make their mark on the industry.

Over 30,000 people are expected to attend the event. With tickets priced at just $10, the wealth of information being shared and all of the brands that’ll be there, it’s very easy to see why this event is so well attended. Buyers, distributors and other retail reps are also always in attendance.

The educational panels will be featuring some recognizable names like Dr. Sebi’s daughter, Kellie Bowman and Doctor Holistic to speak about health and wellness. Thought leader 19 Keys will also be there alongside financial expert Rush Gram and many others. In addition to the panels, there will also be workshops for both professionals and amateurs teaching everything from soap making and holistic hair health, to mastering the art of tree braids and how to start a podcast. Needless to say, there will be something for everybody.

Taliah Waajid wants to solidify natural hair’s permanent place in the world saying, “I want people to know that natural hair is here to stay. It’s not going anywhere…come see what’s new. And see how we continue to elevate this space positively.”

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You can learn more at naturalhairshow.org and grab your tickets here. 

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• News

by Sidnee Michelle Douyon

April 12, 2023

Manhattan’s Top Prosecutor Sues to Stop Republican ‘Intimidation’ in Trump Case

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday sued Republican U.S. Representative Jim Jordan to stop what Bragg called a “campaign of intimidation” against the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump in New York.

The lawsuit aims to block a subpoena of Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney’s multi-year investigation of Trump, by the Republican-led House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which Jordan chairs.

Bragg, a Democrat, called the subpoena an unconstitutional “incursion” into a state criminal case as payback for charging Trump in the first indictment of a former U.S. president.

“Rather than allowing the criminal process to proceed in the ordinary course, Chairman Jordan and the committee are participating in a campaign of intimidation, retaliation and obstruction,” Bragg’s lawyers wrote in the complaint, filed in federal court in Manhattan.

Later on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil set a hearing in the case for April 19. She gave Jordan until April 17 to respond to Bragg’s complaint.

Last week, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to buy porn star Stormy Daniels’ silence before the 2016 election about her alleged affair with him, which he denies.

Many Republicans have portrayed Bragg’s prosecution as a politically-motivated stunt to interfere in the 2024 presidential election, where Trump is seeking another White House term.

They have also questioned the district attorney’s use of federal funds for its investigation of Trump.

“First, they indict a president for no crime,” Jordan tweeted on Tuesday. “Then, they sue to block congressional oversight when we ask questions about the federal funds they say they used to do it.”

Bragg’s office has told the committee it used $5,000 in federal funds to investigate Trump and his namesake family company from 2019 to 2021.

The office said that money came from $1 billion of asset forfeiture it secured for the government in the last 15 years.

Bragg, the first Black district attorney in Manhattan, has also accused Trump of threatening New York officials with “violent and racist vitriol.”

He cited a since-deleted picture that Trump posted on social media showing him holding a baseball bat next to a photo of Bragg’s head, and another post in which Trump called Bragg an “animal.”

The complaint said those statements had a “powerful effect,” adding that Bragg has received death threats from Trump supporters and a package containing suspicious white powder.

Lawyers for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY’

Pomerantz left the District Attorney’s office shortly after Bragg took over in early 2022 and decided against pursuing an indictment of Trump over his business practices.

Earlier this year, Pomerantz published a book criticizing that decision.

He also said prosecutors had examined whether to charge Trump over hush money payments, but were concerned their novel legal theory might not hold up in court.

Though Bragg has said Pomerantz’s case was not ready, Jordan has said Pomerantz’s public statements showed that politics motivated Bragg’s eventual prosecution of Trump.

In a court filing, lawyers for Bragg said there would be no harm to House Republicans from blocking the subpoena because Congress has no jurisdiction over state prosecutions.

He also said that if the Republicans do not like his case against Trump they can express their displeasure to voters.

Not letting the case proceed toward a possible jury trial would “undermine the interests of justice and irreparably injure New York’s sovereign authority,” Bragg’s office wrote.

The Judiciary Committee said on Monday it planned a “field hearing” next week in New York about “an increase in violent crime” they claim has been caused by Bragg’s policies.

Bragg said murders, shootings, burglaries and robberies in Manhattan are lower this year than in 2022.

• Education

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 12, 2023

NASA Launches Planning Award to Connect Minority Serving Institutions with Opportunities

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Yesterday, NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP)launched the  MUREP Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) award. This award provides up to $50,000 for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to contribute to research opportunities in preparation for larger funding opportunities, including NASA’s annual Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) solicitation.

MPLAN enables MSIs to contribute to NASA research while fostering the potential for long-term partnerships between NASA and MSIs by building familiarity with NASA’s funding opportunities. This initiative helps equip MSIs with the necessary tools and resources to pursue larger research and funding solicitations in the future, particularly SBIR and STTR.

To apply, MSI proposals respond to topics directly linked to the mission needs of NASA’s Mission Directorates for Space Technology, Aeronautics and Research, and Space Operations. In addition to the up to $50,000 award, winners are placed into a cohort for training and support based upon their chosen topic areas, led by the respective Mission Directorates.

MPLAN Awards are intended to provide resources to MSIs to develop and implement proposed approaches to NASA Mission Directorate topics through supporting activities, such as student experiences, professional development, and research.

Background: MUREP is administered through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. Through MUREP, NASA provides financial assistance via competitive awards to MSIs, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic- Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, American Indian Tribally-Controlled Colleges and Universities, Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions, and other MSIs, as required by the MSI-focused Executive Orders.

The Program: MPLAN invites Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to apply for funding to support research and development that addresses the needs of various NASA Mission Directorates.

The Award: Through MPLAN, NASA provides multiple awards of up to $50,000 each for successful applicants.

Eligibility: The award is open to any minority-serving U.S. community college, college or university, designated and listed by the U.S. Department of Education as an MSI. Participating institutions shall identify a Principal Investigator (PI) who is responsible for the proposed effort. PI’s must be tenured, tenure-track faculty, or a leading innovation member of the lead institution.

To learn more about the opportunity, visit www.NASAMPLAN.org

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is taking bold action to identify and accelerate the preservation of nearly 60 public spaces of historical and cultural significance to Black communities across the country.

Of the nearly 100,000 places included in the National Register of Historic Places, only three percent tell the stories of the Black American experience. In the United States, the approach to identifying, preserving, and interpreting historic places has long reflected the country’s complicated racial—and racist—past and present. It deprives us of a full understanding of the story of America and presents the grave risk that many of the most important places in Black American history and culture will be lost to rapid development or neglect.

To address this threat, Trust for Public Land is urgently working to ensure the Black American communities that built and cultivated this country are justly honored and remembered through the conservation of stories and places. “We have an enormous opportunity to expand the field of Black historic preservation, moving beyond the stereotypical narratives rooted in racism, slavery, and pain to tell a more complete history that highlights the resistance, self-determination, and joy of African Americans,” said Dr. Jocelyn Imani, TPL’s national director of Black history and culture. “We need more public spaces where Americans—specifically Black Americans—can take their families and leave feeling proud.”

Combining national resources with the expertise of local partners, TPL is part of a growing movement of organizations, funders, philanthropists, and Black communities to recognize and put more sites on the map that preserve Black history and culture. Many sites with cultural and historic value are under threat, facing rapid development, natural decay and deterioration, and the loss of individuals and descendants who can speak to their importance. TPL and partners are working to preserve, create and activate sites like this, including:

• Emmett Till Campus/Sustainable Square Mile: Blacks in Green (BIG) has conceived of community development in terms of the Sustainable Square Mile, an economically self-sustaining walkable village designed to build Black wealth and power. TPL is supporting BIG’s efforts to create a series of 16 gardens across Chicago that honor luminaries of the Great Migration. The first of these is the Mamie Till-Mobley Forgiveness Garden, a converted vacant lot that not only offers a place for healing and respite, but also features a first-in-America Prairie Rainwater Parkway Garden, revolutionizing green infrastructure norms.
• Medgar and Myrlie Evers home: The Evers were both activists in the Civil Rights Movement and targets of racist violence. Medgar, one of the first national civil rights leaders assassinated, was killed outside of his home in 1963. The home located in Jackson, Mississippi, is now undergoing preservation efforts and continues to be a symbol for civil rights and social justice issues.
• Prince Hall Masonic Temple: This historic Atlanta building used to house the offices of Martin Luther King Jr.’sSouthern Christian Leadership Conference and WERD, the first Black-owned radio station in the US. Partners are beginning the work to restore the building and incorporate voices of community members and the Civil Rights Movement.
• Rosewood Museum: The future museum will be designed as a place of remembrance and education to honor the victims, survivors and descendants of Rosewood, Florida, a vibrant Black community of 300 before it was destroyed in 1923 by a racist massacre by white perpetrators.
• Stringer’s Ridge Cemetery: Nearly lost to history, this rediscovered field cemetery is the final resting place of at least two U.S. Colored Troops veterans and Alfred Blount, the first Black man lynched from the Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“Even with the successful completion of these projects and others, there is still more work to be done to address the immense disparities that remain in our nation’s history and historic sites,” shared Keith Weaver, Trust for Public Land national board member and chair for TPL’s Black History and Culture Advisory Council. “Saving these irreplaceable spaces requires specialized expertise to identify and map existing and future sites; to leverage extraordinary amounts of public funding; and to build grassroots partnerships to validate that Black historic sites truly honor and enrich their surrounding communities.”

To continue this dialogue and further rally support for preservation, Trust for Public Land is hosting a celebration of Black history and culture with the Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee on April 14 with future partners in conservation and industry supporters. The distillery’s namesake, Nearest Green, was a formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel distilling in the 1800s. His story is another one among the American Black experience that has been largely untold – only until recently. The Nearest Green Distillery is helping to ensure his legacy and this important chapter in American history is never forgotten.

Celebrating its 50-year legacy, TPL is continuing to embed equity in everything we do, from closing the park access gap to preserving sites that represent Black history and culture, to ensure our nationally protected outdoor places tell the full American story. “Land has meaning. Historic places tell our story and connect us to the truth in tangible, relatable ways. And if we continue with business as usual, these sacred—and joyous—spaces representing the Black experience will be vulnerable and maybe even lost forever,” said Diane Regas, president and CEO of Trust for Public Land. “But everyone has a role to play in building a more equitable future, by celebrating, visiting, and learning from these historic and critical public lands.”

• Politics

by Sidnee Michelle Douyon

April 12, 2023

Tennessee Democrats Push to Bring Second Expelled Lawmaker Back to House

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Tennessee Democrats on Tuesday will press for the reinstatement of a second state representatives who was expelled for leading a gun policy protest on the floor of the statehouse, after the first was reinstated on Monday.

Justin Jones pumped his fist and declared “power to the people” as he returned to the state House of Representatives on Monday after being restored by the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County.

His colleague Justin Pearson, the other young Black legislator who was expelled last week, could get a similar vote for reinstatement on Wednesday when the Shelby County Board of Commissioners will consider reappointing him to his Memphis district.

“You might try and silence it. You might try and expel it. But the people’s power will not be stopped,” Pearson told supporters outside the council chambers in Nashville following Jones’s reinstatement. “This is what democracy looks like.”

In a joint statement after Jones’s reinstatement, William Lamberth and Jeremy Faison, who lead Tennessee’s House Republicans, noted that the state’s constitution “provides a pathway back for expulsion.”

“Should any expelled member be reappointed, we will welcome them,” Monday’s statement said. “Like everyone else, they are expected to follow the rules of the House as well as state law.”

Republican lawmakers last week kicked out Jones and Pearson for breaking decorum but came up one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to expel Representative Gloria Johnson, a white woman who joined Jones and Pearson in the demonstration but did not speak through a megaphone.

The conflict has captured national attention and served as a rallying cry for Democrats over the issues of democracy, gun violence and racial inequality.

A large crowd calling for gun control protested outside the statehouse March 30, and Jones and Pearson engaged in a call-and-response from the chamber’s floor with people who took their protest into the spectators gallery following the March 27 school shooting in Nashville that killed three 9-year-old school children and three adults.

On Monday, about 600 protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Council as it voted 36-0 to make Jones, 27, the interim representative.

The vote set off a celebration as supporters shouted “Whose house? Our house!” and “No Justin, no peace” while displaying signs that read, “Protect kids, not guns” and “Stop sales of AR15.”

Many of them followed Jones to the statehouse, cheering him as he was sworn in on the steps.

The House was in session as he then quietly entered the chamber and took his seat. A colleague shook his hand. Jones was introduced to cheers from the gallery, and he raised a fist in acknowledgement.

“I want to welcome the people back to the people’s house,” Jones said after House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, gave him an opportunity to address the assembly. “I want to welcome democracy back to the people’s house.” Jones then settled in to listen to debate and take part in voting.

Republican lawmakers hold a 75-23 supermajority and have shown little concern for reprisal from voters.

• Health and Wellness

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 12, 2023

Sunshine Health Donates $25,000 to FAMU School of Nursing

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Sunshine Health today announced a $25,000 donation to support the Last Mile Scholarship Fund for nursing students at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), a historically Black university.

The donation will support more than 40 graduating nursing students with registration and examination fees for NCLEX, the state’s licensing exam. The funds will also assist graduate students in the Adult Gerontology and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (NP) Programs with preceptor accommodations and test prep resources.

According to the 2020 National Nursing Workforce Study, Black/African American registered nurses make up 6.7% of the nursing workforce.

“Nurses are an essential part of our healthcare system, and it’s important that our workforce reflects the diversity of our communities to best serve our members and support our mission to help improve health outcomes across the state,” said Nathan Landsbaum, CEO of Sunshine Health.

Sunshine Health is proud to collaborate with FAMU to increase minority representation in the nursing profession and address the nationwide nursing shortage.

Over the past year, the university found that supporting the coverage of exam fees resulted in students testing six to eight weeks post-graduation and receiving higher NCLEX first-time pass rates.

“We are incredibly grateful to Sunshine Health for their generosity and commitment to our students,” said Dr. Shelly A. Johnson, Dean and Professor, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. “Their contribution will make a difference in the lives of our nursing students, giving them financial support to cover exam costs and help them achieve their professional goals.”

About Sunshine Health
Headquartered in Broward County and with offices across the state, Sunshine Health is among the largest healthcare plans in Florida. Offering coordinated care and a network of support for our members, Sunshine Health is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. Sunshine Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise. It offers government-sponsored managed care through Medicaid, Long Term Care, the Health Insurance Marketplace (Ambetter), and Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans (Wellcare). Its specialty plans include the Child Welfare Specialty Plan serving children in or adopted from the state’s Child Welfare system; the Serious Mental Illness Specialty Plan for people living with serious mental illness; and the Children’s Medical Services Health Plan, operated by Sunshine Health on behalf of the Florida Department of Health for children and adolescents with special healthcare needs. For more information, visit SunshineHealth.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @SunHealthFL.