Freeform is done with the -ish.

Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi left a message for her fans on the network’s YouTube channel revealing that season six of the series will be its final season.

“Hey grown-ish fam, it’s Yara, and I wanted to share the news with you guys, our day ones, that season 6 of grown-ish will be our final season,” she shared in the video. “But don’t be sad, because we’re going to do it up big.”

According to People, the final season will be released in two parts, the first airing this summer and the second part following in 2024, “which means you still have a full year with the crew at Cal U,” the actor and producer said to fans.

“And we have so much to celebrate this season, including hitting our hundredth episode,” she said, revealing some guest stars that will join the cast, including Lil Yachty, Anderson .Paak, and The Free Nationals. She noted that the network would be sharing more names soon.

“You guys have been with us since season 1, and it has been such an honor to play Zoey and grow up alongside her for the past nine years,” she shared, recalling her starting role on black-ish. “Your support over the last five seasons has really meant the world to us, the cast and crew, and we wanna take the time to thank you all for the love and support that has kept us going.”

“And like I said, there’s still another season to go and trust me, it’s gonna be big,” Shahidi reiterated.

The first season of grown-ish premiered in January 2018. The black-ish spinoff surrounded Shahidi’s character Zoey Johnson’s college experience and starred singing duo Chloe and Halle Bailey. Season five underwent some changes in the plot as Marcus Scribner, who plays Zoey’s brother Andre “Junior” Johnson, took on the lead role following his sister’s exit from college. In addition to Shahidi and Scribner, the final season will star Trevor Jackson, Diggy Simmons, and Daniella Perkins.

“We’ve spent nearly a decade telling our stories through the -ish series and to say it has been an amazing journey would be an understatement,” executive producer Kenya Barris said in a statement. “To be able to watch Yara, Marcus [Scribner] and our entire grown-ish family grow up in front of (and in many ways alongside) us over these past several years has been both a joy and an honor.”

Actor Jonathan Majors’ rise to fame was mounting with recent projects like the recently released Creed III and other upcoming movies. That path went off course with a current domestic abuse allegation reported earlier this week. Now, an Army advertising campaign featuring Majors has been altered.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ads that the United States Army planned on running this weekend for the NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament featuring Majors will be altered to remove the actor from the campaign.

On Saturday, instead of seeing Majors in the commercials, viewers will see existing footage from previously aired commercials and unused material from the new “Be All You Can Be” campaign.

The repurposed ad content is from earlier ad campaigns, “Passions” and “Know Your Army.”

“The U.S. Army has preserved 100 percent of the value of our media inventory so far, losing no money in the brand campaign’s media investment,” Laura DeFrancisco, the public affairs chief for the Army Enterprise Marketing Office, informed The Hollywood Reporter.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, head of Army marketing, expressed that there will be no loss of the planned $70 million advertising buy for the campaign.

“We are absolutely able to utilize a majority of what we have invested,” Fink said in an interview. “We think that we’ll have some brand new creative ads in time for the Women’s Final Four on Friday.” The Army has gathered “an enormous amount” of content and footage for the two commercials, “Overcoming Obstacles” and “Pushing Tomorrow,” that showcased the Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania actor as the narrator of the creative spots.

“A majority of that content did not contain our main narrator. … So we have a ton of content to go back to, to create basically new commercials new ads, if we need to,” Fink said. “The campaign is full steam ahead.”

Majors was arrested in New York City over the weekend on assault and harassment charges and charged in a criminal complaint alleging that he struck his girlfriend in the face with his open hand, causing a laceration behind her ear, and grabbing her hand and neck, causing bruising.

Priya Chaudhry, Majors’ defense attorney, said in a statement that Majors was innocent and was “provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows.”

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 31, 2023

Rep. Jamaal Bowman Calls Republicans ‘Cowards’ In Viral Shouting Match Over Gun Control

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Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is not backing down regarding gun reform.

In a viral video, the New York congressman got into a passionate shouting match with his Republican colleague, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), outside the House chambers. The Washington Post reports Bowman accused Republicans of being “gutless” for not doing anything regarding gun control laws after a mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school on Mar. 27. While sharing his views, Massie walked by and questioned what Bowman was talking about. “I’m talking about gun violence,” Bowman said.

Republicans won’t do SH*T when it comes to gun violence, but try to tell me to calm down.

NO.

We can’t calm down. People are dying everyday while we wait. pic.twitter.com/38mYYW9cgs

— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) March 29, 2023

In response, Massie said, “there’s never been a school shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry.”

According to ABC News, the former middle school principal says Congress is “broken” and failed to provide a solution for what he calls a “sick society” that allows gun violence to occur regularly. “The whole country should be yelling and screaming and marching on these steps to make sure we pass legislation to do something about gun trafficking, assault rifles, and to bring some commonsense gun control,” the 46-year-old told reporters.

Monday’s shooting took the lives of three nine-year-old students: Hallie Scruggs, Evelyn Dieckhaus, and William Kinney, and three adults: Katherine Koonce, Mike Hill, and Cynthia Peak. Adding to the list of hundreds of other mass shooting victims, U.S. lawmakers, like Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), have suggested legislative fix for school shootings isn’t coming anytime soon.

WATCH – Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) turns his back on the role he was elected to fill as he tells reporters “we’re not gonna fix” school shootings.pic.twitter.com/65EXzfSAjE

— The Black Wall Street Times (@TheBWSTimes) March 29, 2023

“It’s a horrible, horrible situation,” Burchett said. “We’re not gonna fix it. Criminals are gonna be criminals.”

Several Democratic leaders have made statements on Bowman’s stance and support him in his passionate arguments. “Our children are being slaughtered in the streets of America. We need to do something about this problem,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. “And so passions may be running high here in the Congress. Passions are definitively running high throughout the United States of America.”

• Career

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 31, 2023

5 Steps to Communicate Like a Boss

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Effective communication is essential in any workplace. It helps build a positive and productive work environment, fosters collaboration and teamwork, and ultimately leads to better business outcomes. However, many employees and managers need help with communication. Ineffective communication can often lead to misunderstandings, low morale and lost productivity. So, here are five steps leaders can take to communicate like a boss.

1. Active listening

One of the critical elements of effective communication for leaders is active listening. Active listening requires leaders to pay close attention to what their team members say, ask relevant questions and provide feedback demonstrating understanding. Leaders who listen actively can gain insights into their team members’ thoughts and feelings, understand their concerns and build stronger relationships with them.

Active listening involves fully engaging with the speaker, verbally and non-verbally, to demonstrate interest and understanding. The purpose of active listening is to promote effective communication and build strong relationships, both personally and professionally.

2. Clarify expectations

Another important aspect of effective communication for leaders is providing clear and concise instructions. Clear expectations help prevent misunderstandings and errors when team members need clarification about what they are expected to do. Leaders who offer clear instructions can ensure that their teams are on the same page and working towards a shared goal.

Here is a simple roadmap to clear expectations:

1. Define the task or project: Define the task or project and what needs to be accomplished. Identify the goals, timelines and any other relevant details.
2. Identify stakeholders: Determine who will be involved in the task or project, including any team members, stakeholders or others impacted.
3. Discuss expectations: Leaders should talk with each stakeholder to ensure they understand their expectations and concerns about the task or project. This can include goals, timelines, resources and any other relevant details.
4. Document expectations: Document the expectations discussed, including specific details such as timelines, deliverables and responsibilities. Make sure everyone involved in the project has access to this documentation.
5. Confirm understanding: Confirm that all stakeholders understand and agree to the expectations that have been outlined. This can involve asking each person to summarize their understanding and addressing any confusion or disagreement.
6. Monitor progress: Monitor progress throughout the task or project to ensure that expectations are met and adjust as necessary. This can involve regular check-ins, progress reports and feedback sessions.

3. Give and accept feedback

In addition to providing clear instructions, effective communication requires leaders to give constructive feedback. Feedback can help team members improve performance, develop new skills and achieve goals. However, feedback must be provided constructively and respectfully. Leaders who provide constructive feedback can help their teams grow and improve while maintaining a positive work environment.

Constructive feedback is intended to help the recipient improve their performance, skills or behavior. The feedback is given to be helpful rather than critical or negative.

Constructive feedback typically includes specific, actionable suggestions for improvement. The feedback should be based on observations and facts rather than assumptions or personal opinions. It is focused on the behavior or performance rather than on the individual.

Effective constructive feedback is also given in a respectful and supportive manner. It is not meant to be confrontational or accusatory. Instead, it should be delivered in a way that encourages the recipient to reflect on their actions and make positive changes.

Constructive feedback is essential for helping individuals grow and develop their skills and abilities. By providing feedback that is specific, actionable and delivered in a supportive manner, we can help others improve their performance and achieve their goals.

4. Communicate goals clearly

Clear communication of goals means that goals are communicated in a way that is easy to understand, unambiguous and specific. When goals are communicated clearly, it helps individuals and teams to know what they are working towards, why it is essential and what is expected of them.

There are several key components of clear communication of goals:

1. Specificity: Goals should be clearly defined, with specific details about what needs to be achieved, by whom and when.
2. Relevance: Goals should be relevant to the overall mission or purpose of the organization and aligned with the values and priorities of the team or individual.
3. Clarity: Goals should be communicated in a way that is easy to understand and unambiguous, with no room for misinterpretation or confusion.
4. Accountability: Goals should be tied to specific individuals or teams, with clear expectations for who is responsible for achieving them.
5. Feedback: Regular feedback should be provided to track progress toward the goals and to make any necessary adjustments or changes along the way.

Clear communication of goals is crucial because it helps to align efforts towards a common purpose and provides a framework for measuring progress and success. When everyone is on the same page about what they are working towards, it helps to create a sense of unity and shared purpose within the team or organization.

5. Practice and be flexible

Effective communication for leaders requires ongoing effort and practice. This includes seeking input from team members, attending communication training programs and practicing active listening and clear communication in everyday interactions. Communication skills can be improved through practice and feedback, and leaders must be willing to continually work on their communication skills to become more effective leaders.

Leaders must also be able to adapt their communication style to different situations and audiences. Some team members may have different communication preferences, and leaders must be able to adjust their communication styles accordingly. Leaders who can adapt their communication style can build stronger relationships with their team members and create a more inclusive work environment.

Effective communication is essential to the success of any workplace. While these best practices may require effort and practice, the benefits of effective communication are well worth it.