These Black women are model figures.

TIME recently announced its 2023 Women of the Year, a list of extraordinary leaders working toward creating a better future for women across generations, communities, and borders.

“Our annual Women of the Year list examines the most uplifting form of influence by spotlighting leaders who are using their voices to fight for a more equal world,” the magazine’s Executive Editor Naina Bajekal and Senior Editor Lucy Feldman wrote in a statement. “The 12 women featured on this year’s list come from across the globe and have made significant impact in their respective communities and fields, from activism and government to sports and the arts. Many of them have faced immense challenges that inspired them to push for change.”

This year’s honorees include four inspirational Black women who have used their platforms to advocate for change and to empower women.

Angela Bassett

“The extraordinary thing about being a part of history is that through your accomplishments, you represent the intention and action towards change and the march towards a brighter, more equitable and inclusive future,” Bassett wrote on Instagram about the honor.

 

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Bassett has used her roles to show women that “it’s OK not to be everything to everyone all the time.”

The iconic actress recently won Entertainer of the Year at the 54th annual NAACP Image Awards.

Ramla Ali

The professional boxer, fashion model, and philanthropist launched Sisters Club to provide women with access to boxing lessons in 2018. Ali also works to destigmatize what it means to be a refugee.

“It’s an understatement to say that I feel privileged to have been officially named as one of the twelve TIME 2023 Women of the year. My goal remains the same as it’s ever been. To create more opportunities and raise awareness to those less fortunate in this world,” Ali wrote to her Instagram followers.

 

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Anielle Franco

Franco is Brazil’s Racial Equality Minister. The leader unexpectedly entered the world of politics following the assassination of her sister.

“I lost the fear of making mistakes a bit after they killed my sister,” Franco said.

 

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Quinta Brunson

“All people have the ability to be both powerful and fragile,” Brunson said. “Showing that helps to create more equality.”

 

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Brunson has used her role in the popular series Abbott Elementary to help people find love within themselves and to extend grace to themselves and the people in their lives.

After taking a former employee to court and winning a judgment against him, 50 Cent has posted, via his Instagram account, that he’s gonna need his money very soon.

Last summer, The New York Post reported that Curtis Jackson’s former director of Brand Management for Sire Spirits, Mitchell Green, stole $2.2 million from the company. He had been accused of selling the items from Sire Spirits for a higher price, while getting kickbacks from wholesalers. Court records revealed that Green profited by labeling the funds he was given as “agency fees.”

After an article by HipHopx was posted earlier this week, 50 had his own message for Green.

“👀Look i’m a need that by Monday! 🤨#bransoncognac #lecheminduroi”

 

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Green had previously admitted to his Get Rich or Die Trying plan back in February 2020. He acknowledged “two years of embezzling from Sire Spirits” due to being extorted by an individual who was aware of his thievery and threatened to expose his past transgressions. The spirits brand decided to fire him and then took him to arbitration.

The arbitrator found that Green was responsible for the money that was stolen from Sire Spirits and also another $948,096 the former employee paid to a wholesaler. He was then ordered to pay an additional $2.7 million in fees for costs, damages, and attorneys fees. Court records revealed that the total Green owes is $6.2 million.

AllHipHop reported that after Green tried to have the award vacated, the court ruled against him in June 2022. Then, in November 2022, Green was penalized an additional $89,305.50 in attorneys’ fees and costs to Sire Spirits.

Last week, Green was instructed to pay $6,283,598.50 in compensatory damages, plus pre-and post-judgment interest for his misdeeds.

50, who is known to be pretty petty intends to seize the bank accounts, personal property, and any assets Green may have in his name to satisfy the $6 million judgment.

Styles P made another step toward good health. Recently, one-third of the Lox, along with Chef Daniel Humm and his wife, Adjua, introduced his Styles PB&J. 

According to Food & Wine, Styles PB&J is plant-based and gluten-free and contains maca protein, Irish Sea moss, and grape jelly. 

“We’re both using our platform to encourage incorporating a plant-based lifestyle, even if it is just one meal at a time,” Styles said to Food & Wine. 

Chef Humm continued: “It’s been amazing to meet Styles and Adjua through the work we’re doing around plant-based eating,” Humm said. “In a way, we come from two very different places,” he says, “but when you read our stories, it is the same story.”

Styles P also shared the news on his Instagram account. 

“The Little Farma Box highlights the Styles PB&J, a two-in-one combination of our peanut snacking butter with Maca protein and grape jelly enriched with Irish Sea Moss: a unique variety of algae that helps to regulate blood sugar and is rich in vital nutrients. It’s completed with three different nutritional supplements from the @farmacyforlife collection — all of which are derived from ingredients that we use in our kitchen:⁠

🌰 Black Seed Oil: the oil of the nigella seed, which is high in antioxidants and has been used for thousands of years for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties. ⁠

🌱 Oregano Oil: a natural antibiotic and antifungal, which is also believed to help lower cholesterol. ⁠

🍄 King of The Jungle: Derived from Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, and Turkey Tail mushrooms, this anti-inflammatory supplement is designed to help with brain, nervous system, immune, and heart health. ” 

 

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SP has been committed to a healthy lifestyle for over a decade now. His health journey began when he opened his juice shop, Juices for Life. The veteran rhyme-slinger also owns a health food store, Farmacy for Life, with his wife. 

In more Lox news, Jadakiss recently launched Kiss Cafe, medium dark roast coffee with his father and son. 

Styles PB&J is available at Eleven Madison Park.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 8, 2023

Jury Awards Black Mother and Daughters $8.5M After Being Handcuffed by Cops at Starbucks

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In 2019, a Black mother and her daughters were harassed and detained by police officers outside of a Starbucks in Castro Valley, California. They sued based on the interaction and were recently awarded close to $10 million for the encounter.

According to The Sacramento Bee, a California jury awarded a mother, Aasylei Loggervale, and her two daughters, Aasylei Hardge-Loggervale and Aaottae Loggervale, $8.25 million. The final judgment on March 1 was a unanimous verdict, according to court documents filed in the United States District Court of Northern California.

On September 20, 2019, Aasylei was driving her two daughters, then 19 and 17, to their respective colleges from Nevada to California. They stopped at a Starbucks in Castro Valley, about 25 miles southeast of San Francisco.

They were resting in their vehicle and preparing to go inside, when they were approached by two deputies with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputies claimed that there were several cars that had been broken into in the area. When one of the police officers requested Aasylei Loggervale’s identification, she refused. According to the lawsuit, she stated “As a Black person, she feared that the encounter could result in serious physical harm or death to her and/or her daughters.” The deputy insisted that Loggervale turn over her driver’s license to him. She told him several times that she didn’t have anything to do with any car thefts.

While this was going on, her daughters started to record the encounter on their phones. When the mother exited the vehicle to use the bathroom at Starbucks, the deputy informed her that all three of them were being detained.

The police officers handcuffed the mother and daughters and “forcefully” placed the three into patrol vehicles. The officers then searched their vehicle and belongings. The family was held for several minutes, although “no reasonable suspicion existed to detain” them, the lawsuit stated. They were later released without a ticket or charges against them. All  three of them had abrasions on their wrists and arms. Along with suffering physical pain, they also suffered “emotional distress, fear (and) embarrassment.”

Their attorney, Craig Peters, said, “If you retell this story, and you make this family into three white women, I think you get a very different result.”

The final judgment stipulated that one of the deputies and the county must pay $2.75 million to Aasylei and $2 million to Aasylei and Aaottae. The other deputy who took part in the incident, as well as the county, must pay $750,000 to each daughter.

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 8, 2023

DOJ: Louisville Police Specifically Used ‘Excessive Force’ and Unjust Tactics Toward Black People

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After a two-year investigation, the Department of Justice had found the Louisville Metro Police Department and Louisville/Jefferson County Metro government used excessive force, specifically toward Black people, according to NBC News.

The investigation found evidence that the department used excessive force, conduced searches on invalid warrants, and unlawfully discriminated against Black citizens. Officers also were found to use unjust tactics including unjustified neck restraints, police dogs, and tasers.

“For years, LMPD has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city,” the report said, according to CNN.

“Some officers demonstrate disrespect for the people they are sworn to protect,” it continued. “Some officers have videotaped themselves throwing drinks at pedestrians from their cars; insulted people with disabilities; and called Black people ‘monkeys,’ ‘animal,’ and ‘boy.’”

Conducted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the review also found police violated the rights of those “engaged in protected speech critical of policing.” The Justice Department has said it has reached an agreement with the city to resolve the constitutional violations found by federal investigators.

The spotlight was put on Louisville police after Breonna Taylor’s murder drew national attention. In 2020, Taylor fell victim to a botched raid while looking for another suspect. Four current and former Louisville police officers involved in the deadly raid have been federally charged with civil rights violations.

Another officer pleaded guilty to conspiring to falsify an affidavit for a warrant to search Taylor’s home and covering up false documents by lying to investigators.

The report found LMPD’s leaders failed to curb the “unacceptable” conduct. “Failures of leadership and accountability have allowed unlawful conduct to continue unchecked,” the Justice Department said. “In LMPD, officer misconduct too often goes unnoticed and unaddressed. At times, LMPD leaders have endorsed and defended unlawful conduct.”

LMPD leaders responded, admitting to having knowledge of the identified problems, with one telling federal investigators, according to NBC News, “Breonna Taylor was a symptom of problems that we have had for years.” The police department, which is 81% white, was charged with patrolling neighborhoods that were predominately Black.

• Celebrity News

by Stacy Jackson

March 8, 2023

‘Today’ Co-host Hoda Kotb Thanks Supporters for Well Wishes as Daughter Battled Health Matter

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It was a difficult time for her family.

Today co-host, Hoda Kotb, made her return to the show on March 6, after stepping away for weeks to care for her three-year-old daughter Hope, who was hospitalized due to health complications.

Following her return to the morning broadcast, Today with Hoda and Jenna, Kotb posted a message to Instagram extending her gratitude for the support she received from fans.

“Thank you …for all of your beautiful words and prayers,” she wrote to followers on March 7. “I have read them all. You have no idea how much it means to me and my family. I am so profoundly touched.”

 

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The 58-year-old co-anchor shared details of her daughter’s health matter with the Today audience during her return episode. After spending days in the ICU, Hope was hospitalized for over a week.

“I’m so grateful she’s home,” she said. “I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely. I’m just so happy.”

Kotb also thanked her Today colleagues for extending their support, and the professionals who made sure her daughter was taken care of.

“I’m grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell, who were amazing,” she added. “And the nurses.”

“Anyone who has gone through an illness with a child, I thought I understood you,” she said during the return episode, reflecting on the experience with her youngest daughter. “But I didn’t until you’re sitting in that position. For every single person who’s going through some stuff, I get it.”

Kotb is also mother to her six-year-old daughter, Haley Joy. The host discussed in 2022 how adopting her girls and becoming a mother was an impactful decision that took her out of her comfort zone.

Although Kotb has made her return, she continues to receive an outpour of support from her fans and Today family.

Who said living in a senior center is boring? The residents of Arcadia Senior Living facility had some fun with Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show and caught the attention of Rih and boss, Jay-Z.

Entertainment Tonight shared that the seniors were surprised with two beautiful bouquets of flowers sent by the Roc Nation duo in February, after they recreated the performance in a now viral TikTok. One bouquet of bright red roses was signed by Carter himself. “We Love The TikTok Here at Roc Nation! JAY-Z.” the card read.

 

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Shortly after, another bouquet of white roses were sent from the beauty billionaire with a card that read, “You Ladies Dance Was Amazing. Love Roc Nation. Rihanna.”

Director of Community Relations at the facility in Bowling Green, KY, Paige Oakes, said the residents received the flowers just when they thought the excitement from the video was dying down. “We were excited to receive them,” Oakes told The New York Post. “The fact that we know Rihanna saw the video and enjoyed seeing them dancing to her music really just blew us away.”

The TikTok video, which has over 30 million views, featured the ladies of Arcadia recreating one part of the performance where Rihanna and her dancers performed her 2010 hit, “Rude Boy.” Several dancers dressed in all white, mimicking the backup dancers, and crowded around the star, 87-year-old Dora Martin, dressed in red, portraying Rih, who lip-synced the song.

@arcadiasrlivingbg Our halftime show > Rihanna’s halftime show #seniorlivingcommunity #halftimeshow #SuperBowl #rihanna #fyp ♬ original sound – Brian Esperon

Fans of the TikTok page hyped the group up and praised them for their talents. One user even commented, “do we have to wait until we’re seniors to live there?”

@arcadiasrlivingbg Look at us now!! ✨#seniorlivingcommunity #fyp #lookatusnow #viral ♬ Look At Me Now – Dannyice

Encouraged by some younger employees, the residents have gone viral several times, including a follow-up video to the Super Bowl performance with a cute dance to Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now.”

• Business

by Stacy Jackson

March 8, 2023

Black Orthodontist Offered $150K ‘Shark Tank’ Deal for Big Mouth Toothbrush

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She’s the first Black woman orthodontist to design a toothbrush.

After a successful appearance on Shark Tank, Dr. Bobbi Peterson made an impact with her Big Mouth Toothbrush, an innovative design that landed her a $150,000 deal from a Shark investor.

Peterson entered the tank looking to snag a deal for $150,000 for 10% of her company. After an effective presentation, the Brooklyn professional landed a deal from investor Barbara Corcoran worth $150,000 for 20% of her company and $2 from every sold unit.

“The process is stressful, but no one can present your brand or product and speak with such passion as you can,” Peterson said. “The Sharks are people, too! They are self-made millionaires or billionaires, and they have all been in that position before. The best way to pitch is to talk about your brand while also incorporating a bit of who you are. Sharks are not just buying into your brand. They are buying into who you are and your passion for what you own!”

Peterson’s toothbrush offers a thorough and efficient cleaning through an extra-large head and bristles that are three times the size of a typical toothbrush. The features help cover areas of the teeth and gums simultaneously.

 

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“I hope that my appearance on Shark Tank expands my local impact to a global impact in terms of not only improving oral health care but also serving as a reflection for the next generation,” she said. “Many people think that something like this is unattainable. I’m hoping to change that narrative for the younger generation that looks like me!”

 

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In 2022, the second-generation, HBCU-educated dentist, who runs her own dental practice, Aces Braces, told BLACK ENTERPRISE that she designed Big Mouth to give people an actual tool to improve their self-esteem and “enhance their impact for every first impression.”

Reportedly, the design sold out within 24 hours of the episode’s airing.

The Big Mouth Toothbrush is available for pre-order online.

Gabrielle Union isn’t here for too many games. Recently, Tennesse governor, Bill Lee, signed a bill banning transgender health care for minors, and Union isn’t holding back her opinions on the anti-drag bill. 

Not only are Union and her husband Dwyane Wade advocates of the LGBTQ community, but their 15-year-old daughter, Zaya, is transgender. 

During an interview with Variety, Union spoke about citizens resisting laws that affect lives. 

“There is an army that rebukes you, that does not agree with you and that will not lie down while this fascist rule is instituted,” Union said.  “And that’s just one state. There are several states who were doing the same thing, and they will be met with resistance. People are not going to take this lying down. They’re just not. So if you thought this was going to be a cakewalk, you’re in for a rude awakening.”

Back in February, the couple received the president’s award at the 54th NAACP Image Awards. Union and Wade have been unwavering in supporting Zaya’s decision to identify as a girl. Wade dedicated his award to Zaya. 

“I want to take this moment to publicly speak to our daughter Zaya,” Wade said. “Zaya, as your father, all I’ve wanted to do was get it right. I’ve sat back and watched how gracefully you’ve taken on the public scrutiny. Even though it’s not easy, I watched you walk out of that house every morning as yourself. I admire how you’ve handled the ignorance in our world. I admire that you face it every day. To say that your village is proud of you is an understatement. Thank you for showing me that there’s more than just one way to communicate effectively. As your father, my job isn’t to create a version of myself or direct your future. My role is to be a facilitator to your hopes, wishes, and dreams.”

The anti-drag bill also bans adult cabaret performances in public or in the presence of children and within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and places of worship. 

Those guilty of violating the anti-drag bill can be fined up to $2,500 or jailed for up to a year. Multiple violations of the anti-drag bill can face up to six years in jail. 

Recently, Zaya was granted a legal name change by the state of California. Zaya’s original name is Zion Malachi Airamis Wade. With the legal name change, she now goes by Zaya. 

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 8, 2023

BREAKING: Justice Department Set to Review Memphis Police Department Following Death of Tyre Nichols

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The Justice Department has a magnifying glass up to the Memphis Police Department.

ABC News reported the department will be reviewing MPD, following the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. A new set of eyes will be looking into the police department’s use-of-force and de-escalation policies, as well as the special police units deployed into the city. The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will release a public report after the conclusion of the Justice Department’s review. A statement released from Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta claimed  several police chiefs have called for an assessment of the “special units.”

“In the wake of Tyre Nichols’s tragic death, the Justice Department has heard from police chiefs across the country who are assessing the use of specialized units and, where used, appropriate management, oversight and accountability for such units,” Gupta said.

The COPS office said they are working to create a guide for police chiefs around the country regarding the use of specialized units and how they should be properly supervised.

The review was requested by the mayor of Memphis, Jim Strickland, and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis. The announcement comes shortly before officials are expected to release more footage from the night of the beating.

According to CNN, records will be released from the city’s internal investigation into 13 police officers and four fire department personnel. Allegedly, the unreleased footage will include audio of what was said after the beating and after an ambulance took Nichols to the hospital. It may possibly play a role in whether the officers involved will face additional charges.

Tyre Nichols’ death made headlines after five Black police officers were accused of beating and kicking Nichols after a traffic stop that went bad. The incident occurred on Jan. 7 and Nichols died from his injuries three days later at the hospital. Video footage released contradicts the officers’ stories of what happened. All five officers were indicted on charges on Jan. 26.