Karma isn’t corny at all and showed up to rear its head at the most opportune time, right on the red carpet when Michael B. Jordan confronted a reporter who called him corny in high school.

Lore’l of The Morning Hustle was talking to Jordan at the movie premiere of his latest project, Creed III, when she reminded him that they attended high school together in Newark, New Jersey. She introduces him to the camera and says, “And you know we know each other. We go way back, all the way back to Chad Science in Newark.”

As Jordan looks her straight in the eyes, he quips, “I was the corny kid, right?”

A bit flustered by the masterful confrontation, Lore’l quickly defends herself, albeit not convincingly, “I did not say that! I was misquoted, for sure.”

But Jordan wasn’t buying it and took Lore’l to task, reminding her that the “corny kid” statement had been burned into his memory, and while he may have forgiven her, he surely didn’t forget.

“I heard it. I heard it. It’s all good. What’s up?”

She stays in defense mode and then says, “I said we used to make fun of the name.” She turns to the camera and says, “But yeah, he is obviously killing things out here.”

Lore’l continues to speak to Jordan about directing the latest movie and even brings up the expected union of him and Will Smith working together in the future. When the interview is over, she seemingly admits to calling him corny when she says, “Well, you’re not corny anymore,” Jordan walked away without responding.

Lore’l had previously stated that, as schoolmates, she and her friends would tease The Wire alum as he was pursuing his dream of becoming an actor.

“You know what’s so crazy? I went to school with Michael B. Jordan at a point in life. We went to Chad Science [Academy] together in Newark, and to be honest with you, we teased him all the damn time because his name was Michael Jordan. Let’s start there, and he was no Michael Jordan. And he also would come to school with a headshot. We lived in Newark; that’s the ’hood. We would make fun of him like, ‘What you gonna do with your stupid headshot!?’ And now look at him!”

But be careful who you bully!

The Coalition to Back Black Business (CBBB) announced it has awarded $5,000 grants to 324 Black small business owners representing 40 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, delivering on its mission to advance the long-term success and resilience of America’s Black-owned small businesses.

The CBBB is a multi-year initiative founded in 2020 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation with a $10 million commitment from American Express to support Black small business owners and the communities they serve as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and chart a path forward. The initiative is led in partnership with four national Black business organizations: the National Black Chamber of Commerce; the National Business League; the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.; and Walker’s Legacy.

“Strong small businesses make strong communities, and we’re proud of the CBBB’s impact in helping them create jobs and opportunities,” said Carolyn Cawley, president of the U.S. Chamber Foundation. “By combining grants, mentorship and long-term resources, CBBB is helping small business owners create distinction from competitors, better meet customer demand, and stay current on business necessities such as rent, utilities, and payroll. We’re honored to be able to support their growth and resilience, now and in the long-term.”

How CBBB Grantmaking Helps 

When asked how the $5,000 grant helped their businesses, this round of recipients shared that:

• 56% used the funds to invest in new marketing and advertising – at a time when 63% report an increase in competition
• 45% expanded or replaced inventory
• 40% paid rent, and another 40% paid utilities and other bills
• 37% directed it to payroll
• 16% repaid debts or loans
• 9% bought personal protective equipment

Seventy percent of this round of grantees have fewer than five employees and 72% have been in business for less than five years, highlighting how CBBB is supporting businesses during their most critical time – the start-up and early-growth phases. Seventy percent of the grantees are women.

CBBB grantee Yvonne Elosiebo is the founder of Bossing Up, Inc., an online wholesale marketplace connecting retailers to products made by Black business owners and entrepreneurs. “We had a 2022 goal of getting business coaching to help scale for future growth. The $5,000 helped us start to build the online automation and tracking system we need, plus I am really excited about the mentoring resources that come with the grant. Those are helping me prepare to present the business to potential investors.”

As in previous years, this group of 324 Black-owned small businesses are eligible to apply for $25,000 enhancement grants, which will be provided in Summer 2023. Enhancement grants have been used by past recipients to improve online presence, purchase new equipment, and expand to a new location. New this year, 150 additional Black business owners will receive coaching through CBBB partner, ZenBusiness, to help grow their businesses.

Trends in CBBB Grantmaking 

To date, the CBBB has awarded more than $8.1 million in grant dollars to 1,414 Black small business owners. Collectively, 65% of those are woman-owned.

Trends in recent years’ top challenges for Black-owned small businesses spotlight the importance of CBBB grant-making. In 2021, grantees reported that “reduced consumer traffic” was the top challenge affecting their business – a lingering pandemic effect – while today’s grantees note “access to capital” as the leading concern. This signals a return to historical challenges Black-owned businesses have faced outside of crises such as the pandemic, and highlights there may be more disruptions on the horizon as pandemic-era government assistance (e.g., PPP loans) ramps down.

To learn more about the Coalition to Back Black Businesses and its impact on the Black small business community, read our impact report here.

• Black History Month 2023

by Atiya Jordan

February 27, 2023

Breaking Titanium Ceilings: Clifton R. Wharton, Jr., First Black CEO of a Fortune 500 Company Combats Racism on the Inside

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As CEO of TIAA-CREF, Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. broke through the corporate titanium ceiling to become the first Black to head a Fortune 500 company, paving the path for the upward trajectory of generations of Black executives.

Born in Boston, Wharton’s upbringing in the home of his diplomat father is reflected in his education and his legacy. He would later leverage his knowledge and leadership positions to build a multi-billion dollar corporation from the ground up.

Wharton’s legacy transcends beyond his role as former chairman and CEO of the iconic financial giant. He has served as trustee or director of more than 26 business corporations and public affairs associations since 1967, becoming an empowering model of Black leadership.

From Boston to corporate international

Wharton holds an undergraduate degree in history from Harvard, and a masters degree in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

After receiving his Masters and PhD degrees in economics, the University of Chicago grad traveled extensively, directing programs abroad. He was a visiting professor who taught and conducted research in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia while working as a council associate for the Agricultural Development Council from 1958 to 1964. The council was an organization headed by John D. Rockefeller, III.

Later, Wharton stepped up as vice president of the council, and maintained that position until he began his term as Michigan State University‘s fourteenth president in January 1970. He made history as the first African American person to hold that title.

During his tenure, Wharton managed to preserve the quality of MSU’s academic programs with a commitment to the education of the economically disadvantaged.

Throughout his career, Wharton has been awarded honorary doctorates from 63 universities. He has contributed to writing and editing to four books and monographs and more than 50 professional journal articles.

In 1977, Wharton resigned and went on to serve as Chancellorship at the State University of New York before heading TIAA-CREF, the leading provider of financial services in the academic, research, medical, cultural, and governmental fields.

He also served as the chair of the presidentially appointed Board for International Food and Agricultural Development from 1976 to 1983.

In 1982, Wharton solidified his place in history again as he became chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation, and later named a fellow of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) in 1988.

Years later, Wharton served as the first African American to ever hold the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State position, the second highest foreign policy post, during Bill Clinton’s presidency in 1993.

The recognition of a power couple

In celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the Executive Leadership Council, one of the event’s most powerful moments was when business and political powerhouse Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. presented the 2016 Lifetime Legacy Award to power couple Wharton and his wife Dolores D. Wharton.

“Gordon Parks had this great expression: ‘choice of weapons,’” said Clifton, quoting the celebrated Black photographer and author about the means to combat racism in receiving the honor, per BLACK ENTERPRISE. “In terms of fighting, you always have a choice of weapons. Some of us chose to do our fighting on the inside.”

Dolores Wharton, a former foundation executive and arts advocate, was a corporate pioneer herself. She was the first woman and African American to serve on the boards of Phillips Petroleum, The Kellogg Co., and Gannett Media.

The Wharton legacy lives on in Black history and generations to come.

In honor of Black History Month and Samara Joy‘s extraordinary Grammy success, winning for Best New Artist and Jazz Vocal Album, Savage Content was pleased to provide this first look into their upcoming Children of Bronzeville project with three outstanding performances featuring Joshua Banbury, Vanisha Gould, and Samara Joy. They are accompanied by acclaimed Jazz pianist, Aaron Diehl.

Children of Bronzeville is a song cycle based on children’s poems by Gwendolyn Brooks, a Chicago native who was born in Bronzeville in 1915, and in 1950 became the first African American to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. The songs, written by jazz/classical composer Patrick Zimmerli, blend elements of jazz, pop and classical music.

ABOUT CHILDREN OF BRONZEVILLE

Our mission is to share the universal spirit of childhood through a dazzling video presentation, where the timeless poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks is brought to life through the powerful music composed by Patrick Zimmerli wrapped into an allegorical tale. Children of Bronzeville is a celebration of the joy, imagination, beauty, and freedom of childhood.

ABOUT SAVAGE CONTENT

Our mission at Savage Content is to reimagine the ways in which we present and enjoy music and entertainment with thoughtful, exciting, and innovative programming for all that share the love of music!

• Education

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

February 27, 2023

American Cancer Society Announces New Center for Diversity in Cancer Research Training

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To address the lack of diversity in research environments, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has announced the creation of the American Cancer Society Center for Diversity in Cancer Research Training. The new center will supplement the traditional academic journey, focusing on meeting potential researchers where they are and helping them overcome barriers to future success. Initial programming will support underrepresented high school, college, and post-baccalaureate students and include exposure to oncology and cancer research as a career, mentorship, hands-on research experiences, and career development. The aim is to increase efforts to recruit and nurture individuals from diverse backgrounds within scientific and clinical training environments.

“The center is a perfect way to build upon the Diversity in Cancer Research internship program we launched in 2021,” said Dr. Ellie Daniels, MPH, senior vice president of the center. “Its success caused us to think about the support we could provide more broadly. Inequities impact cancer outcomes in tangible and intangible ways. Working to remove the academic barriers people of color face allows us to grow a pipeline of well-qualified researchers who have a unique connection to the communities we need to impact.”

Diverse voices are critical in improving inequities in cancer prevention, treatment, and care. Unfortunately, the racial and ethnic communities that bear a disproportionate burden of cancer continue to be underrepresented in the cancer research workforce. For example, while the number of biomedical scientists in the U.S. has grown since the 1990s, the percentage of African Americans and Hispanics in biomedical careers is lowest among any ethnic group. Further, funding rates for the National Institute of Health’s R01 grant program, which serves as a catalyzing milestone in the academic careers of many research scientists, remains lowest for African American applicants at 16.6% compared to 27.8% for White applicants. These numbers are largely attributed to low rates of representation in scientific education and training. People of color represent 20 percent of first-year college students pursuing degrees in science and engineering. The numbers decrease as these students move through their education with 17% receiving a bachelor’s degree and only 10% completing advanced degrees in these disciplines.

“Enhancing diversity in cancer research and cancer care are key components of our goal to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. We are proud of our more than a century old track record of funding impactful science that improves the lives of cancer patients and their families,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society. “This new initiative will further enhance these capabilities and expand the expert breadth of voices and innovative strategies to accelerate progress against cancer.”

An inclusive research community more effectively addresses cancer disparities, invigorates problem-solving, drives innovation and ultimately, accelerates the American Cancer Society’s vision to end cancer as we know it for everyone. As the largest nonprofit funder of cancer research in the U.S. outside of the federal government, the organization has a history of investing in new researchers and has funded 50 Nobel Prize-winning scientists. With a new center focused on broadening the pool of diverse researchers, the American Cancer Society is acting on its long-standing commitment to support the best minds in cancer research, ensure scientific excellence, and make the greatest impact possible. To learn more, visit cancer.org/diversityinresearch.

For many years, several social platforms have offered “the blue checkmark” to various influencers and celebrities. Politicians, entertainers, very famous people, and other notables have gotten the check mark.

 What’s special about this blue checkmark is that it’s a visual mark of distinction, to show you were verified. 

 But more importantly, it was an emotional mark to indicate to others, “I’m cooler than you”. Kind of like those partying behind the velvet rope, as it were. 

 Twitter and Facebook now have a system for people to pay and apply for the blue checkmark verification. Twitter’s service is called Twitter Blue and Facebook is rolling out a similar service, as reported by The Verge.

 The cost is around $15 a month. Should you invest in it? Yes. Here’s why I think you should invest in the verification:

 Brand Visibility

 While your product or service or brand might be just as good as the next person, it’s the person who has more visibility, and who will get more attention, in many cases. The blue checkmark on your profile will enable your profile to get that extra bit of attention. As people are scrolling through their news feeds, their eyes will take an extra glance at the profile with the checkmark.

 Minimal ROI

 For less than $15 a month, it’s a minimal investment for the extra brand boost on your profile. There are so many things you already spend money on. Your web hosting service, Facebook ads, your virtual assistant – I could go on. This is something that will give your brand an added boost. It’s worth the ROI.

 Access to special features

 Part of paying for the verification is also access to premium features. This will change and each platform will be different, but you can expect enhanced or value-added features to your profile when paying for the verification.

 Social platforms will pay attention to your profile

 When social platforms roll out something new, they pay attention to it. When it brings them money, they pay even closer attention to you. By you being a verified user, they’re going to be paying more attention to you. This might help maximize how you can leverage your profile on these services.

 Beyond social platforms

 Beyond the blue check mark and social platforms, my encouragement for business owners is to always evaluate and seek out ways to get visibility for your business. 

 Many times we focus so much on sales, and sales are important. But as I share in the Celebrity CEO™ personal branding blueprint, what’s more, important is attention and trust. Personal branding is all about how you can leverage your personal brand to grow your business.

The more attention you build, to the right audience, the more your business will grow. This attention will enable you to then build trust and educate those who are now in your marketing funnel. As you start to educate people more and more, selling something to them gets much easier.

• News

by Sidnee Michelle Douyon

February 27, 2023

Elon Musk Accuses Media of Racism After Newspapers Drop ‘Dilbert’ Cartoon

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On Sunday, billionaire Elon Musk accused the media of being racist against whites and Asians after U.S. newspapers dropped a white comic strip author who made derogatory comments about Black Americans.

• News

by Booker Jones

February 26, 2023

Benjamin Crump Gives Passionate Speech After Winning Social Justice Impact Award

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Benjamin Crump has been busy, especially with Gov. Ron DeSantis waging a war against Black culture. 

At the 2023 NAACP Image Awards, Crump’s hard work was recognized. The ceremony, held at Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California, Crump was awarded the Social Justice Impact Award. Crump gave a passionate speech. 

“I accept this award as greater motivation to continue to be an unapologetic defender of Black life, Black liberty, and Black humanity. I promise I will use this Social Justice Award as greater incentive to fight against the legalized genocide of colored people, and vow never to stop fighting racism and discrimination when it rears its ugly head.”

Crump also spoke about DeSantis banning of books: “And now that they are trying to ban our most celebrated Black authors and AP African-American Studies. We must advocate for our children and our culture in the classrooms and demand that they acknowledge that the teaching of Black history matters. Harriet Tubman matters. Frederick Douglas matters. Ida B. Wells matters. Thurgood Marshall matters. Dr. King matters. Rosa Parks matters. Malcolm X matters. Charlie Chisholm, John Lewis. They were not mere footnotes in the history books. They were the heroes.”

He also spoke about Black history: “And as Carter G. Woodson prophetically warned, “If a race has no history, if it has no traditions that are respected and taught to the young people, then it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world and thus in danger of becoming exterminated.” We will not let elected officials exterminate our history, our literature, or our culture. Not in Florida or any of the other 50 states because it is so important that both Black children and white children, and all children, know that Black history matters because Black history is American history. And all of our children must know that their culture contributed to the progress and the history of the United States of America.

“Because if we don’t fight for our children’s future, we can’t expect anybody else to fight for our children’s future. And we as a people care to fight for our children’s future until hell freeze’s over. And then we have to be ready to fight on the ice.”

• News

by Booker Jones

February 26, 2023

Several Newspapers Drop “Dilbert” Comic Strip After Racist Comments By Its Creator

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Several newspapers have dropped the “Dilbert” comic strip after the creator cartoon went on a racist tirade, calling Black Americans a “hate group” and suggesting that White people should “get the hell away” from them.

According to Associated Press News, The USA Today Network dropped on the long-running comic strip. 

The move came after Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind “Dilbert,” encouraged segregation on a shocking YouTube video. Adams’ comments were in response to a poll from the conservative firm Rasmussen Reports that said 53% of Black Americans agreed with the statement, “It’s OK to be White.”

“If nearly half of all Blacks are not OK with White people – according to this poll, not according to me, according to this poll – that’s a hate group,” Adams said Wednesday on his YouTube show “Real Coffee with Scott Adams.”

“I don’t want to have anything to do with them,” Adams added. “And I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to White people is to get the hell away from Black people, just get the f**k away … because there is no fixing this.”

“Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, went on a racist rant this week, and we will no longer carry his comic strip in The Plain Dealer,” wrote Chris Quinn, editor of The Plain Dealer, wrote.“This is not a difficult decision.”

Gannett, which publishes the USA Today Network of newspapers, tweeted that it aims to “lead with inclusion and strive to maintain a respectful and equitable environment for the diverse communities we serve nationwide.”

The Washington Post also said it had also pulled the comic strip from the newspaper.

“In light of Scott Adams’s recent statements promoting segregation, The Washington Post has ceased publication of the Dilbert comic strip,” it said.

• Celebrity News

by Booker Jones

February 26, 2023

Offset Was Gifted With the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus Award

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Offset has been dealing with a lot as of late. But the married father of 5 children remains strong. 

On Friday (Feb. 24), Offset was gifted with the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus award. The 2023 annual Heritage Dinner for the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus was held at the Georgia International Convention Center.

The Atlanta-Fulton Foundation Board of Directors wrote on an Instagram post: 

“On behalf of the Atlanta-Fulton Foundation Board of Directors, congratulations to @offsetyrn for your 2023 Legacy in Hip Hop award from the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus at their 50th annual Georgia Legislative Black Caucus Heritage Dinner celebration on February 23rd, 2023. Recognizing the many contributions you make to not only music but most importantly our community. Continue to give of yourself for the betterment of the community. The award was given by the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and the Atlanta-Fulton Foundation board members were in attendance of this awesome event.” 

 

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A post shared by Atlanta-Fulton Foundation Inc. (@atlantafultonfoundation)

The heritage dinner was created by Georgia’s business leaders and community activists, who recognized Offset for his  annual toy giveaway in Gwinnett County, GA.  On Dec. 23, 2022, his most recent toy drive, Offset received the key to the county.

In other Offset news, the rapper and his wife recently joined forces with McDonald’s.

The Cardi B & Offset meal includes a cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and large Coke and a Quarter Pounder with Cheese with a large Hi-C Orange Lavaburst, plus a large order of fries and an apple pie. McDonald’s did not release a suggested price for the new meal; it will be determined by individual restaurants and may vary based on location, the company said.

“Whether it’s going for a date night or grabbing a bite after late-night studio sessions … I’m always asking Offset to take me to McDonald’s,” Cardi B said in a press release announcing the meal. “And now, Offset and I have a meal named after us! I want all my fans to try it – especially with that BBQ sauce.”