Karl Malone Has Heard the Criticism Over His Seedy Past Getting a 13-Year-Old Pregnant — and Seemingly Responds
After former Utah Jazz player Karl Malone was announced as a judge for the NBA All-Star Game’s dunk contest, all hell broke loose when his sordid past became a present topic of discussion.
Social media users started complaining about Malone’s involvement in All-Star weekend in Utah as his alleged “pedophilia past” was repeatedly brought to light. The NBA legend reportedly impregnated a 13-year-old girl while he attended college when he was 20 years of age — and that child grew up reportedly without Malone around.
After the weekend was over, Malone addressed the backlash while talking to The Salt Lake Tribune before shutting down on his past regarding the troubling situation that some feel should have derailed his professional basketball career.
“As players, we hear what’s written about us or said about us,” Malone stated to the newspaper.
“I’m not discussing any of that backlash. I don’t care. That’s my life, that’s my personal life, and I’ll deal with that like I’ve had to deal with everything. So, whatever.”
Audacy previously reported that when the man who was nicknamed “The Mailman” was 20, he impregnated a 13-year-old girl while he was a college student playing basketball at Louisiana Tech. The girl, Gloria Bell, and her family, knowing that he was destined to play in the NBA declined to press charges and allowed him to virtually get a stay-out-of-jail card. A son, Demetress Bell, was born out of the union and Malone did not meet him until he was 17 years of age. Bell ended up becoming a professional football player in the NFL as an offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles.
Malone’s reputation was also tarnished as he was labeled a non-supportive father who allegedly refused to pay child support to twins he had when he was only 17, The Daily Beast once reported. The outlet also mentioned that he allegedly made a pass at his then-teammate, Kobe Bryant‘s wife, Vanessa.
According to AfroTech, Perry was the only billionaire and Black entertainer to make this year’s list after earning $175 million in 2022.
AfroTech also reported that the filmmaker also owns 100% of his rights, which includes over 1,200 episodes of television, 22 feature films, at least 24 stage plays, and Tyler Perry Studios.
During an interview with Forbes, Perry spoke about his ownership.
“I own the lights. I own the sets,” Perry told Forbes when speaking of his production lot. “So that’s where the difference is. Because I own everything, my returns are higher.”
AfroTech also reported that Perry’s deal with ViacomCBS is slated to earn $150 million annually to create at least 90 episodes for BET.
“Viacom has a rich tradition of reaching my audience through their TV, film and digital platforms and I am excited to partner with them,” Perry said in a press release. “I am eager to have one home where I can leverage all of their assets to tell my stories to an even wider audience. I have been very blessed to have worked with the incredible people at Lionsgate and OWN over the last few years and I look forward to continuing my work with them on a non-exclusive basis.”
Perry got his start after the success of his first play, I Know I’ve Been Changed. Sincethen, he’s built an empire from his Madea series with films like Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Family Reunion, Madea’s Class Reunion, Madea Goes to Jail, Madea’s Big Happy Family, A Madea Christmas, and Madea’s Neighbors from Hell, and several others.
Perry is set to write and produce, Six Triple Eight, a film based on the true story of World War II’s only all-Black, all-woman unit, the 6888th Battalion.
Entrepreneur Makes History, Opens First Ever Black-Owned Bank in Arkansas
Meet Arlo Washington, the founder and CEO of People Trust Community Federal Credit Union, an accredited, full-service credit union in North Little Rock, AK that provides access to capital to low- and moderate-income communities. It is the first and only Black-owned financial institution in the entire state of Arkansas.
Growing up in the city of Little Rock, Washington experienced his own financial struggles. He was left to support his 2 younger sisters when his mother died. He moved to New York and started working as a fashion model and barber at the age of 19. But he eventually decided to return to his hometown to attend college. Using some of his student loans, he managed to open his own barbershop after 2 years.
Washington said it was his first encounter with loans and he had no financial education then. He soon opened more barbershops as he gained more entrepreneurial knowledge. Nearly a decade later, he opened a total of 7 barbershops as well as his own barber college.
In 2009, when the last payday lending storefront in Arkansas closed for business, Washington saw a lot of people coming to the barber college seeking loans. That’s when he realized the need for financial services in the community.
He started by offering low-interest, small-dollar loans using $1,000 in funds that he set aside from the barber college’s monthly profits. That eventually expanded into the People Trust Community Loan Fund, which is a not-for-profit community development financial institution.
Still, it was not enough to meet the growing banking needs of the community. It inspired him to start a credit union that allowed loan fund customers to open savings accounts. Although it was not easy to establish a credit union, Washington pushed through and became just one of the 4 new credit unions chartered in the U.S. in 2022.
People Trust Community Federal Credit Union aims to help many of those who were unable to open accounts at traditional banks. It will provide them with services such as checking and savings accounts, new and used auto loans, personal loans, credit cards, and more.
“People Trust will challenge the disparity of access in financial services for minorities,” Washington said, according to Talk Business. “People Trust is excited to focus on eliminating economic barriers by providing underserved and underbanked individuals with financial opportunity. When we provide equal access to minorities for financial services, we ultimately are empowering our entire community.”
Learn more about the People Trust Credit Union via its official website at PTCFederal.org
32-Year-Old Black Entrepreneur, Mom of 4, Secures Over $15M in Funding for Clients and Students
Laine Bradley, a 32-year-old Haitian-American woman from Raleigh, NC, has helped small businesses and nonprofit organizations secure over $15 million in grant funding.
She is the founder and CEO of Vraiment Financial, a full financial firm focused on providing innovative client solutions. In addition, she is the creator of the Grant Capital Society, a funding resource community for new and existing small businesses and organizations that provides information, resources, and training to become grant-ready.
As a wife and mother of four, Bradley prides herself on educating small businesses and organizations to help them establish the foundation they need to win grant funding.
In 2019, Bradley won her first business grant of $4,000 for her financial firm. She was able to invest the funds into growing her business with a business coach and paying a few months of operational expenses. From there, Bradley has won over $250,000 in grants for her company by applying consistently every month. She became a certified federal grant writer in 2020 and began assisting other small businesses and organizations for free during the pandemic. By the end of 2020, Bradley was able to secure over $1.2 million.
Fast forward to 2023, Bradley has been monumental in providing grant management services to corporations, local agencies, and organizations. She is known on Instagram and TikTok as the go-to expert for grant alerts. In addition, her grant education trainings are easy to understand and give start-up businesses and organizations the confidence they need to apply for grant funding to help grow their companies. Her community members have stated that her Grant Application Walkthrough sessions are their favorite thing about the Grant Capital Society Community. Her goal is to assist 100 new businesses and organizations in winning their first grant in 2023.
Bradley’s VIP services include: • Program Plan & Design
• Program Management
• Project Management
• Grant Research
• Grant Writing
• Grant Management
• RFP, RFI, RFQ Writing
Her community, The Grant Capital Society, includes: • Grant News & Updates
• Weekly Grant Tips
• Daily Grant Alerts
• Daily Scholarship Alerts
• Grant Discussions
• Monthly Grant Application Walkthroughs
• Monthly Grant Q&A Sessions
• Quarterly Workshops
• Guest Speakers
• Quarterly Giveaways and Grants
For more information, visit her official website at LaineBradley.com
Ex-Convict Opens Vegan Donut Shop, First Ever Black-Owned Business in Brooklyn Heights, NYC
Derrick Faulcon, who was incarcerated for 11 years, is now the founder and CEO of Cloudy Donut Co., a vegan donut shop that just became the first-ever Black-owned business in Brooklyn Heights, New York City.
Their donuts are 100% vegan, made with ingredients such as applesauce, coconut milk, and shortening instead of animal products.
“[Being the first] means a great deal to us, and we’re proud of it, but it’s just the first step,” Zewiditu Ruffin, the company’s Brooklyn Heights shop operator, told VegNews.
Cloudy Donut Co. opened its first shop in Baltimore, MD in 2020. Derrick said he was inspired to venture into the vegan donut business when he became a regular at a local vegan donut shop in Baltimore, near a brunch restaurant that he owns called Home Maid. He reached out to the owners for a business partnership but was surprised as he was told they were actually open to selling the business.
Faulcon immediately took the opportunity to take over the business. He revamped the shop’s branding while keeping its fully plant-based operations. Following the success of the first shop, even amid the height of the pandemic, Cloudy Donut Co. opened its second Baltimore location after a year.
As the brand seeks to “reverse gentrify,” Faulcon and Ruffin chose to open shops in predominantly white areas. They ultimately decided to open a third location in Brooklyn Heights, which is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Brooklyn and New York City.
“Reverse gentrification is this ideology that we bring out Black-owned businesses into predominantly white, affluent neighborhoods in order to bring visibility, diversity, and awareness,” Ruffin said.
The rather unusual business model has brought the brand immense success. They often have lines out the door, with customers raving about the mouthwatering, fluffy, vegan donuts on social media.
Cloudy Donut Co. currently has over 40 unique, tasty flavors with 8 different flavors being offered each week. The shop also has two dog-friendly donut options for customers with companion dogs.
Learn more about Cloudy Donut Co. via its official website at CloudyDonut.com
Also, be sure to follow the brand on Instagram @Cloudy_Donuts
Black Author Fighting Poverty and Homelessness Donates Thousands of Books to Jamaica and Ghana to Teach Life Skills to Kids
Meet Renaee Smith, an award-winning educator and children’s book author who lives in Union County, New Jersey. Via her own non-profit, Independent Authors Book Experience, she has donated thousands of books to children locally, nationally, and internationally including in countries like Jamaica and Ghana. Her newest book, Freddie Learns the Value of Money, takes young readers on a financial literacy journey with the main character, Freddie, as he learns how to budget and save money to purchase a new bicycle.
Freddie Learns the Value of Money is a short story written for children ages 6 to 12 is part of a five-book series, helping children develop an understanding of hard work, family values, giving back to the community, and helping the environment.
“I model Freddie after my three sons, who while all grown up, will always be little boys in my heart,” states Renaee. “I wanted to make sure that I feature a Black boy as the main character so that they can see themselves in my books. I also made sure to include multicultural characters as well. Representation is so important, and I hope that in incorporating a variety of backgrounds in my stories, I am doing my part to leave a positive legacy for my children and grandchildren.”
Financial literacy has declined across the nation according to a study released by the Ohio State University. The federal government has worked to increase awareness of this life skill including establishing the Financial Literacy and Education Commission under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. Freddie Learns the Value of Money works to show children how to handle funds, as well as exposes how easy it can be to be tempted to spend while trying to reach your goals.
“I am incredibly proud of the series, and I feel that everyone – young and old – can take something away from each story,” states Renaee. “When I write, I am often inspired by my environment. This includes playing an active role in making the world a better place. Previously, I acted as a sitting member for my town’s Board of Education, and am the proud founder of a nonprofit for authors, Independent Authors Book Experience. I also work at a nonprofit working to end homelessness in Union County, New Jersey – The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless. So Freddie tends to be very engaged with his community and helping others.”
Each book in the series contains vivid full-color illustrations combined with educational messages so that parents can address a variety of topics.
• Freddie Learns the Value of Money, her latest book, features financial literacy lessons in an easy-to-understand way for children.
• Freddie Goes to the Beach talks about the value of family.
• In The Great Compost Heap, readers join Freddie as he learns about recycling using kitchen and garden waste, and how he can make a difference in his community.
• Freddie’s First Race teaches a valuable lesson on perseverance, hard work, staying focused, and never giving up.
• Freddie’s Good Deed explains that doing good things for others should be done because it is the right thing to do.
Along with her Freddie series, Renaee has also published a book with her mother Nella Perrier, Dorianne the Baker, as Dorianne bakes cookies to sell at a class bake sale. Coupled with easy-to-make recipes, this book is sure to delight both adults and children. Her story Who Turned the Lights Out? broaches the difficult conversation of homelessness and poverty in an approachable fashion. Proceeds from this book benefit the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless. Finally, Smith has published two award-winning cookbooks featuring her Jamaican roots, taking readers for a delectable journey of flavors from the Island.
For more information about Renaee and her books, visit RenaeeSmith.com
Malik Yoba Partners with Black-Owned Digital Platform Designed to Securely Store Important Documents for Wealth Transfer
Award-winning actor, philanthropist and founder of Yoba Development, Dr. Malik Yoba, has partnered with Martha Underwood, the founder and CEO of a Black-owned technology company called Prismm to promote preparedness and peace of mind when you need it the most.
“Being a caregiver for my mother as she was succumbing to the horror that is dementia, it was a serious challenge for my siblings and I to find, manage and organize the important documents in her life on top of all the other stressors that come with being a caregiver. Not having access to all of her information was an important aspect of life planning that is often overlooked or put off until it’s too late. When I met Martha and her sister Shella, and found out that they solved this very stressful pain point , I immediately offered to help spread the word any way I can. I wish we had Prismm when my mother was still with us. Given that my company Yoba Development, as a diversified portfolio company focusing on education, media and real estate, I saw a lot of synergies in our efforts to educate and empower individuals and their families with information regarding generational wealth building. For folks to have access to this cutting-edge technology that Prismm offers can be a gamechanger on so many levels,” said Yoba. “I am very excited to work with Prismm to help make this process easier and more manageable for people.”
Through this partnership, Yoba Development and Prismm aim to provide accessible and organized tools for individuals and families to plan for the transfer of wealth and assets at the end of life.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Malik Yoba as a partner,” said Prismm Founder and CEO, Martha Underwood. “His personal experience with being a caregiver make him a valuable asset in helping us educate the public about the importance of curating critical documents and providing consent before life’s unexpected moments catch us off guard.”
This partnership will bring together Yoba’s celebrity power, personal experience with managing the affairs of a transitioning loved one, and his commitment to helping others with Prismm’s innovative technology to create a comprehensive resource for end-of-life planning.
For more information about Prismm, please visit GetPrismm.com
Motown Legend Berry Gordy Helped to Create a Trailblazing New Sound in American Music at Motown
Berry Gordy is touted for launching the careers of such hit makers as Diana Ross and The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, and countless other music greats.
In addition to being a talented songwriter, the music industry icon was an innovator who created a business model for entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry as founder of Motown Records. He formed his musical empire in 1959, overseeing all of its operations from a Detroit house dubbed “Hitsville U.S.A.
Gordy had received an $800 loan from his family’s Ber-Berry Co-operative. The co-op was the brainchild of his eldest sister Esther, and it provided seed money for the establishment of Berry’s first record company, Tamla, in 1959, which became Motown Record Corp. in 1960.
In 1973, BLACK ENTERPRISE debuted its annual ranking of the nation’s largest black-owned businesses, referred to as the BE 100, a compilation of those companies that had grown more than a million dollars annual in sales. For more than a decade, Motown Industries was the sales leader on every BE 100s list, with a sales increase from $40 million to $91.7 million.
Gordy: The Music, The Magic
During Gordy’s reign from 1959 to 1988, when he sold the company, Motown generated hundreds of hit singles. In 1966, the company’s “hit ratio,†the percentage of records released that made the national charts, reached 75%, an astounding figure. Gordy was inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, for his outstanding achievements in the music industry. His breakout film, Lady Sings the Blues, which starred Diana Ross as Billie Holiday, garnered five Academy Award nominations.
In February 2011, President Barack Obama honored Gordy with a “Salute to Motown” evening at the White House. Gordy’s unparalleled contribution to music and popular culture is chronicled in his autobiography, To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown and is the basis of the hit Broadway stage production Motown the Musical,which, according to BroadwayWorld.com, is currently playing in London’s West End.
CDC Foundation’s ‘Live to the Beat’ Returns to Hip Hop Roots to Celebrate One Year Anniversary of Campaign to Combat Heart Disease in Black Adults
The health implications from COVID-19 have been felt across society, especially for the Black community. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national decline in heart disease death rate reversed during the COVID-19 pandemic, disproportionately affecting Black adults. CDC data show that during the pandemic the United States lost approximately five years of progress in reducing heart disease rates across all races and ethnicities. Black adults experienced approximately 10 years of lost progress. On Saturday, February 25 in Atlanta, the CDC Foundation’s “Live to the Beat” campaign will leverage the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, American Heart Month as well as Black History Month to shine a spotlight on steps people can take to improve their heart health by hosting an immersive cultural health and wellness event, “Live to the Beat.” The event will be hosted by renowned rapper Killer Mike and streamed live online at LiveToTheBeat.org.
In recent studies, cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease, has been cited as the leading cause of potentially preventable death in the United States, with more people dying each year from CVD than any other cause. In 2021 alone, more than 930,000 deaths in the United Stateswere due to CVD, which equates to 1 in every 4 deaths. Although mortality rates have increased across all demographic groups, Black adults continue to be disproportionately affected. According to the American Heart Association, the prevalence of high blood pressure among Black people in the United States is among the highest in the world.
The CDC Foundation’s “Live to the Beat” campaign, which includes the February 25 event, is kicking off its second year with an enhanced focus on community outreach aimed at helping address cardiovascular disease in Black adults in the United States. The “Live to the Beat” campaign in its first nine months produced a suite of 65 cardiovascular disease (CVD) education resources; generated more than 479,000 connections to culturally-relevant health education content; engaged with more than 11,000 people through community wellness events; and referred nearly 1,500 people to additional health resources.
“The CDC Foundation is encouraged by the warm reception the “Live to the Beat” campaign has received from the public health community and from Black people across the nation,” said Lauren Smith, MD, MPH, chief health equity and strategy officer for the CDC Foundation. “With recent CDC data showing we still have a long way to go, the campaign’s plans to engage more audiences through community and grassroots outreach are now more important than ever.”
“Being a touring musician is a lot of fun but doesn’t lend itself to the healthiest of lifestyles. A few years ago, in between touring cycles, my doctor told me that all of my indicators were saying I needed to make some lifestyle changes if I wanted to be around to see my band become rap’s AC/DC,” said Killer Mike, Grammy Award-winning rapper and community activist. “Ever since, I’ve been on mission to learn how to take better care of myself. I look forward to learning more and engaging the Black community at ‘Live to the Beat.'”
The CDC Foundation has engaged Rock The Bells, the global platform founded by CEO and Entertainment icon LL COOL J to elevate Hip Hop culture, to produce the February 25 “Live to the Beat” event. The event will engage hundreds of people in-person and thousands more via a livestream at LiveToTheBeat.org with an immersive experience filled with heart-healthy activities. Activities and special guests include a DJ set by radio personality and host Big Tigger; a healthy meals cooking class instructed by chef Nzali Scales; a hip-hop fitness session led by personal trainer and TV personality Toya Johnson; meditation and yoga with wellness expert Lauren Williams; and on-site health screenings, all aimed to provide attendees with fun activities, knowledge about CVD prevention, and the tools they need to develop heart-healthy daily habits.
The “Live to the Beat” wellness event will take place at The West Venue, 1710 Defoor Avenue NW, Atlanta, 30318 on February 25 from 2:00–6:00 PM EST. The interactive event will include incentives and prize drawings for on-site and virtual participants. Attendees can RSVP to attend in-person in Atlanta.
University of Maryland Names School of Public Policy Building in Honor of Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
The University of Maryland announces its newly opened School of Public Policy building will bear the name of civil rights lawyer and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Over the course of his career, Marshall played a key role in breaking down barriers for Black and African American students, including the desegregation of the University of Maryland.
“Thurgood Marshall was a trailblazer for justice and a pioneer as the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. “He fought for landmark civil rights cases including the access to our university by all of its citizens. Assigning his name to the School of Public Policy building honors his contributions to our university, state and nation.”
Born in Baltimore, Marshall was rejected from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1930 because he was Black. Soon after his graduation from Howard University Law School, where he was ranked first in his class, Marshall joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. He sued the University of Maryland on behalf of another Black student seeking admission to the law school and was part of the team that launched successful legal battles against the university on behalf of Parren Mitchell and Hiram Whittle, who were denied admission based on their race. In 1950, Mitchell became the first Black student to take graduate classes on the College Park campus, and a year later, Whittle enrolled as the university’s first Black undergraduate student.
Marshall went on to argue the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which declared segregation unconstitutional. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1967, and held the role of associate justice for 24 years.
“It is an honor to see the School of Public Policy building at the University of Maryland named after our father,” the Marshall family said in a statement. “This recognition serves as a testament to his legacy as an unapologetic trailblazer for justice and equality. The inspiring work the School does every day to create the next generation of students embodies what was at his core—ensuring a more just and equitable world for all.”
Thurgood Marshall Hall supports the school’s mission to advance the public good by drawing together students, faculty and other experts to foster world-changing policy discourse and action.
“There is no better name to bestow on this building than Thurgood Marshall’s,” said Robert C. Orr, dean of the School of Public Policy. “Justice Marshall’s legacy in dismantling segregation, strengthening voting rights and promoting equal protection for every American is an inspiration to all of us. His work through the NAACP, the U.S. justice system and the Supreme Court serve as an important reminder of the role we play as policymakers in advancing the public good, both here at home and across the globe.”
The 77,000-square-foot building, which opened in the fall of 2022, united the school’s growing community under one roof for the first time in its 40-year history, and offers state-of-the-art teaching and collaborative spaces for students, faculty and staff.
A naming celebration will be held at the end of the month.
