by Booker Jones

February 18, 2023

Update: Ghana Soccer Star Christian Atsu Found Dead Under Turkey’s Earthquake Wreckage

After previously reported as being alive, Ghana soccer star Christian Atsu has been found dead, according to a report from CNN. Atsu was found under the wreckage and debris two weeks after an earthquake tore through Turkey.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s body was recovered this morning,” Atsu’s agent Nana Sechere tweeted. “My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones.”

CNN reported that Atsu went missing on Feb. 6., the day that the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey. At least 45,513 people have died as a result of the earthquake.”

The English Premier League expressed its condolences.

“We are profoundly saddened to learn that Christian Atsu has tragically lost his life in Turkey’s devastating earthquakes.

Everton also tweeted: “We are deeply saddened by today’s news that Christian Atsu has been found dead following the earthquake in Turkey earlier this month. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues at @Hatayspor_FK and everyone affected by this tragic event that has claimed so many lives.

Initially, CNN reported that Atsu was found alive. The outlet claimed that Atsu was playing poker until 3:30 a.m. on Monday, returning home around 4:00 a.m.

His agent initially said to CNN: “The last I’d heard from Christian was midnight. I was hoping he was awake and that the earthquake hadn’t happened while he was sleeping.”

Atsu won 65 cups for Ghana. He also helped them reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final, however, they lost to Ivory Coast, according to ESPN. 

From 2016-2021, Atsu played for Al Read FC in the Saudi Pro League. He also played for teams in Newcastle, Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Everton.

Tubman Museum Honors the Life and Legacy of Tyler Perry With Museum Exhibit
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

February 18, 2023

Tubman Museum Honors the Life and Legacy of Tyler Perry With Museum Exhibit

Beginning Saturday, February 18, 2023, the Tubman Museum will open the Tyler Perry Exhibition featuring the work and life of American filmmaker, actor, playwright, author, songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Tyler Perry. The exhibit marks the first time Perry will be featured in a museum chronicling his work and life, offering a one-of-kind glimpse into his life — which includes 17 feature films, 20 stage plays, seven television shows and a New York Times bestseller.

The Tyler Perry Exhibition had a private, red-carpet grand opening gala on Friday, February 17. The installation will remain at the Tubman Museum for two years, through February 2025.

(Screenshot/Video YouTube WMAZ YouTube)

Recognizing the powerful influence and inspiration Perry’s work has had on African Americans, Tubman Museum Executive Director Harold Young has said he believes Perry “embodies the traits and characteristics of Harriet Tubman, who broke down barriers and inspired hundreds of enslaved people to escape the drudgery of their lives.”

“Tyler Perry’s life is comparable to Harriet Tubman: once you overcome something, you can elevate someone, bring them up with you,” Young said. “Our museum focuses on the art, history, and culture of black people, and this is what Tyler Perry is all about. He’s an artist, and there’s a history being made that he brings out in his movies, plays, and shows.”

Growing up in Louisiana, Perry endured years of abuse by his father, which led him to slip into depression. Ultimately, Perry found inspiration, using his talent to create relatable characters. The museum’s objective is to showcase his story.

“The exhibit will enlighten a lot of people about parts of Mr. Perry’s life that they, most likely, didn’t know,” said Mark E. Swinton, Senior VP of scripted programming at Tyler Perry’s studios. “You know, he is a big celebrity and a public figure, but as you walk in [to the exhibit], you’ll get a sense of who he is today and what his journey was like.”

Perry has eloquently stated in the past: “If you’re working towards a goal, and you believe it, you can see it.”

Swinton continued: “This exhibit will be there to inspire people from all walks of life, and the team at Tyler Perry Studios is committed; we want to do this, and we’re excited to be part of something that will inform and uplift. I think Mr. Perry’s life will resonate with people — whether they’re rich or poor, African American or not — they’ll be able to walk away and take something from this.”

Proud Partners of The Tyler Perry Exhibit at the Tubman Museum are IATSE, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, FilmHedge, GreenSlate, GSB Architects, New Belgium Brewing, and RiseImpact.

Woman Finds Her Photos On Erotic Novel And Breast Reduction Ads Without Her Permission—And It’s Legal
by Booker Jones

February 18, 2023

Woman Finds Her Photos On Erotic Novel And Breast Reduction Ads Without Her Permission—And It’s Legal

An actress took headshots more than a decade ago, and recently found out that the photos were used without her permission for a breast reduction campaign, and for an erotic novel.

According to USAToday, Christian Demeritt took professional headshots shortly after earning her theater degree from Florida A&A University, after a friend recommended a particular photographer to her.  

“She inboxed me the information and said he does really great work,” Demeritt told USAToday.

Years after taking the headshots, someone informed Demeritt that they saw her on a magazine at a Sacramento news stand. The photos were disseminated, showing up in an another country as well as in a breast reduction ad, according to reports.

“When I first found out, I was shocked,” Demeritt told USAToday. “I found it almost unbelievably amusing at that point…I had never even been to California.”

@christian.joy.d Replying to @shyfloralstudio #storytime #DoritosTriangleTryout ♬ Frolic (Theme from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” TV Show) – Luciano Michelini

Demeritt admitted to USA Today that she didn’t read the fine print, which enabled the photographer to sell her photos. Anyone who purchases photos of Demeritt can legally use them however they choose.

One project that Demeritt photo appears on is a romance novel, “His BIG Childhood Sweetheart,” which is published by Afro Romance Books. “His BIG Childhood Sweetheart” is a series centered on interracial relationships.

(Afro Romance Books)

An Afro Romance Books rep told USA Today that authors do not create book covers, and that the Afro Romance Books did get Demeritt’s photo from a stock image website.

Demeritt told USAToday that she understands that this fiasco is legal and happens often without people knowing.

Also according to the report, Demeritt has not earned any money from the photos nor has she been able to contact the photographer.

Demeritt has been documenting her experience on TikTok.

 

Eye Roll: Apple Celebrates Black History Month Campaign With ‘Unity Challenge’ Encouraging People to Lose Weight
by Booker Jones

February 18, 2023

Eye Roll: Apple Celebrates Black History Month Campaign With ‘Unity Challenge’ Encouraging People to Lose Weight

Apple has come under fire for its Black History campaign, after deciding to encourage people to celebrate Black History Month by losing weight. 

Well-known TikToker Tamika Turner showed a photo of her Apple Watch, which displayed a “Unity Challenge” message: “Let’s come together to honor Black history. Earn this Unity award by closing your Move Ring seven days in a row during February.” FYI: Closing your Move Ring means meeting your fitness goals.

Of course, people in the comments had something to say. 

“The cringe in which I cringed,”  one user wrote.

“Tell me you have Black Americans in your marketing department,” PrimmReaper wrote. 

“Lose weight to end racism was not an approach I thought I’d ever hear,” Nicole wrote. 

Obviously Apple doesn’t know that Black obesity reflect racial stereotypes, especially for Black women. Many scientists surmised that Blacks would “die off” because of their weight problems. According to 19th century research, Blacks can not control their animal appetites. 

Apple’s Black Unity Collection includes Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop, which has “Unity” woven in red, green and Black, a tribute to the Pan-African flag. The company also added new watch face and iPhone wallpaper. Apple will also support organizations who uplift Black and Brown communities through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.

Apple wrote: 

“The App Store will spotlight apps and games forging creative solutions for Black communities in areas such as music, banking, and gaming. Among these apps and games are Dot’s Home, a 2022 App Store Award-winning game designed to educate users on housing disparities experienced in communities of color and financial wellness apps such as Goalsetter, Altro, and CapWay that are empowering the community with financial resources.

The App Store will also celebrate 50 years of hip-hop culture by spotlighting numerous apps that allow users to listen, watch, and learn the significance of this creative movement in both the past and present.”

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Rolls Out Digital Credit Union For Its Membership, Aiming To Help Build Wealth
by Jeffrey McKinney

February 18, 2023

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Rolls Out Digital Credit Union For Its Membership, Aiming To Help Build Wealth

Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s oldest Black sorority, is entering the financial-services space to reportedly help build generational wealth.

The For Members Only Federal Credit Union in Chicago is being launched by the prominent organization. The institution has gained its federal charter and share insurance coverage from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and is expected to begin operations this year, based on this news release.

Founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) is an international services organization with 355,000 members, 1,061 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States and in 11 countries. per its website.

The credit union reportedly plans to offer safe, fair, and affordable financial products and services digitally. It will serve members, future members, and their communities. It plans to provide members various savings and loan services its  first year, including checking accounts, online banking, debit cards.

“As the first Black-owned, woman-led, sorority-based (and) 100% digital financial institution, we are poised to deliver innovative financial solutions that drive economic growth for our members, chapters, families and employees of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,” AKA International President Danette Anthony Reed shared in a letter written to members and reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Unlike banks,  credit unions often are non-profit institutions serving  members. Being member and cooperatively owned, they can sometimes offer higher rates on savings accounts and lower rates on loans because they have lower operating costs and don’t pay profits to shareholders.

NCUA Chairman Todd Harper said among his comments, “This charter is also in keeping with AKA’s current initiatives to assist members in building economic wealth, promote social justice, and uplift communities, all of which are fundamental to the statutory mission of credit unions.”

Other Black, Greek-letter organizations have previously or now operate credit unions. Reportedly,  the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity closed its credit union in 2010. And the Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma fraternities purportedly launched credit unions in 1986.

Banking analyst William Michael Cunningham says the AKA credit union launch is a significant development that will have a positive impact on the Black community.  He says he believes anyone can join a credit union if they are within the credit union’s field of membership.

He says relative to the overall Black community, their common bond membership has higher income, is wealthier, has more stable employment, and are better educated.  “This is a very attractive demographic around which to base a bank or financial institution.”

He says the among the biggest challenges will be getting members to join and deposit money.

by Booker Jones

February 18, 2023

We See You: LeVar Burton Is Looking Good Celebrating His ‘SEXTY’ Six Birthday

LeVar Burton is looking good in his gray beard and goatee. The veteran actor recently celebrated his 66th birthday. Burton’s wife, Stephanie Cozart Burton, took to Instagram to celebrate her husband’s b-day. 

“Guess who’s turning SEXTY SIX today! My hubby, my partner, my North Star – my breath of LIFE. Happy Birthday sweetie, “Mrs. Burton wrote.

Burton is known for his in the film Roots, and for his continuing role as host of Reading Rainbow, a television show that encourages children to engage with books. 

The actor also co-starred in Star Trek: The Next Generation. According to IMBd, Burton holds the record for most Star Trek shows produced by a actor of Star Trek. In 1990, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

According to IMBd,  Burton and Stephanie Cozard-Burton married on the same day as Barack and Michelle Obama married, Oc. 2. 1992. Corzard-Burton began her career as a makeup artist for Silver Spoons. She’s also given her talents Ghost Dad, White Men Can’t Jump, among others. According to her LinkedIn, since 2020, she has been the Department Head of Makeup for “The Upshaws” on Netflix.  

Today, Burton hosts the podcast, “LeVar Burton Reads.”

“LeVar’s narration blends with gorgeous soundscapes to bring stories by Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury and more to life,” the podcast bio reads.  

Burton was being considered to take on hosting duties for “Jeopardy” after the death of Alex Trebek, however, Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings were chosen as co-hosts. 

“The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something … they say, ‘Be careful of what you wish for,’ because what I found out is that it wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all,” he told Trevor Noah. “What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, right, but then, when I didn’t get it, it was, like ‘Well, OK, what’s next?’”

by Booker Jones

February 18, 2023

Meet the Former Teacher Who Built a $242,000 Per Year Vending Machine Company With $650

Crystal Warren was once a school teacher with only $1,000 in her bank account. Warren decided to start a side-hustle, so she purchased a vending machine for $650. This was in 2016.

Today, her company, Vending Factory has profited more than $242,000. 

“I had $1,000 dollars and purchased my first vending machine for $650,” Warren said to Business Insider.

“It was an AP, or an automatic-snack machine, and I placed it in a day-care center. When I bought it, I hadn’t realized that the machine was worth about $1,250, so I bought it at a really good price. At that day care, I made $450 in the first three weeks. I was not expecting that. ” 

Warren didn’t quit her job as school as teacher until 2020, four years after purchasing her first vending machine. She didn’t spend any of her profits, either. She put all of her money back into her business. 

“I want people to understand that they don’t have to quit their jobs just to pursue something else. They can have a goal, make good money in that business first, and let that help them decide if they want to quit,” Warren said.

She added: “I made sure to save up all of the money I was making in vending — I did not spend it. I put all of the money back into my business. And I knew that even if something happened with my business, I still had all of that money saved up.” 

After purchasing her fifth machine, and fifth location, Warren taught herself how to find vending machine locations for other people, eventually selling all of her machines and locations for nearly $5,000 each. 

“I would go on Craigslist and ask people if they were looking for vending-machine locations. Then I realized that people were looking for vending machines inside the locations. So, then I would buy a vending machine, place it in the location, and sell the location for $5,000 or more.” 

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 18, 2023

Tiger Woods Apologizes For Failed Prank Handing Fellow Golfer a Tampon, ‘It Was Just Friends Having Fun’

Tiger Woods is apologizing to anyone who was offended by the “prank” he played on fellow golfer Justin Thomas when he handed him a tampon during the first round of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday.

Woods issued the apology after the second round at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, on Friday, CNN reports.

“It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way.” Tiger said. “If I offended anybody, it was not the case, it was just friends having fun.”

“As I said, if I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I’m sorry,” he continued. “It was not intended to be that way. It was just we play pranks on one another all the time and virally I think this did not come across that way, but between us it was – it’s different.”

Thomas laughed after Woods handed him the tampon before dropping the sanitary product on the ground, as noted by Huff Post. The golf champion received mixed responses from fans who were either amused or completely turned off by Woods’ actions.

“That’s a spavined apology. (Yes Tiger, you offended people; no “if” about it.) I love watching the guy play but he can be startlingly offensive at times,” one critic wrote.

“It was juvenile locker room humor, but it certainly wasn’t intended to be demeaning or hurtful. Let’s move on and pray that Tiger makes the cut,” added someone else.

Others defended Woods and expressed their approval of seeing the pro sports legend having a little fun on the course.

“Stop apologizing @TigerWoods you didn’t do anything wrong,” one fan said.

“I laughed. No one was harmed,” another user quipped.

“Nobody has to think it’s funny,” one onlooker explained. “That’s up to them, but people need to stop getting upset about something that doesn’t affect them personally.”

Dr. Bill Winston and Bill Winston Ministries Present Operation Ten City: Greatness Unlocked
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

February 18, 2023

Dr. Bill Winston and Bill Winston Ministries Present Operation Ten City: Greatness Unlocked

Dr. Bill Winston, a globally renowned pastor, entrepreneur, and business leader, and Bill Winston Ministries announce that Los Angeles, CA will be the fourth stop of the Operation Ten City (OTC) campaign that began in 2022 with St. Louis, Detroit, and Cleveland.

Operation Ten City: Los Angeles will take place on Friday, February 24 through Saturday, February 25, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, West Hall B,1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90015. All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.

“Our goal with Operation Ten City is to bring economic restoration and prosperity to ten cities of our nation, including Los Angeles, and to close the wealth gap in black and brown communities through entrepreneurship and ownership,” says Dr. Bill Winston.

“One of the main reasons for poverty is theabsence of self-production. So, OTC is coming to empower and turn people who primarily have been consumers into producers.”

Dr. Bill Winston and Bill Winston Ministries Present Operation Ten City: Greatness Unlocked is a ten- city initiative to inspire faith-based communities to activate hidden potential and pursue the fullness of God’s calling for their lives, businesses, and organizations. Through programming centered on community outreach, business, and entrepreneurship, as well as faith and the supernatural, Operation Ten City supports the development of people and communities with a vision to help them access true economic prosperity and self-sufficiency through wealth-building and ownership.

All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. For a complete event schedule and to register, please visit operationtencity.com.

Operation Ten City: Greatness Unlocked will make stops in more cities across the United States through the summer of 2024. After Los Angeles, the next city will be Philadelphia.

by Booker Jones

February 18, 2023

Shaq Has a Message For Rihanna’s Super Bowl Performance Haters: ‘Shut Your Face’

People have been giving Rihanna major flak for her Super Bowl performance. Well, NBA legend  Shaquille O’Neal is not here for it. 

On The Big Podcast with Shaq, ​​the NBA champion praised Ri Ri for an exciting performance—despite the haters.  

“All you people disrespecting Rihanna, shut your face. She did a wonderful job,” Shaq said. “She’s pregnant. She blessed it. She didn’t fall. Just leave it there. All you superstars that’s disrespecting and causing beef … shut it up.”

Shaq added: “If she was my woman and I seen one of you superstars do that,” Shaq said, “I’m gonna have to get at you.” “Rappers. Presidential candidates. I’m gonna have to get at you. Leave her alone.”

TMZ reported that WWE champion Bill Goldberg also blasted Ri Ri during a recent episode of his “CarCast” podcast with Matt “The Motorator” D’Andria. 

 

“I mean I was disgusted by it. That’s all. Let’s just say that. I thought it was horrible,” Goldberg said, while   D’Andria chimed in saying that he “wasn’t a fan.”

Donald Trump also chimed in on Rihanna’s performance.

“EPIC FAIL: Rihanna gave, without question, the single worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl history,” he wrote.  “This after insulting far more than half of our Nation, which is already in serious DECLINE, with her foul and insulting language. Also, so much for her ‘Stylist!’”

Rapper Kodak Black agreed with Trump, who pardoned the rapper from a prison sentence in 2021. The rapper took to social media to share his thoughts on Rihanna’s performance.

“Uncle Trump said that sh*t is garbage, man,” Yak said in a video posted to his Instagram account. 

One week prior to the Super Bowl, Ronny Jackson, Trump’s White House Doctor also attacked Rihanna, questioning why the NFL is allowing her to perform. 

 

 

×