by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 16, 2023

Robert Glasper Sells Out T-Shirt Mocking Chris Brown’s Grammy Shade

Chris Brown tried to hand Robert Glasper lemons after losing the Best R&B Album Grammy to the music artist. But Glasper turned the sour moment into a momentous one.

Glasper subtly responded to Brown’s “narcissistic” apology on Tuesday by unveiling his new limited edition T-shirt that read, “Who TF is Robert Glasper?” The 5x Grammy Award winner announced that the shirts had already sold out and that part of the proceeds would go toward the Community Music Center of New Orleans.

“Thanks for the support. A portion of the proceeds from this shirt will be donated to the Community Music Center of New Orleans,” Glasper shared in his caption.

“A nonprofit created to share the music culture and music education in New Orleans, providing free music lessons to underserved youth,” he continued. “I can’t thank y’all enough for supporting this cause.”

 

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A post shared by Robert Glasper (@robertglasper)

The phrase on the t-shirt was a clear shot back at Brown, who went on a social media tirade after losing to Glasper at the 65th Grammy Awards last week. Glasper’s “Black Radio III” won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, a category that Brown’s “Breezy (Deluxe)” was also nominated for.

Brown took to his Instagram Story to post a screenshot of a Google search he conducted on the decorated musician.

“Bro who the f— is this? Y’all playing. Who da f— is this?” Brown wrote over the photo.

The “Loyal” singer also shared a photo with the same question (that replaced the “o” in “who” with a crying laughing emoji) and wrote, “IMA KEEP KICKING YALL A**! RESPECTFULLY.”

After catching heat from many who were turned off by Brown’s unwarranted shade, the singer decided to reveal the apology he sent Glasper in a private direct message.

But the damage had already been done, and social media blasted Brown’s “narcissistic” apology to the pianist.

“This is how a narcissist apologizes 101,” one person said in response.

Now Glasper is showing how he got the last laugh.

Black Woman’s Directory, ‘The Black Pages’ Helps Community Find Black-owned Businesses
by Stacy Jackson

February 16, 2023

Black Woman’s Directory, ‘The Black Pages’ Helps Community Find Black-owned Businesses

Find all things Black-owned in this directory.

Courtney Wade is bringing the community together with The Black Pages, a directory she created for easier access to finding local Black-owned businesses.

According to Daily Journal, Wade was motivated to create the directory following the May 2020 killing of George Floyd.

“The community was in arrest, but they were looking for something and wanted to come together,” she said regarding the incident.

Wade observed the needs of the community and, alongside family members and other activists, she developed a festival as part of Juneteenth to celebrate the Black community. She initially imagined the directory as a way to merge the community with local businesses.

“As you go through the festival, there were so many businesses I didn’t know existed,” she said. “After talking to people in the area, especially the older population, they weren’t aware of that either.”

The Black Pages includes more than 70 local businesses and organizations.

“It started as a piece of paper folded in half,” she said, recognizing the growth the directory has UNDERGONE in the past two-and-a-half years.

“But the idea is for it to become a fully-functional thing,” she said. “So, wherever you go, you can find what you’re looking for.”

A new copy of the directory is published via a local printer around every six months.

Although the primary focus of the directory is Kankakee County, Wade has received involvement from multiple businesses outside the county.

“Overall, my focus and main job — besides my family — is bridging the gaps in the community,” Wade said. “Merging the needs of the community with the resources of the community.”

Wade and her team are working to continue the expansion and growth of the directory this year.

The directory will be available through Facebook and The Black Pages website.

The cost for inclusion is $10, and businesses can reach out via email to submit information for directory inclusion.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 16, 2023

Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan to Star and Produce ‘I Am Legend’ Sequel

Will Smith’s Robert Neville character will be returning for an I Am Legend sequel – and he’s bringing Michael B. Jordan along for the ride.

Smith and Jordan will be teaming up for the next chapter of I Am Legend, which comes more than 15 years after the original, Deadline reported. It’ll be the first time the two stars will work alongside each other as actors and producers.

It’s expected to perform well at the box office, with Smith and Jordan having grossed a combined massive total of $12.3 billion worldwide. The film’s original writer, Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman, is set to return to write and produce the sequel.

Details surrounding the film are still scarce, but Goldsman did tease how “endless” the possibilities are for the new script.

The sequel “will start a few decades later than the first,” Goldsman revealed.

“I’m obsessed with The Last of Us, where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-, 30-year lapse,” he continued. “You see how the earth reclaims the world, and there’s something beautiful in the question of, as man steps away from being the primary tenant, what happens? That will be especially visual in New York.”

Smith starred in the 2007 film that followed his character, Robert Neville, in a nearly deserted, post-apocalyptic New York City ridden with zombies.

The original opened with $77.2M at the box office and went on to gross $256.4M domestically and $585.4M worldwide. The sequel’s announcement is the first major project with Smith’s name attached in the wake of his Oscars slap attack against Chris Rock.

Smith’s Emancipation film was released on Apple TV in October 2022. It was Smith’s first film release after the slap attack and the Academy Award winner couldn’t get past addressing his shocking actions at the 2022 Oscars.

“That was a horrific night, as you can imagine. There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just — I lost it, you know?” Smith said on the Daily Show, as noted by Variety.

“I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behavior at all… It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know?” he continued. “All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That is not who I want to be.”

by Stacy Jackson

February 16, 2023

Inspiring Black Women Leaders Carving Impactful Spaces for Their Communities

Black women are building communities to provide safe and positive spaces for the Black community to thrive, online and off. 

From breaking the stigma behind mental health for Black women, to creating a safe support system for BIPOC people working in the gaming industry, these activists are harnessing the power of social media to elevate the scale of their missions for change and social impact.  

These six inspiring group leaders have curated impactful spaces by building communities through Facebook Groups, where members can connect, learn, and create together. 

Find the communities that align with your passions and purpose, and become a part of the positive change.

April Bowler, The Official Hip-Hop/Anime/Gaming Community

April Bowler is a longtime gamer, streamer, and graphic designer. In 2018, her boyfriend brought her into The Official Hip-Hop/Anime/Gaming Community, where they proceeded to grow the company’s Facebook Group into a thriving community space.

Out of their efforts came their businesses H.A.G Entertainment and the Blerd Business Network, which support other BIPOC workers in the industry while hosting “Blerd Bash” meetups across the United States. Bowler and her boyfriend have since sold their house to live a life on the road dedicated to their business and events. 

Delilah Antoinette, Black Girl’s Healing House

Delilah Antoinette created Black Girl’s Healing House (BGHH) with the ultimate goal of bridging the generational gap and creating a new narrative between wellness and the greater Black community. 

She created BGHH’s Facebook Group in 2018 to fundamentally shift and challenge the relationship Black women have with their mental health, wellness, and spiritually. Her community of 62.1k+ women has become the space to find support and teach each other how to take back control of their lives.

The group connects its members to free and affordable resources through workshops, classes, retreats, and services, and continues to help women find therapists, life coaches, herbalists, nutritionists, and more to help them begin their healing journey.

Ashley Nussman-Berry, Black Planters

Tired of feeling unheard, plant enthusiast Ashley Nussman-Berry created Black Planters as a safe space for Black gardeners to gather, relate to, and share with one another as they posted their latest plant purchases and learnings on plant care.

When it felt like the world was falling apart at a time of pandemic and protests around Black Lives Matter, Nussman-Berry noticed that she and other Black people were being shut down and silenced in planting communities and forums just for voicing their feelings.

The Black Planters group has also evolved into a platform to help reclaim the practice of gardening, and remove the stigma around gardening that others might carry from generations of ancestors being forced into the practice. 

 

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Dee Harris, Black Girls Culinary

Whether it’s a family recipe or an entirely new creation, Davicia “Dee” Harris, founder of Black Girls Culinary, knows firsthand that food brings people together.

Defying the stereotype that Black Women should be perfect cooks, Harris has grown her online community into a safe space for 49,000 pro chefs, home cooks, and everyone in between, to connect through their love of food and improve their craft in a judgment-free zone. 

Pamela Slaughter, PDX People of Color Outdoors

PDX People of Color Outdoors was created in 2020 after Pamela Slaughter noticed her grandson, nephews, and people of color were experiencing racism while exploring the outdoors.

Understanding that the current social climate in the country wasn’t on their side, Slaughter wanted to create an online space where people’s love for the outdoors could be shared and their efforts could turn nature into a safe and healing place that could be enjoyed by the BIPOC community.

Her community of 3K+ outdoor enthusiasts are advocating for representation and amplifying a larger conversation on inclusivity, diversity, and equality one camping trip at a time. 

Sara Valdez, Afro Latina World

Noticing the lack of online spaces for Afro Latinas, well into her adulthood, Sara Valdez created the Afro Latina World with an overarching mission of wielding education and love as tools to erode prejudice and breed cross-cultural understanding. 

After years of building a close-knit community of women seeking to reconnect with their cultural roots and learn more about their identity, Afro Latina World blossomed into a movement in the real world with Valdez and her closest moderators founding their Miami non-profit called Women Voices of the Diaspora.

The Afro Latina World Facebook Group, created in 2017, is a space for her community to gather, learn from, and support one another. Valdez regularly welcomes scholars for academic discussions, hosts open forums to discuss issues, and organizes community outreach efforts like youth music courses and food drives. 

 

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by Jeroslyn JoVonn

February 16, 2023

Rihanna’s Choreographer Goes Viral With Behind-the-Scenes Super Bowl Halftime Rehearsal Footage

The choreographer behind Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show has gone viral on TikTok after sharing the behind-the-scenes footage of their rehearsal.

Parris Goebel, the New Zealand dancer who struck fame after making up the moves in Justin Bieber’s 2015 music video for “Sorry,” was tapped to formulate the dance sequences Rihanna and her team of dancers performed on Sunday night.

Following the halftime show, which ended up being the most-watched halftime show in Super Bowl history, Goebel shared some BTS footage of her practicing the routine for Rihanna’s “Work” with her Royal Family Dance Crew.

“We love a BTS moment. The queen at workworkwork #parrisgoebel #FENTYBOWL 🏈👑 #CROWNSUP @Rihanna,” the Official Royal Family Dance Crew captioned the post.

@theroyalfamilydancecrew We love a BTS moment. The queen at workworkwork #parrisgoebel #FENTYBOWL 🏈👑 #CROWNSUP @Rihanna ♬ original sound – officialroyalfamilydancecrew

The video received over 9 million views on TikTok and over 1 million likes. Several Goebel’s fans applauded her work in Rihanna’s history-making halftime performance.

“I just KNEW it was parris goebel behind this type of dance- and yes, it was. ate, served, all of it 🍽️,” one fan said.

“I knew it was royal family the moment they were all in synchronisation,” added someone else.

Goebel followed up with another video showing the “RESULT” of Rihanna performing the same sequence she practiced with the dancers during the studio rehearsal.

@theroyalfamilydancecrew Replying to @göksu RESULT WITH @Rihanna 😈 #FENTYBOWL #CROWNSUP 👑🏈 #parrisgoebel ♬ original sound – officialroyalfamilydancecrew

Fans familiar with Goebel’s choreography continued to applaud her latest work with Rihanna.

“I knew it was royal family the second I saw the transitions they were so crisp, I was like that’s Paris!” one fan wrote.

“This how Rihanna was suppose to perform this,” another top comment read. “Parris killing that!!”

Goebel shared an Instagram video of the routine for Rihanna’s “B–tch Better Have My Money,” which she choreographed one year ago.

 

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A post shared by PARRI$ (@parrisgoebel)

“Crazy to think I created this last year and then we ended up doing it in the sky🙈✨ @badgalriri,” she captioned the post.

Former Detroit Lions Player Stanley Wilson Jr. Dies After Collapsing En Route to Mental Health Facility
by Sharelle B. McNair

February 16, 2023

Former Detroit Lions Player Stanley Wilson Jr. Dies After Collapsing En Route to Mental Health Facility

The Detroit Press reported that former Detroit Lions defensive back, Stanley Wilson, Jr., died after collapsing while being transferred to a mental health facility from the Los Angeles County jail. During the intake process, Wilson collapsed and died.

In August, Wilson allegedly broke into a mansion in Hollywood Hills, twice, and took a bath in an outdoor fountain. According to reports, he was incompetent to stand trial due to his mental health.

Wilson played college football for Stanford University and was drafted in 2005 to the Lions. He played three successful seasons for the team, with 89 tackles and one forced fumble, according to Fox News.

An achilles tendon injury in the preseason ended his career. His father, Stanley Wilson, Sr., also played for the NFL, however, creating a legacy didn’t stop Wilson from staying out of trouble.

Between 2016 and 2017, the former player was arrested for breaking and entering three times. He allegedly tried to break into a home naked, twice, and was seen roaming the streets of Portland, OR, naked as well.

While Wilson’s cause of death is currently unknown, several football players have worked with researchers and activists to tie in the effects of the sport and mental health. With brain injuries, like CTE, becoming prominent in players, former NFL star, Ray Ellis, told ABC News many coaches are known to make plays that aren’t allowed – some that can create traumatic injuries. “Not on the shoulder or around the waist,” Ellis said. “Hit them in the face, and if you didn’t hit him in the face, he criticized you for that.”

According to the National Instates of Health, African Americans are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than their white counterparts to develop Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. More alarming, Black men are also four times more likely to die of suicide than Black women, happening more often due to mental illness.

While the investigation into Wilson’s death is ongoing, reports said there is no suspicion of foul play.

 

Ghanaian CEO Secures $13M from Investors for Startup Shipping and Logistics Firm
by Stacy Jackson

February 16, 2023

Ghanaian CEO Secures $13M from Investors for Startup Shipping and Logistics Firm

This Ghanaian entrepreneur is helping businesses in Africa expand globally.

Jetstream Africa’s co-founder and CEO, Miishe Addy, secured $13 million dollars in pre-Series-A equity and debt funding for her shipping and logistics firm.

According to Ghana Web, the funding round included investors, such as development finance institution PROPARCO, through the Digital Africa Bridge Fund, and ASC VC, a venture fund founded by executives of the end-to-end visibility platform, Project44.

Nigerian venture capital fund, Octerra, also participated in the funding round, along with Senegal’s Wuri Ventures, Seed9, an association founded by Google alumni, the MBA Fund, the W Fun, and investments from family offices. Alitheia, IDF, and Golden Palm were additional investors in the equity round.

Fintech lender, Cauris, participated in the debt round as the sole investor.

“All of our major investors have investment or operational experience with the problem we’re solving. They are specialists in supply chain technology like ASCVC, which was founded by Project44 executives, or African value chain and logistics portfolio companies like Alitheia, Golden Palm, Octerra, Wuri, and Proparco,” Addy said.

Jetstream provides services to shippers who need to import or export goods from Ghana and Nigeria. The company’s digital platform allows shippers to pay for and track their cargo.

“Most businesses in Africa make and sell physical things, and you can’t sell what you can’t move. So logistics is really a centerpiece of the entire commerce equation,” Addy said during the virtual Africa Tech Summit Connects. “There are so many e-commerce websites that are coming up to allow SMEs and everyone else to sell products, but it is the people who are running the cargo on the ground who are solving one of the trickiest bottlenecks.”

During a 2021 interview with CNN, Addy discussed her journey as a woman who pursued a male-dominated industry by launching her technology-enabled logistics company. She shared that she takes pride in making an impact through technology and her contributions in an industry creating things that are of value to people across geographical boundaries.

“I would generally say it’s easier to be an entrepreneur as a woman in Ghana than in other countries. Technology specifically is a little harder in Ghana because there are so few women with engineering backgrounds or who have the capabilities to build an engineering or technology-based business,” Addy said at the time.

State Governments Use COVID-19 Relief Funds to Assist Residents’ Growing Medical Debt
by Sharelle B. McNair

February 16, 2023

State Governments Use COVID-19 Relief Funds to Assist Residents’ Growing Medical Debt

Often, Americans are forced to make difficult decisions between paying for life necessities or clearing up debt.

Due to the fear of digging a deeper debt hole, some people will put their own health at risk, which can cause a bigger problem. The Associated Press reported how the governments in certain cities are using a new tactic to assist – a plan to spend federal COVID-19 funds to eliminate residents’ medical debt and ease debt worries.

Cities such as Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and others are taking advantage of this plan, which has been proven to work. Last month, the city council in Somerville, a suburb outside of Boston, unanimously agreed to spend $200,000 of the city’s $77 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to clear up close to $4.3 million in medical debt. According to AP, 5,000 of the city’s 80,000 residents will benefit.

“Medical debt is something that people can’t help and it’s not their fault,” city council member Willie Burnley said. “No one chooses to get hurt or to get sick.”

The spending plans are looking to eliminate $1.5 million in medical debt and come right on time. On Tuesday, MarketWatch reported COVID-19 cases are continuing to decline, going down 13% in two weeks. Coronavirus-related hospitalizations are down 11%, and the average number of virus related deaths dropped to 428, a 13% decrease.

In Toledo, OH, a reported $1.6 million from the city and Lucas County will eliminate close to $240 million in medical debt for almost 41,000 residents.

Ohio state Rep. Michele Grim told AP that this plan is a better way to spend federal money. “It’s such a great return on investment,” Grim said. “I really couldn’t think of a better way to use dollars that were meant to aid in the economic recovery of our citizens.”

It can definitely help turn people’s lives around. Virginia Faust, a 25-year-old Somerville resident, had health insurance, however, after a medical emergency, she fell several thousand dollars into debt in 2021.

Rev. Al Sharpton Calls Florida Governor ‘Baby Trump’ During Protest of State Rejecting AP African American Course
by Sharelle B. McNair

February 16, 2023

Rev. Al Sharpton Calls Florida Governor ‘Baby Trump’ During Protest of State Rejecting AP African American Course

Black Americans across the country are stunned by Governor Ron DeSantis’ (R-FL) bold move to eliminate AP African-American study courses. However, during Black History Month, he should be prepared for a fight.

On Wednesday, CNN reported Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights activists held a protest in front of Florida’s state capitol building in Tallahassee.

The button for protest was pushed as DeSantis’ administration claimed the course “lacks educational value” and violates state law. Starting at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, the march hosted hundreds of diverse citizens who opposed DeSantis’ decision.

“If you would have studied history long enough, you would have known to mess with us in education always ends in your defeat,” Sharpton said.

DeSantis’ plan doesn’t just stop with African American studies.

According to The Tallahassee Democrat, DeSantis plans on cutting all college diversity programs, keeping his migrant relocation program going, as well as pursuing policies that are viewed as harmful to the LGBTQ community.

During his speech, Sharpton alluded to the beauty of diversity seen at the rally.

“Make note that we are all marching together,” Sharpton shouted to a crowd consisting of LGBTQ, Native American, and Latinx community members.

“You should have left us alone. Now you have brought us all together.”

Sharpton has never been shy about calling out racist tones of our country’s elected officials, including DeSantis. On an episode of MSNBC’s The Reid Out, he called the governor “Baby Trump.”

“Give him a pacifier and let some grown folk run the state of Florida,” Sharpton said.

Some community leaders used this time to call the governor’s bluff.

Bishop Rudolph McKissick, from Jacksonville, added Florida’s thriving athletic programs into the mix. “If you don’t want our story, you shouldn’t get our students,” McKissick said. “I wonder what would happen if every D1 athlete went into the transfer portal and found a school that wants their story.”

Former educators and community members, who the issue resonated with, felt it was necessary to attend the rally. Former teacher, Shaia Simmons, called the state’s rejection of the new course a “gross injustice,” while Martha Cummings, who’s family is interracial, just wants her daughter to be heard.

In response to the outcry and backlash, The Tallahassee Democrat said DeSantis threatened to drop all AP classes in Florida.

Michael Jordan Turns 60 and Celebrates With $10 Million Donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation
by Sharelle B. McNair

February 16, 2023

Michael Jordan Turns 60 and Celebrates With $10 Million Donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation

NBA legend, Michael Jordan, is bringing in year 60 in a major way.

CNN reported that Jordan celebrated his 60th birthday by donating a record-breaking $10 million to the Make-A-Wish America foundation. The Charlotte Hornets owner said he’s been working with the organization for years and hopes others follow in his footsteps.

(Courtesy Make-a-Wish)

“For the past 34 years, it’s been an honor to partner with Make-A-Wish and help bring a smile and happiness to so many kids,” Jordan said. “Witnessing their strength and resilience during such a tough time in their lives has truly been an inspiration.”

The nonprofit made the announcement via Twitter, calling Jordan their “Chief Wish Ambassador.” According to CNN, Jordan has worked with Make-A-Wish since 1989.

Make-A-Wish President and CEO, Leslie Motter, said she admires Jordan’s ability to make amazing moves on and off the court.

“Everyone knows about Michael’s legacy on the basketball court, but it’s what he has consistently done off the court when no one’s watching that makes him a true legend for wish families and the wider Make-A-Wish community,” Motter said, as reported by People. “We hope that the public will be inspired to follow in his footsteps by helping make wishes come true.”

It’s not out of character for the iconic basketball player to make massive donations to organizations and companies with great causes. As a prominent North Carolina native, People reported Jordan donated $10 million two years ago to Novant Health to assist with opening two new health clinics in Charlotte.

Last October, Novant opened the Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic in honor of the retired NBA MVP. Jordan will be turning the big 6-0 this Friday.

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