‘Flavor of Love’ Star Deelishis Mourns Niece Killed in Michigan State University Mass Shooting
After a gunman opened fire at Michigan State University, killing three people and injuring five, it was discovered that one of the victims was related to Flavor of Love star Deelishis.
According to E News!, Deelishis‘ niece, Arielle Anderson, a junior at the university, was confirmed by the Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety as one of the victims. Before Deelishis, real name Chandra Davis, had learned her niece’s tragic end, she took to her Instagram to see if anyone was in touch with her.
“My beautiful niece @ariellediamond_ is a student at MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY… she was in her classroom in the same building as the active shooter and we have not heard from her. If you know her whereabouts please dm me … in the meantime my family and I ask for your prayers 🙏🏼❤️‼️ #MichiganStateUniversity#ArielleDiamond”
After discovering her niece was a victim of the shooter, who ended up committing suicide, she poured her heart out on her Instagram account.
“This will never feel normal to me… I can’t believe I’m even typing this 😔
“Rest with God Ari … Our family is broken to pieces and I can’t say how we will get through this but with Gods help I know we will 🙏🏼 Have you ever met a young person who was simply “Pure in Heart”… well that was @ariellediamond_ … simply PURE … she never raised her voice past a whisper or gentle laugh. She was a remarkable student, attending MSU to become a doctor. The youngest sibling of 3, the last to attend college of her beautiful Moms children.
“How is it that she was in class doing what she was supposed to be doing and yet and still her life was taken by a coward who clearly didn’t understand the devastation he was about to cause my entire family 🤦🏻♀️”
NBC News reported that 34-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRaeopened fire at an academic building and student union on Michigan State University’s campus Monday.
Celebrating Maggie L Walker: The First Woman Bank Owner Who Transformed Black Business Practices
More than 100 years later, the legacy of the first African American woman to own a bank remains a catalyst for economic advancement in the Black community.
In 1903, Maggie Lena Walker founded Richmond, Virginia-based St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, becoming the first African American to charter a bank and serve as a bank president. She was respected as a leader whose successes and vision offered tangible improvements in the way of life for African Americans and women.
During her life Walker embarked on a mission to transform more employees into employers.
Harness economic power through freedom of the press
Born in the 1860s, Walker was determined to improve the lives of African Americans and women through financial education and empowerment. She encouraged investment and collective action, despite the tribulations that she and many others faced in the post–Civil War South because of the color of their skin.
Walker once said, “I was not born with a silver spoon in [my] mouth, but instead, with a clothes basket almost upon my head,” BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported. There is no doubt that her work has been the launching pad for the advancement of many Black leaders.
(Image: Instagram/maggiewalkernps)
During this period, millions of freed slaves worked against laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and maintain white supremacy. The Black Codes enforced restrictions to prevent Black people from purchasing property and owning businesses. Essentially, these codes represented another level of oppression where Blacks could not participate in the essential pillars of wealth-creation in the United States.
“Time and conditions change so rapidly that unless we keep on the alert, ever working, watching, improving and learning, we will be left behind in the race of progress,” said Walker at the 34th Annual Session of the Right Worthy Grand Council of Virginia chapter of the Order.
In her teenage years, Walker joined the Independent Order of St. Luke’s, an African American fraternal order that helped the sick and elderly in Richmond and provided insurance to Black women who could not otherwise access it. Within the organization, Walker held many high-ranking positions, including executive secretary-treasurer. She was the only woman known to lead a major Black fraternal order at the time.
In 1902, Walker began publishing the organization’s newspaper, St. Luke Herald, as editor-in-chief. She not only carried news of the order to local chapters, but she encouraged African Americans in Richmond to harness their economic power by establishing their own institutions through the newspaper.
“What we need is an organ, a newspaper to herald and proclaim the work of our Order,” Walker said during the 1901 annual convention, BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported. “No business, no enterprise, which has to deal with the public, can be pushed successfully without a newspaper.”
She added, “We need consecrated men and women, who will raise something else besides points of order…we want an executive to run a factory, run a paper, run a bank, that will develop something and give some of the noble women work.”
(Image: File)
Walker was also indispensable in organizing a variety of enterprises. She helped found the Richmond Council of Colored Women and raised large sums to support such institutions as Janie Porter Barrett’s Virginia Industrial School for Colored Girls.
Use the power of the Black dollar to create economic independence
To encourage investment and collective action, the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank offered what many Blacks couldn’t gain access to anywhere else: mortgages, investment capital, and checking accounts. From 1929 to 1930, the bank absorbed all other banks owned by African Americans in Richmond and became the Consolidated Bank and Trust Co.
Walker continued to serve as the bank’s chairman of the board. The long-standing institution would eventually be a leader on the BE Banks list.
Maggie L. Walker statue at the Virginia Women’s Monument (Image: Wikimedia Creative Commons/WomenArtistUpdates)
Throughout Walker’s journey, she emphasized the importance of the Black dollar and how it could be used to create economic independence.
“First we need a savings bank. Let us put our moneys together; let us put our money out at usury among ourselves, and reap the benefit ourselves,” said Walker during the Independent Order of St. Luke Annual Convention in 1901. “Let us have a bank that will take the nickels and turn them into dollars.”
“Save a dollar more–and carry it to a Negro bank and deposit it. Save a dollar more–and you will have a prop upon which to lean when you grow weak from age,” Walker revealed in The St. Luke Herald newsletter. “Save a dollar more–because the more you save, the more you will want to save and the greater will be your ability to help yourself and someone else.”
On Dec. 15, 1934, Walker died from complications due to diabetes. Walker’s home in Richmond has since been designated a National Historic Site by the National Park Service.
Film Academy Response to Will Smith Slap Was ‘Inadequate,’ Group’s President Says
Hollywood’s film academy did not adequately respond to Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards last March, the organization’s president said on Monday at a gathering of this year’s Oscar nominees.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was criticized for allowing Smith to remain in his seat, and accept the best actor trophy, after he assaulted Rock on stage.
“What happened on stage was totally unacceptable,” academy president Janet Yang said at the annual Oscar nominees’ luncheon in Beverly Hills. “And the response from the organization was inadequate.
“We learned from this that the academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis,” she added.
Smith resigned from the academy after the incident, and the academy banned him from attending the Oscars for 10 years. He remains eligible to be nominated for and win Academy Awards.
At Tuesday’s lunch, nominees including Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Michelle Yeoh and Angela Bassett schmoozed and posed for a group photo.
Nonprofit Founder Opens New Center to Help Black Girls in Chicago Fight ‘Period Poverty’
Meet Chez Smith, the founder of the Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. (Healthy Optimistic Outstanding Determined) Foundation, which addresses “period poverty” which is the lack of feminine hygiene products that affect millions of females worldwide. Recently, she opened a Reproductive Health Services Center in Chicago, Illinois to support “gyrls” on their journey to becoming empowered women capable of making informed choices.
The center will serve Black and brown girls in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood in the city’s South Side with support from Chicago Beyond, which invests in organizations, community leaders, and equitable research opportunities that are positioned to change the lives of young people in Chicago. The center will provide menstrual hygiene management, reproductive and sexual health education, and social services through the organization’s existing programs. It will also be used to deliver job training workshops, college prep events, teen parent support, and more to the community.
According to the University of Pennsylvania, every month, one in five girls on their periods will miss school due to a lack of feminine hygiene products. According to the World Bank, “period poverty” affects more than 500 million females around the world.
For adolescent girls living in poverty, lacking basic feminine hygiene supplies can have a significant impact on their education, health, and dignity.
“At Gyrls In The H.O.O.D Foundation, we are serious about showing up for the girls in our community,” said Chez Smith, the organization’s founder. “Our goal is to remove the stigma around girls accessing services. The center is easily accessed by public transportation and will offer late hours to accommodate the school and work schedules of adolescent girls.
Smith, recognized by Chicago Magazine as a 2022 “Chicagoan of the Year,” has been on a mission for the last five years to build a network of support to improve life outcomes for adolescent girls living in urban areas considered “hood.”
“If we are serious about improving reproductive health disparities and outcomes then we must start equipping girls with the education, resources, and tools needed to make informed choices,” Smith said. “Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. deserve reproductive justice and we are going to help them get it.”
About
Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. Foundation is a premier Chicagoland nonprofit organization that provides girls with the reproductive and sexual health education needed to make informed and responsible choices. Learn more about the foundation and how to get involved at GyrlsintheHood.com
Mom-Daughter Duo Make History With Fastest-Growing Black-Owned Virtual Assistant Company
Meet Starr Barrett and her 20-year-old daughter, Essynce, the founders of Essynce Virtual Assistants (EVA), a Black-owned virtual administrative support service designed to help other small businesses. Starr is a business graduate with over 20 years of experience in corporate administration, and Essynce is a talented serial entrepreneur and VP of Youth Development.
Their company and its team of partners offer a range of services, including but not limited to calendar and travel management, phone answering, bookkeeping, document preparation, presentation creation, business operation management, chief of staff tasks, property management, and much more for small/medium businesses, high-profile clients (celebrities/influencers), and non-profit organizations nationwide. With some team members available 24/7, EVA is committed to providing convenient and reliable support to its clients.
Starr comments, “At Essynce Virtual Assistants, we are a mother-daughter team dedicated to helping businesses evolve through our wide range of virtual administrative support services. As a business graduate with over 20 years of experience in corporate administration, I am thrilled to be able to bring my expertise to the virtual assistant industry and work with my talented daughter, Essynce Moore, VP of Youth Development, to provide personalized solutions to our clients’ needs. Our team is honored to operate as your virtual or personal assistant, saving you both money and time. Our goal is to instill a sense of pride in our customers through our high-quality services, and to be a valuable partner as you evolve your business. Together, we can make things happen with emotion and care.”
In addition to traditional virtual assistant services, EVA also offers virtual office administration and one-time project support. “At EVA, we are honored to operate as your virtual or personal assistant, saving you both money and time,” says Starr. “We understand that time is of the essence, and strive to provide enthusiasm, uniqueness, and creativity to every assignment or event we execute.”
With a focus on making things happen “with emotion and care, EVA aims to instill a sense of pride in its customers through its high-quality services. Essynce adds, “We bring a fresh perspective and passion for style and creativity to the virtual assistant industry, and work with clients to find personalized solutions to their needs.”
EVA has established relationships with a variety of vendors and partners, and is always interested in building new partnerships to expand its services. They offer the perfect formula for all lifestyle needs.
For more details about Essynce Virtual Assistants and its wide range of virtual administrative support services, visit their official website at EssynceVirtualAssistants.com or contact info@essyncevirtualassistants.com.
Entrepreneur Adenah Bayoh Continues To Succeed With Cornbread’s Expansion Into Brooklyn
Entrepreneur Adenah Bayoh has been a successful entrepreneur since she was six; selling bread in Liberia, and attributes her success to one constant.
“Hard work,” Bayoh tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“I wouldn’t say I was successful in everything I’ve tried, there have been some failures and that’s expected with anything or anyone. I’ve been extremely hard working in anything I’ve done and I’m very optimistic. I understand there’s always light at the end of the tunnel and that situation may be very hard right now but you’re going to get through it.”
Today, Bayoh is among the most successful Black female entrepreneurs in New Jersey. In addition to being one of the youngest IHOP franchise owners in its history, owning four locations in the Garden State, the Fairleigh Dickinson University alum also sports an impressive real estate portfolio, is a partner in the all-vegan eatery, Urban Vegan, and last year expanded her soul-food franchise, Cornbread, into the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York.
The entrepreneur tells BLACK ENTERPRISE that Cornbread’s Brooklyn location has done amazing business and she was surprised at how fast the community embraced it.
“We’ve been very fortunate to be in Brooklyn and it’s been a godsend, to be honest with you,” says Bayoh. “It’s been amazing to see the love the community has shown us. I’m just in gratitude and very grateful for how the Brooklyn community has embraced Cornbread and when you think about growing a concept right now I think if you can make it in Brooklyn you can make it anywhere. And that’s how we kind of look at the expansion into Brooklyn. We wanted to test that market because we knew there was a great concentration of our customers and our people there and it’s just been extremely powerful.”
Cornbread has been so successful with its expansion, Bayoh is now gearing up to franchise the restaurant to “bring more women and more minorities in a franchising space.”
“Black entrepreneurs have shown that if we give them the support they need, they can be successful, so when I think about this year what I really want to do is perfect Cornbread and franchise it,” Bayoh added.
While things are looking up for Bayoh today, like most business owners across the U.S., the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic saw her struggle to get funding to keep her businesses afloat.
“It was devastating to be very honest with you, it was devastating not to be able to have access to PPP funding and it was just a really hard time but we relied and depended on the community which was able to help pull us through,” Bayoh says. “I can tell you right now we’re not really out of this pandemic, it’s not been easy, it’s been a fight of resilience, it’s been a fight of just trying to make sure that all your hard work doesn’t go in vain when you see your restaurant close.”
Bayoh adds she is proud of the growth of Black female entrepreneurs since the pandemic, but she was quick to point out that Black entrepreneurs and business owners need access to capital and as a result, many Black entrepreneurs in the U.S. are forced to start their businesses with their own money.
“Entrepreneurship is hard, it’s extremely hard and I think the best way to describe it is moving from crisis to crisis to crisis and you wake up tomorrow and do it all over again,” Bayoh tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I think that it becomes like mental gymnastics if you can manage and get through these hard times and understand that hard times are not here to last, they’re just a moment in time.”
19-Year-Old HBCU Student Receives $25K From Pharrell Williams For Gun Safety Technology
Kayla Austin, a 19-year-old sophomore at Howard University, pitched and won $25,000 at Pharrell Williams’ Mighty Dream Forum and Black Ambition in Norfolk, Virginia. Her patent-pending technology called “My Gun’s Been Moved” provides gun owners with a 24/7 monitor and notification if their gun has been moved. The idea was one of many to win at last year’s Mighty Dream Forum which took place in November.
The idea came about at 12 years old after participating in a youth program, hearing a family member’s story, and watching the news on gun violence in Chicago. She had many sleepless nights thinking about how she could use technology to provide better gun safety for parents to protect their children.
Austin has facilitated and participated in many events supporting gun safety education, laws, and practices. Her intense community activism has granted her recognition from the State of Illinois and Congress. As a result, she was excited to share her invention with the Mighty Dream Forum three months ago. This network provides access and opportunity to Black and Latinx entrepreneurs, “I’m still trying to process it all,” said Austin, a film and digital media major in her sophomore year at Howard University. “To receive support from my favorite artist is a dream come true.”
Kayla was also selected to participate in one of 10 open booth spots at CES, the most influential tech event in the world. It took place in Las Vegas in January 2023 proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovation. She has been named Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 in 2022 as Youth You Need to Know highlighting her work as a youth gun safety advocate.
Though winning $25,000 and the amazing accolades, an additional $20,000 in resources, advertising, and ASW credits, she still needs $75,000 to manufacture, complete the software application, and launch her invention successfully. Therefore, Austin has started a GoFundMe campaign to help her reach her goal of eliminating severe trauma within communities across the country. Donors will be able to donate on different levels to help make history with the first technology-driven gun safety product that will save generations of lives.
This news was originally reported by www.Blacknews.com
It’s All in the Timing: Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee Plans to Launch Campaign for California Senate During Black History Month
She’s joining the race to win California’s Senate seat.
California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee will run for Senate at the end of the month, officially launching her campaign during Black History Month.
According to The Washington Post, Lee is preparing to enter a battle for the seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, where her campaign will bring light to the absence of Black women in the U.S. Senate. Reportedly, there are no current Black women serving in the U.S. Senate following the departure of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Currently, there are no Black women in the U.S. Senate, and there have only been two in our almost 250-year history. Our voices are sorely missed in the Senate,” Lee said. “My lived experience as a Black woman making true progressive change for Californians will give a voice in the U.S. to those who are currently voiceless.”
“I have spent my life fighting against discrimination and speaking on behalf of people of color, underserved communities, and those living in poverty. It is why I have worked for and achieved progressive change my entire life,” Lee said in a statement to ABC News.
The race for the California seat amongst Democrats is predicted to be one of the most competitive in the election cycle, as many prominent politicians, including Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter, have already launched campaigns for the seat . Sources predict Lee could face an uphill battle in her run for the California Senate seat. Other believe two Democrats could possibly battle during the general election.
“While she lacks the fundraising might of Porter and Schiff, Lee is a revered figure in the Oakland-anchored district she has represented for decades,” Politico observed. “Her deep Bay Area roots could be an asset given that both Porter and Schiff represent southern California districts.”
Feinstein, 89, the oldest serving senator who has served in her California seat since 1992, announced that she will not seek re-election in 2024.
Rihanna Has Most Watched Halftime Show in History, More Viewers Than Actual Super Bowl
Despite all the mixed reactions to Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show, Mommihanna managed to rake in the most viewers in Super Bowl history!
New reports show that Rihanna’s halftime show received more viewers than the actual Super Bowl, according to Fox Sports PR. While Super Bowl LVII brought in 113 million viewers, 118.7 million tuned in to watch Rihanna headline the halftime show.
This year’s Super Bowl was its most watched game in six years and Rihanna managed to rake in nearly 6 million more viewers than the game itself. Super Bowl LVII now sits behind Super Bowl LXIX in 2015 as the second most-watched Super Bowl game of all time, ASreported.
The 2015 Super Bowl achieved 114.4 million viewers with Katy Perry headlining the halftime show that year. Rihanna now holds the title for most-watched halftime show behind Perry and Lady Gaga, who raked in 117.5 million viewers with her 2017 halftime performance.
Rihanna became the talk of the town when she confirmed her second pregnancy during her halftime performance. While she didn’t make an official announcement on stage, her baby bump was visible and had the streets talking.
Shortly after her performance, reps for the Bajan pop star confirmed Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are expecting their second child together just nine months after welcoming their son in May 2022. The “Diamonds” singer belted out a full setlist of some of her biggest hits, including “We Found Love,” “Where Have You Been,” “Diamonds,” and “Work.”
Rihanna admitted to having reservations about headlining the halftime show so soon after giving birth, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter. But she used her 9-month-old son as motivation to get back on the stage for the first time since 2018.
“I was like, ‘You sure? I’m three months postpartum. Should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this,’” Rihanna said.
“When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you could take on the world—you can do anything,” she added. “And the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, so as scary as that was…there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all. It’s important for my son to see that.”
Say What Now? Chris Berman Oddly Brings Up Abraham Lincoln While Celebrating Black Quarterbacks
Chris Berman, you had one job.
Football fans raised some eyebrows while watching Sunday’s big game when sports commentator Chris Berman made an odd comment in reference to the quarterbacks of the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. This year’s Super Bowl was the first time ever that two Black quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, battled it out during the big game.
Fox News reports that Berman was covering the postgame activities for ESPN and brought up the historical context of the games. While trying to tie up some loose ends, Berman randomly put President Abraham Lincoln into the story. “Also, of course, two African American quarterbacks starting against each other in the Super Bowl for the first time,” Berman said. “Fittingly, February 12th is Abe Lincoln’s birthday.”
“Also, of course, two African American quarterbacks starting against each other in the Super Bowl for the first time. Fittingly, February 12th is Abe Lincoln’s birthday.”- Chris Berman pic.twitter.com/J1BuWQTepH
History books tell us that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves during the Civil War. Lincoln also promoted the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
His comments became an instant hot topic on social media. Sports writer Mike Taddow tweeted that the seasoned sports commentator could’ve said anything else but that.
of all things he coulda pointed out about two black men starting in the super bowl, abe lincoln as the choice was definitely a choice
