• Education

by Selena Hill

September 14, 2026

‘Ruby Bridges Walk To School Day’ Returns, Inspiring A New Generation To Take Action

More than 60 years after Ruby Bridges helped integrate an all-white New Orleans elementary school, students nationwide will honor her legacy through an annual walk this November.

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More than six decades after Ruby Bridges made history by becoming the first Black child to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, students across the country will honor her legacy through the annual Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Nov. 14.

The observance commemorates Bridges’ historic walk to William Frantz Elementary School on Nov. 14, 1960. Just six years old at the time, Bridges was escorted by federal marshals as she entered the school amid intense opposition to desegregation. Today, the annual walk transforms that pivotal moment in American history into an opportunity for students to learn about Bridges’ courage while discussing racism, bullying, and ways they can create positive change in their communities.

The initiative grew from a question posed by students at Martin Elementary School in South San Francisco after they learned about Bridges’ story: Why wasn’t there a day named after her?

The students took their idea to California lawmakers, helping establish Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in 2018. Now their effort has expanded into a nationwide movement. According to the Ruby Bridges Foundation, more than 800,000 people participated in the initiative in 2025.

The Foundation encourages schools, families, and community organizations to mark the occasion through walks, classroom discussions, student-led activities, and other forms of community engagement. Participating schools can access educational resources designed to help students connect Bridges’ experience to issues they encounter today.

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The emphasis on youth leadership reflects Bridges’ own history. Although she was only a child when she helped advance school integration, her actions became a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement. Her story has continued to resonate through books, educational programs, and Norman Rockwell’s iconic 1964 painting, The Problem We All Live With, which depicts Bridges being escorted to school by federal marshals.

The Ruby Bridges Foundation says its mission is to empower young people to understand the past, find their voices, and help build a more just future. The annual walk offers students an opportunity to do more than remember a historic moment. It challenges them to consider how seemingly small acts of courage can create lasting change.

Schools and organizations interested in participating can register through the Ruby Bridges Foundation and access resources for planning their own events.

RELATED CONTENT: Ruby Bridges To Return For Annual Reading Festival At The National Civil Rights Museum

• Celebrity News

by Black Enterprise

September 14, 2026

Boosie Badazz Goes On ’60 Minutes’ After He Was Allegedly Finessed Out Of $600K For Presidential Pardon

The Baton Rouge rapper filed a claim to get his bread back.

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Louisiana rapper Torence Hatch, known as Boosie Badazz, appeared on CBS News’s 60 Minutes to say he has filed a precedent-setting arbitration claim against conservative political operatives Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, seeking a partial refund after paying $600,000 upfront for an unfulfilled presidential pardon.

The legal action represents the first known arbitration claim filed against pardon brokers targeting the executive clemency pipeline, highlighting how influence peddlers try to monetize access to executive power.

According to the 60 Minutes interview, Boosie retained Burkman and Wohl’s services following a federal gun conviction that resulted in a sentence of three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service, and a $50,000 fine.

Boosie said the pardon lobbyists coerced him into transferring substantial funds by explicitly assuring him that an upfront financial commitment would guarantee executive clemency.

“This is what I was led to believe: If you come with this money, you will get a pardon,” Boosie said. He explained that under their agreement, half of the funds were to be returned if clemency failed to occur. When it did not, the Baton Rouge rapper demanded a refund. “I said, ‘Just return [the money], you didn’t get my pardon, it’s a bunch of BS.’ And they were SO cocky,” Boosie told 60 Minutes.

Text messages originating from Wohl’s phone number—which Wohl explicitly denies sending—promised Boosie that high-profile political figures would champion his executive clemency petition. The written communications claimed the pardon lobbyists would mobilize conservative activist Laura Loomer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Turning Point USA executive Erika Kirk to publicly endorse his petition. The messages further promised that Loomer would request White House official Natalie Harp to submit the pardon petition directly to the president.

What Was The Alleged Scam?

The clemency scam was based on political access and direct connections to the Oval Office. The pardon brokers allegedly told Boosie that they possessed the operational leverage to deliver pardons by getting influential conservative allies to lobby on the rapper’s behalf.

However, prominent figures cited in communications denied involvement in the lobbying effort. Loomer told CBS News that she does not engage in pardon brokerage and had never discussed a presidential pardon with Burkman or Wohl. “I do know [Wohl] personally, but I have made it very clear that my name appears to be used for clout without my consent and I’ve publicly said I think Boosie was scammed.”

Spokespeople for Speaker Johnson and Turning Point USA similarly confirmed to 60 Minutes that they have not endorsed the presidential pardon petition. White House spokesperson Lauren Bis affirmed that Harp had never interacted with Burkman or Wohl, contradicting the political operatives’ assertions of White House access.

What’s the Legal Basis for Boosie’s Arbitration Claim?

The arbitration claim centers on financial restitution for an unperformed service. Boosie pursued formal arbitration after failing to obtain a presidential pardon despite providing $600,000 in capital upfront.

Burkman and Wohl have contested the legal merit of the arbitration claim in statements provided to 60 Minutes. Burkman argued that because a finalized written agreement was never formally executed, the arrangement constitutes an unwritten oral contract. Maintaining that their interactions were legal and standard lobbying practices, Burkman stated, “We don’t owe him anything,” and urged Hatch to abandon the action.

Despite defenses raised by Burkman and Wohl, Boosie’s arbitration claim highlights growing scrutiny surrounding unregulated pardon lobbyists who operate outside traditional Department of Justice clemency channels.

RELATED CONTENT: Boosie Accepts Plea Deal For Gun Charge

• Politics

by Selena Hill

September 14, 2026

Trump’s $500 Obamacare Rebate Could Put Cash Back In The Pockets Of 1 Million Americans

The proposed rebates come as ACA premiums and deductibles climb, putting renewed attention on the cost of healthcare for working households.

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President Donald Trump is promising a $500 Obamacare rebate to nearly 1 million Americans, spotlighting the financial pressure facing households that buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace.

The White House announced on Sept. 10 that eligible enrollees in 30 states could begin receiving the payments in October. The rebates target people who purchase ACA coverage through the federally operated exchange but do not receive premium assistance, reports The Associated Press.

The administration says the payments will return excess Obamacare exchange fees that it says were collected from consumers during the Biden administration. The White House fact sheet describes the money as a refund of “overcharges” and says the payments will total hundreds of millions of dollars.

But the financial relief comes against a much bigger healthcare affordability challenge.

ACA consumers have already faced higher premiums and deductibles in 2026 after enhanced federal premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025. According to KFF, average monthly premium payments across Marketplace consumers increased 58%, from $113 in 2025 to $178 in 2026. Average deductibles also jumped 37%, reaching $3,786.

That means a one-time $500 payment could help cover a portion of a household’s healthcare expenses, but it does not necessarily offset the broader increase in the cost of maintaining coverage.

Cynthia Cox, a vice president and director of the ACA program at KFF, told The Associated Press that the money for the rebates could potentially come from unused fees collected during Trump’s first administration. His first administration collected more in insurer user fees than it spent, leaving an estimated $1 billion surplus, according to KFF analysis.

The administration’s announcement also comes as millions of Americans have already adjusted their healthcare choices because of higher costs. KFF reported that ACA enrollment fell from 22.1 million people in 2025 to 19.2 million in February 2026. Many consumers moved toward lower-premium plans with higher deductibles.

Trump has framed the rebates as part of a broader effort to lower healthcare costs and return money directly to consumers rather than insurers.

RELATED CONTENT: Cost of Obamacare Insurance Premiums in California Revealed

• XCEL Summit For Men

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 14, 2026

5 Things To Know About XCEL Impact Awardee Everette Taylor

Everette Taylor’s path to the C-suite has been anything but conventional.

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The path to the C-suite for Kickstarter’s Everette Taylor has been anything but conventional.

The Kickstarter CEO and 2026 BLACK ENTERPRISE XCEL Summit Impact Awardee has built a career spanning entrepreneurship, technology, marketing, and the arts. Taylor is among the Black men being honored at this year’s XCEL Summit happening Oct. 21-23 at The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida, for their achievements and impact across business, culture, and their communities.

Long before taking the helm of Kickstarter in September 2022, the Richmond, Virginia, native experienced homelessness, left college, and launched his own businesses. His journey ultimately took him from living out of his car as a teenager to leading the global crowdfunding platform.

Here are five things you may not know about Taylor and the experiences that shaped his rise.

1. He experienced homelessness as a teenager.

Taylor grew up in Richmond’s Southside and experienced homelessness during the latter part of high school, when he lived out of his car. The Broad Rock Public Library became a refuge, providing him with temporary shelter and access to a computer.

Taylor has said the experience influenced his commitment to creating opportunities for others and helped him develop empathy for people facing poverty and limited access to resources.

2. A BLACK ENTERPRISE cover featuring Jay-Z helped shape his vision of success.

Before becoming a BE XCEL Summit Impact Awardee himself, Taylor found inspiration in the pages of the publication.

Taylor told the Observer that, as a young Black man growing up in inner-city Richmond, he struggled to identify with prominent technology entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter offered a different example.

Taylor recalled seeing Jay-Z on the cover of BE and being inspired by seeing someone who succeeded as both a creative and a businessman. Carter’s ability to build a business empire while maintaining his identity as an artist offered Taylor a model of success he could more closely identify with.

His selection as a 2026 XCEL Summit Impact Awardee brings that connection full circle, years after BE helped expose him to a vision of entrepreneurship that resonated with him.

3. He started his first company at 19.

Taylor entered entrepreneurship early. While attending Virginia Tech, he started EZ Events, an event planning and management business.

Taylor left college after launching the company and sold it about two years later before moving to California.

He continued building businesses and, in 2013, established ET Enterprises, a portfolio that included PopSocial, MilliSense, and ArtX. He also co-founded GrowthHackers, an online community for growth marketers.

4. His resume includes Microsoft, Artsy, and several startups.

Taylor built an extensive career in marketing and technology before becoming Kickstarter’s CEO.

He held marketing leadership positions at Skurt and Qualaroo, helping lead both companies to acquisitions. He also served as chief marketing officer of e-commerce company Sticker Mule and oversaw growth strategy for new social products at Microsoft.

Immediately before joining Kickstarter, Taylor served as chief marketing officer of Artsy, an online marketplace for buying and selling fine art. His work there earned him recognition from Forbes as one of the world’s most influential chief marketing officers.

Kickstarter announced Taylor as its new CEO in September 2022.

5. He built his career without earning a traditional college degree — but has received honorary doctorates.

Taylor left college to pursue entrepreneurship, but his professional accomplishments have since earned recognition from higher-education institutions.

Shaw University awarded Taylor an honorary doctorate in 2019 in recognition of his contributions to society and humanitarian efforts.

In May 2025, Taylor returned to his hometown to deliver Virginia Commonwealth University’s commencement address. During the ceremony, VCU awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, the university’s highest form of recognition.

Taylor also announced plans for a scholarship bearing his name to support VCU students from what he described as “uncommon and unorthodox backgrounds.”

From experiencing homelessness in Richmond to leading Kickstarter, Taylor has built a career centered on entrepreneurship, creativity, and expanding access to opportunity. His recognition as a 2026 BLACK ENTERPRISE XCEL Summit Impact Awardee adds another milestone to a career shaped, in part, by seeing Black entrepreneurship represented years earlier.

RELATED CONTENT: XCEL Summit For Men Oct 2026

• Sports

by Selena Hill

September 13, 2026

Tennessee Linebacker Arion Carter Turns A $427 NCAA Suspension Into A Campaign Against Cancer

The college football star is turning the controversy surrounding his NCAA suspension into a fundraising campaign for cancer research.

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A $427 plane ticket cost University of Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter a game. Now, he’s using that same $427 figure to help cancer patients.

Carter, who the NCAA suspended after an agent paid for his flight to an NFL pre-draft training facility, is flipping the controversy into a philanthropic initiative, reports Fortune.

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Carter originally faced a two-game suspension after the NCAA determined that accepting the agent-paid flight violated its rules. He repaid the $427 after deciding to return to Tennessee instead of entering the 2026 NFL draft. The NCAA later reduced the suspension to one game. Now, Carter is making that $427 mean something very different.

Beginning with Tennessee’s matchup against Georgia Tech on Sept. 12, Carter will donate $427 for every tackle he records during the 2026 season. He also pledged $500 for every sack, $1,000 for every interception or forced fumble, and $5,000 for a defensive touchdown.

The campaign will be facilitated through Girls in Real Life Situations, a nonprofit founded by Carter’s mother, Sheteka Alexander. Proceeds will support cancer-related organizations, including Sisters Network Nashville, which helps cancer patients with medical expenses.

The announcement comes after Carter’s girlfriend, Mariah Bryant, was diagnosed with breast cancer in February and began undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

“My mom has always wanted to raise a nonprofit foundation to help women and little girls,” Carter said. “And with what my girlfriend has gone through these last few months, it really touched my heart,” Carter said, according to the University of Tennessee Athletics.

“You can’t really change the circumstances that you’re put in, especially with this one,” he said. “So I tried to turn a negative into a positive, put a smile on people’s faces.”

Carter also said Bryant’s experience changed his perspective and motivated him to use his platform to raise awareness.

“With my girlfriend going through what she’s went through in these last couple of months, and me seeing it firsthand, it just really touched my heart,” Carter said. “It really made me have a different perspective and want to be able to raise awareness and set up a foundation for cancer research.”

The fundraising model puts a different spin on the evolving business of college athletics. Rather than treating NIL earnings solely as personal compensation, Carter is connecting his athletic performance to charitable giving. The potential impact is significant. Carter recorded 76 tackles in 10 games last season, leading the SEC with an average of 7.6 tackles per game. Had the current pledge been applied to his 2025 statistics, his donations would have exceeded $34,000, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

RELATED CONTENT: Kroger To Pay $75K To Settle Disability Lawsuit Brought By Breast Cancer Survivor

• Sports

by Sidnee Michelle

September 13, 2026

Playing Sports Could Give Girls A Career Advantage

The findings draw on surveys of more than 9,500 people across the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

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Women who participated in sports growing up are more likely to become workplace leaders, pursue senior positions, and negotiate their salaries, according to new research examining the connection between youth athletics and career success, Inc.com reports.

The “Girls Who Play Change the Game” report, released Aug. 31 by e.l.f. Beauty and women’s sports consultancy Parity found that women who played sports for at least three years before completing high school were nearly 50% more likely to hold leadership positions than women who played little or no sports. They were also 37% more likely to aspire to senior leadership positions and nearly 25% more likely to have negotiated their salaries.

The findings draw on surveys of more than 9,500 people across the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Researchers surveyed 9,056 women ages 18 to 65 who worked full-time within the previous five years, along with 328 professional women athletes and 114 corporate board members.

Researchers classified women who played sports for at least three years before finishing high school as “Everyday Athletes.”

The benefits appeared to extend well beyond the playing field. Nearly 90% of Everyday Athletes who had been promoted said a skill or mindset developed through sports helped them advance professionally. Among those with at least five years of work experience, 69% said lessons learned through athletics had become increasingly important in the workplace.

The study also found that 98% of professional women athletes surveyed said sports helped prepare them for life beyond their playing careers, while 85% of board members said lessons learned through sports are important for future board members.

Despite those potential benefits, researchers found a persistent gender gap in sports participation across all four countries studied. Seventy percent of Gen Z women who started playing sports continued through the end of high school, compared with 62% of baby boomers, suggesting participation among younger generations has increased.

Parity CEO Leela Srinivasan said the findings underscore the value of simply giving girls opportunities to participate.

“This isn’t about being elite or becoming a professional athlete,” Srinivasan said. “The benefits are linked to participation itself.”

Researchers cautioned that comparisons between the groups are descriptive and demonstrate correlation, not definitive causation.

RELATED CONTENT: Women’s Flag Football Is Growing—And HBCUs Are Driving The Growth

• Culture

by Ida Harris

September 13, 2026

MELANATED MOMENTS: In August Folks Soaked Up Late-Summer Vibes And Community

The month of August was all about carpe diem

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The month of August was all about carpe diem, seizing the moment, taking advantage of the opportunity, and the summer vibes, before launching into Q4.

Check out these event highlights that captured the essence and enterprise of August:

Martha’s Vineyard

Creme of Nature’s “Unstoppable on the Vineyard”

At this year’s Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF), Emmy Award-winning actress, singer, and entrepreneur Keke Palmer delivered far more than celebrity presence. Partnering with Creme of Nature and BLACK ENTERPRISE, Palmer hosted a two-day activation spotlighting the intersections of beauty, wellness, and business leadership. Can you say Melanated?

Legacy 100 Brunch

Malik Yoba and Yvette Noel-Schure were among 10 Trailblazers who were celebrated on Aug. 30 at the Legacy 100 Brunch at The Mansion at Wheatley Farms. This was a Melanated moment indeed. The inaugural gathering also celebrated Black Business Month and spotlighted top leaders across business, media, and finance shaping the future of the Black and Caribbean diaspora.

Invest Fest

Invest Fest 2026 wrapped up its sixth annual conference at the Georgia World Congress Center, drawing a record-breaking crowd of more than 31,000 attendees and notable guest speakers and panelists.

Cedric the Entertainer 13th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic

Actor, comedian, and philanthropist Cedric the Entertainer hosted top stars across sports and entertainment for his 13th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic, presented by Lexus, on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, at Camarillo’s Spanish Hills Club. The event united celebrities, sponsors, and community supporters for a day of friendly competition and fundraising.

RELATED CONTENT: Melanated Moments: July Was Filled With Vibes And Vision

• Travel and Leisure

by Selena Hill

September 12, 2026

This Ghanaian Entrepreneur Built A Black Bridal Beauty Business In Italy

Harriet Akotowah Mensah saw an underserved market for Black beauty services in Italy and turned it into a growing mobile bridal business.

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For Black women planning destination weddings in Italy, finding a beauty professional who understands textured hair and deeper skin tones can be tough. However, that’s why Ghanaian entrepreneur Harriet Akotowah Mensah turned that access gap into a business opportunity.

Based in Brescia, Italy, Mensah is the founder and creative director of Hetty’s Beauty Parlour and The Afro Beauty Team, two businesses that provide mobile bridal hairstyling, makeup, and wig installation services for clients across Italy. Her destination-wedding clientele primarily comes from the United States, with additional customers traveling from other parts of Europe.

The business recently took Mensah nearly five hours each way to Florence to prepare Micaéla Verrelien for her wedding at Villa Merlo Nero. Verrelien, who co-owns Brooklyn’s Sweet Fire Cafe & Studio with her husband, had spent a year searching for a Black bridal beauty professional in Italy before her social media community repeatedly recommended Mensah. Mensah says the demand reflects a broader gap in Italy’s beauty industry.

“Hetty’s Beauty Parlour started from a very personal place. I saw a gap in the beauty industry and realized that Black women in Italy were often struggling to find professionals who genuinely understood our hair textures, skin tones, and beauty needs,” Mensah told Travel Noire.

That gap has created a market where clients are willing to travel — and pay additional travel fees — for specialized expertise.

“What is interesting is that sometimes the distance is not even the biggest issue for the client. Their priority is finding someone they trust,” Mensah said.

For an entrepreneur, that trust is also a customer-acquisition strategy. Mensah says social media helps potential customers discover her work, but referrals ultimately turn visibility into revenue.

“Social media gives people visibility, but trust is what converts that visibility into bookings,” she said.

Now, Mensah is looking beyond a one-person operation. Through The Afro Beauty Team, she wants to expand the pool of professionals who can service Black clients while maintaining the level of expertise her customers expect.

“I don’t want the solution to be that every Black bride has to find one person — me,” Mensah said. “I want to help build a professional beauty ecosystem where more skilled artists can serve this community at a high standard.”

RELATED CONTENT: Ghana Creative Economy Initiative Takes Flight To Help African Storytellers Go Global

• Celebrity News

by Selena Hill

September 12, 2026

‘Huel,’ A British Plant-Based Nutrition Company Backed By Idris Elba, Sells for $1.15 Billion

The actor and his wife invested in the company years before Danone agreed to acquire it for nearly $1.15 billion.

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Idris Elba’s latest business win is less about Hollywood and more about getting in early.

The actor and his wife, Sabrina Elba, were among the investors who backed Huel, a British plant-based nutrition company, before it grew into a global brand and attracted a nearly $1.15 billion acquisition offer from French food giant Danone, reports AfroTech.

Founded in 2015, Huel has reportedly sold more than 270 million meals and expanded beyond its original meal-replacement powders into ready-to-drink beverages, snacks, and hot meals. In 2022, Highland Europe led a $24 million funding round designed in part to accelerate the company’s U.S. growth. Elba, Sabrina Elba, British television host Jonathan Ross, and entrepreneur Grace Beverley participated in the round.

For Elba, the investment was rooted in more than celebrity star power. In a video shared by Forbes Family Group, he explained that he liked Huel’s products and its CEO, James McMaster, whom he called a “smart guy” with a vision.

“It was an opportunity to work with Huel in their very early stages, and they just wanted someone to help them put some eyeballs on Huel. I like the product. I like the CEO … So 4 years ago, I get this call. I said, ‘OK, let me take a look at it.’ And it was a very light lift for me from an investment perspective,” said the Luther star. “For me, it was sweat equity. I feel very lucky to have been a part of that deal.”

The 54-year-old British actor also said the investment reflected his interest in supporting healthier, lower-carbon diets and agricultural development in Sierra Leone, which is his father’s native country. That early bet on the company is now reaping major benefits.

Danone agreed to acquire Huel for nearly 1 billion euros, or about $1.15 billion, while bringing the independent nutrition brand under one of the world’s largest food companies. Elba acknowledged that his stake was relatively small but still significant enough to benefit from the sale.

“I didn’t get massively rich, but it’s a very big, very big sale, and I got a small portion of that,” he said.

The Huel deal underscores a growing lane for celebrities with capital, influence, and access, who become early-stage investors rather than simply endorsing products. For Elba, the strategy appears straightforward — back a product he believes in, contribute his visibility, and let the company’s growth create the upside.

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RELATED CONTENT: Idris Elba Invests $1M To Equip 100K African Creators With AI