• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

January 24, 2023

OneUnited, Nation’s Largest Black-owned Bank, Launches Nation’s Largest Surcharge Free ATM Network

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OneUnited Bank is proud to announce its new Empowerment Network, with more surcharge-free ATMs than any other bank in the country. A historic moment on the eve of Black History Month, the nation’s largest Black-owned bank launches the nation’s largest surcharge-free ATM network.

OneUnited now has over 100,000¹ surcharge-free ATMs, including Chase Bank and Citibank branches and neighborhood retailers such as 7 Eleven, Costco, CVS, Target, and Walgreens. OneUnited continues to break records to empower customers with better access to their money.

The Empowerment Network also includes OneUnited Card Command to empower customers with more control over their OneUnited Bank Visa^® Debit Card. Customers can instantly turn on-and-off their cards, get real-time transaction notifications, add their card to their digital wallet, set travel plans, and even set spending limits in the mobile banking app.

“We listened to our customers who want better access and more control over their money,” said Teri Williams, President & Chief Operating Officer of OneUnited Bank.

She continues, “We’re proud to make history by offering the Empowerment Network, the nation’s largest surcharge-free ATM network, while also providing better card controls through OneUnited Card Command. Quite frankly, we’re elevating the BankBlack Movement by offering best-in-class services and state-of-the-art technology to better meet customer needs.”

The Bank is launching the Empowerment Network with OneUnited Card Command to customers and then through a nationwide advertising campaign including social media, radio, and influencer marketing.

Lauren London is opening up about how “apprehensive” she initially was about starring as Jonah Hill‘s love interest in Netflix’s You People.

London stars as Amira in the Kenya Barris-directed film, the girlfriend of her Jewish boyfriend Ezra (played by Hill). The rom-com flick follows the happy couple as they work to bring together their parents, Amira’s dad and mom Akbar (Eddie Murphy) and Fatima (Nia Long), and Ezra’s parents Shelley (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and his casually racist dad, Arnold (David Duchovny).

The Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner-inspired film was directed by Barris and co-written by Hill and tackles issues of racism and cultural/religious differences. The flick’s underlying themes are what initially made London reluctant about taking the role.

“Before doing the movie, I was just apprehensive [if] this a story I want to contribute to,” London told ET. “I just wanted to make sure that is a story that I wanted to contribute to.”

London had a serious talk with the team behind the film about the “soul connection” she knew the movie couple would have to have considering the physical differences between their characters.

“I [also] asked them, ‘OK, well, why her and him?’ Because she was written like hella stylish and he was like this… very low-key [guy],” London explained.

“So, to me, it had to be about their soul connection and not what we saw appearance-wise or [why] we would assume these two people would date. It was about them meeting, connecting and having a soul connection.”

Barris was adamant that London play the role of Amira and revealed how he “begged” her to join the film’s cast.

“The whole point of it was if I’m looking on Twitter and I see Jonah Hill’s dating… certain white actors I’d be like, ‘I’m not blown,'” Barris explained.

“I love Zazie Beetz, but if I saw [her with] Jonah, I wouldn’t be like, ‘What?’ [But] if I saw Jonah Hill was dating Lauren London, I would be like, ‘Hold on, what!?'”

“That’s the movie. That’s why she was so important,” he added.

It’s 2023, a special year for arguably the NBA’s GOAT and business mogul Michael Jordan, who turned his number 23 jersey into a fashion empire that’s been dominating the sneaker market for nearly 40 years.

In honor of what will be seen as #JordanYear on social media throughout 2023, Air Jordan started its “Jordan Year” (which is also hip-hop’s 50th anniverary) with an auction for one of the 23 pairs of retro Air Jordan 13s, the brand designed to commemorate the late great rapper, The Notorious B.I.G.

On Monday, Nike. announced its partnership with the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation. Just 23 pairs of the exclusive Air Jordan retro honoring The Notorious B.I.G will be auctioned off at an event hosted by Sotheby’s, Sneaker News reported.

“This Air Jordan 13 has been reinterpreted to celebrate the legacy of The Notorious B.I.G., someone who reached for the stars, had the boldest of dreams, with the work ethic to back it up,” Reggie Saunders, vice president of entertainment marketing for Jordan Brand, said in a statement.

While the 23 pairs of Biggie 13’s look like the signature sneaker at first glance, a closer look shows the nods to the legendary, late lyricist throughout the sneaker design. The rapper’s silhouette can be seen on the tongue of each sneaker.

The sock-liners feature a classic red and black plaid flannel pattern that serves as a nod to Biggie’s style throughout his time dominating the hip-hop scene. There are also two sets of Biggie lyrics on the tongue tag: “It was all a dream” and “If you don’t know, now you know” from B.I.G.’s 1994’s hit, “Juicy.”

Sotheby’s online auction for the 23 pairs of Notorious B.I.G. Air Jordan 13s lasts until February 3. The special edition sneakers are estimated to sell between $2,300 and $5,200; bids start at $1.

Proceeds from the exclusive partnership will benefit the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, which,  “aims to empower inner-city youth with educational learning instruments, sponsorships, grants, and community-based mentorship programs and campaigns, all in line with its motto, Think B.I.G ‘Books Instead of Guns.’”

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

January 24, 2023

Married Man Charged In Murder of Girlfriend Who Threatened To Expose Double Life

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A Texas woman’s family is grieving after a loved one threatened to expose her lover’s lies.

Ocastor Ferguson is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Kayla Kelley, who found out Ferguson was married. Police reports say her body was found buried in a Grand Prairie field, close to Ferguson’s home on Jan. 18, after Kelley was reported missing a few days before.

According to Buzzfeed, Kelley’s car was found abandoned and “burned beyond recognition.”

On Jan. 14, Ferguson was arrested on multiple charges, including arson, a second-degree felony, and kidnapping, a third-degree felony.

Kelley and Ferguson started a relationship after meeting online, with Ferguson going by the name “Kevin Brown.”

Shortly after, Kelley reportedly found out about his double life, being a married man. Police say the victim told her friends she would tell his wife everything.

The 33-year-old stood her ground, texting “Kevin’s” wife. The wife in question told police she received a text message saying “they needed to tell her something,” assuming it was from a woman.

NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported that Ferguson and Kelley were in contact until she disappeared.

At first, Ferguson denied being in the area, telling police he didn’t know what happened to the car or Kelley, according to reports.

However, Ferguson’s wife had already reported their car as stolen. Arrest warrants show Ferguson admitting he was with the victim on Jan. 10, going to her home after picking him up from work around 11 p.m.

Gloves, duct tape, and a blanket were found inside the stolen vehicle, Buzzfeed says. After finding Kelley’s body, Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said the department hoped to bring good news.

“While we desperately hoped for a different outcome, I’m grateful for the dogged determination of my deputies and our Texas Rangers in locating Ms. Kelley,” Skinner said.

Ferguson is currently being held on bond.

This Black man is not going to stand for Black history being white-washed.

Dr. Marvin Dunn, a professor emeritus at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, has gone against Florida governor Ron DeSantis‘ law prohibiting lessons on race with his “Teach the Truth” tour, where he highlights racism in the state.

According to The Washington Post, Dunn is one of eight plaintiffs in the case against DeSantis’ Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act (WOKE).

The professor has been sponsoring his Black history tours through his Miami charity to take students to historic sites, spotlighting Florida’s history with racism.

Dunn has been guiding students on his “Teach the Truth” tour since DeSantis’ push to ban African American studies.

“We’re going to keep on teaching it,” Dunn said, according to The Post. “This is the antidote to the DeSantis-izing of history.”

Dunn has already guided over two-dozen high school students and their families to the museum where civil rights activist couple Harry T. Moore and Harriette V.S. Moore were murdered on Christmas 1951 from a bomb planted underneath their home.

Additionally, he has spotlighted tragedies such as the Newberry Six, where  Rev. Josh J. Baskin and five other Black Floridians were lynched by a white mob in 1916. Dunn’s tour also stops through Rosewood, a town built and populated by Blacks that was set on fire by a White mob in 1923.

 

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A post shared by Marvin Dunn (@dr.marvindunn)

“These are things that nobody knew, it’s like it was swept under the rug. I feel very strongly that this history needs to be told,” said Shanika Marshall, who took her teenage son on the “Teach the Truth” tour. “There’s no shame, it just is what it is, but it needs to be put at the forefront so we can all try to get past it.”

DeSantis’ mission is an effort to restrict race-based conversation, analysis, and education.

As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, presidents of Florida’s state college system recently confirmed they would not be providing funds for programs that bring attention to beliefs on Critical Race Theory.

The Florida Department of Education refused the College Board’s new AP African American studies course earlier this month describing it as lacking in educational value.

Dunn plans to take another group of students on his “Teach the Truth” tour during the upcoming legislative session in the spring.

Comedian Maya Rudolph, the beloved former Saturday Night Live star, has been appointed as the new spokesperson for M&M’s.

The company has dubbed Rudolph its “Chief of Fun.” It’s appropriate given her memorable run on SNL and her terrific work in such fare  The Good Place and the Oscar-nominated Bridesmaids.

According to People, Rudolph will debut as the new spokesperson in the brand’s Super Bowl LVII ad.

“I was already the person that likes to watch the Super Bowl for ads, so I feel like, ‘Wow, now I get to be a part of that moment!'” Rudolph said.

“I feel like this [ad] has so much of what I love to do, which is make people laugh obviously, but also, have an element of joy to it,” she added.

The change has come amid backlash the company received after changing the appearance of the mascot to be more inclusive.

R&B singer Sammie is going through trying times right now and has asked the public for privacy as he copes with his mother being charged with murder.

According to an Instagram post, the singer expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased woman, Nekaybaw Collier, who was allegedly killed by his mother, Angila Baxter. He also asked that the privacy of the Collier family be respected.

“In consideration of the recent news, I would first like to express my most sincere condolences to the family of Mrs. Collier,” he wrote. “I understand the severity of the allegations, but I do not have any additional information. I respectfully request privacy for not only my family, but the family of Mrs. Collier. Thank you.”

 

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A post shared by SAMMIE…I sing a bit 🎶 (@sammiealways)

According to to Click Orlando, Sammie’s mother, Baxter has been charged with second-degree murder for the death of Collier.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, said Baxter, 56, “was randomly shooting at vehicles” on January 12.

The suspect claimed she felt like she was being followed by several unknown people, which provoked her to start shooting at random cars. One of those bullets hit Collier, 27, in the left abdomen. Police officers discovered her black 2015 Mercedes Benz wrecked on North Powers Drive. She was rushed to the hospital where she died.

An arrest has been made in the shooting death of 27-year-old Nekaybaw Collier.
OCSO Homicide Detectives have arrested Angila Baxter, 56, for Second Degree Murder w/a Firearm. Baxter was randomly shooting at vehicles on 1/12 when Nekaybaw was driving in the area & was struck. pic.twitter.com/pVFSWSPF3Y

— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) January 20, 2023

Last week, a GoFundMe page was created to assist the Collier family with funeral costs:

“Nekaybaw Iyonna Collier was a loving mother, wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and friend to all who knew her. Tragically on January 12, 2023, she was taken from us as a result of gun violence in Orlando, Florida. Our lives will never be the same since we lost our precious baby girl.

“Nekaybaw was a beautiful soul who would have given the shirt off of her back to care for the people that she loved. She was kind, caring, smart, talented, and beautiful. We are deeply mourning her loss. We are raising funds to cover the costs of memorial and funeral expenses and to provide care and mental health services for her two beautiful daughters whom she loved and cherished with all of her heart.”

The world is about to be graced with the angelic vocals of this actress once again.

Abbott Elementary actress Sheryl Lee Ralph is set to sing The Negro National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” during the Super Bowl LVII Pregame.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the NFL made the announcement on Tuesday about Ralph being in the lineup for the mega-event’s pregame entertainment.

Ralph took to her Instagram page to announce the news to her social media followers.

“Come on now,” Ralph began her caption. “Don’t you ever give up on you baby!”

“I’ll be singing Lift Every Voice and Sing at Super Bowl LVII,” Ralph wrote in revealing her big news.

“See you there,” she said, tagging the NFL, Fox, and Roc Nation.

 

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A post shared by Sheryl Lee Ralph (@thesherylleeralph)

Other artists joining Ralph in the pregame lineup include 12-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, songwriter, and producer Babyface, who will sing “America the Beautiful.”

Colin Denny, a member of the Navajo Nation in Arizona, will sign “America the Beautiful,” and Justin Miles will sign “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Miles will also sign at the halftime show headlined by singer Rihanna, who announced her performance back in September 2022.

Ralph, a Golden-Globe nominated actress, has already moved Hollywood with her angelic vocals. She burst into song during her 2022 Emmy speech, singing a few lines of a powerful a cappella from Dianne Reeves’s “Endangered Species.” The memorable speech brought the audience to their feet.

Vanity Fair reported that football fans can also expect a performance of the national anthem from country singer Chris Stapleton, signed by Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur, and a flyover conducted by the U.S. Navy in celebration of 50 years of women flying.

Super Bowl LVII will take place Sunday, February 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

Legendary actress Angela Bassett is getting her flowers. . 

The 64-year-old was nominated for an Academy Award this morning for best supporting actress for her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Bassett’s Oscar nomination makers her the first actor to receive one for a Marvel movie.

This is Bassett’s second nomination. The mother of two received the first in 1994 for her powerhouse portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It. 

 

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A post shared by Angela Bassett (@im.angelabassett)

Immediately following the good news, Bassett took to her Instagram to bask in the good news. 

“Hey Everybody, you good? This morning is a little extra special in the Bassett Vance household with news of my Oscar nomination. What has drawn me to each of the women I’ve portrayed throughout my career is their strength, compassion, resilience, and power,” Bassett said. 

Later, Bassett shared that her role as Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther sequel “touched” her the most because she was a woman who was mourning the loss of her country as a leader and her child, T’Chella, played by the late Chadwick Boseman. 

Toward the end of her caption, Bassett congratulated her Wakanda Forever family for the Oscar nominees they also received. The nominees included Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, and Tems, alongside the film’s costume designer, Ruth Carter, and the hair and makeup stylist, and visual team.  

Rihanna received her first Oscar nomination for best original song for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s lead single “Lift Me Up.” Coogler and Tems are nominated for their songwriting and composing duties on the track. 

Aside from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever nominees, the 2023 Oscar nominations list has been making headlines for other reasons. It includes Brian Tyree Henry‘s nomination for best supporting actor in Causeway.

But a Black woman wasn’t nominated for best actress or best director. Many assumed, because of the success of The Woman King last year, that the film’s star Viola Davis and its director Gina Prince-Bythewood would receive a nomination.

The Oscars will air on ABC March 12. 

Enjoying a concert shouldn’t be considered a crime. Fans of rapper Drake got the feeling they were doing something wrong while leaving his show at the famous Apollo Theatre.

The New York Police Department was seen filming audience members leaving the show, raising concerns about what exactly is being done with the footage. New York Times music writer and attendee of the concert, Jon Caramanica, tweeted his own footage, catching the police activity red-handed.

here’s the video pic.twitter.com/xeCB96veU0

— Jon Caramanica (@joncaramanica) January 22, 2023

NYPD made a statement assuring those on film that footage, filmed by a local precinct, would be used for social media posts on local events.

” The department said, “The video will not be utilized for any other reason,” according to CBS News. However, privacy groups aren’t so sure about it.

The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a privacy and civil rights group, called the taping “concerning.”

Being surveilled without consent, the New York City-based group feels the footage will be used for face recognition practices and wants the tape destroyed.

In a press release on its website, the group also calls for New York State to “ban police facial recognition and facial recognition at sporting events, concerts, and other public accommodations.”

Privacy complaints made it to the office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Adams, who a source says is a fan of facial recognition practices, praised the decision of the Harlem precinct, calling the idea “creative.”

“And I encourage all of my commanding officers to be creative on how we engage with our residents,” Adams said at a press conference. “That was a safe event.”

NYPD has been openly criticized for its surveillance practices since 9/11. They also have been accused of keeping closer eyes on members of the hip-hop community.

The department was exposed by the NY Post in 2019 for operating what was called Enterprise Operations Unit, or the Rap Unit, after an incident occurred during a Remy Ma concert. The unit allegedly assigned officers to write up weekly entertainment reports regarding scheduled hip-hop shows at clubs. The reports would show if each show posed a threat for low, medium, or high-risk violence.