• Beauty

by Stacy Jackson

January 11, 2023

Teen Who Suffered Hair Loss During Sickle Cell Treatments Created Product Line for Black Hair

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Inspired by her childhood experiences, this 15-year-old was motivated to start a business.

After being diagnosed with sickle cell disease when she was eight years old, teen entrepreneur, Eleora Ogundare, created a line of products through Eleora Beauty to help other Black girls and women maintain their hair.

According to CBC News, undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments for the red blood cell disorder caused Ogundare to experience hair loss. Uncertain of other kids’ reactions at her school, who had nice, long hair, Ogundare and her mother decided to make a quick change and cut her hair off.

“I felt, like, naked almost because, the thing that was like giving me confidence, I didn’t have it anymore. I had to cut it all off.”

“The struggle for them is identity, you know, trying to understand why their hair is not as silky as the next person in her class,” said Ogundare’s mother Eugenia, who helps her daughter run the business. “But then having to lose that hair was a whole different ball game altogether.”

Ogundare and her mother invested time in testing a variety of oils, butters, and creams, before they tried out their own formula, the product they used to launch their line for Black hair.

“One of the problems Black women actually face would be the edges, so that’s the first thing we get, that, ‘Oh, it actually works for my edges’,” Ogundare’s mother said.

According to her mother, the products have accumulated lots of positive feedback, with some mothers saying their daughter’s hair became more manageable after using their formulas.

 

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A post shared by Eleora Beauty Inc,Products (@eleorabeautyinc)

Salon owner Adedoyin Omotara, sells Eleora Beauty products through her company and the Adoniaa Collective at at Westbrook Mall.

Omotara said she understands the pressure Black kids are under as they become more conscious of their environments.

“Especially for younger people, they need to understand that there are products that can actually work for our hair so that they don’t start to put toxic product in their hair, just to want to look like another Sharon on the street or another Anita on the street,” Omotara said.

Ogundare recently cut her hair again and strives to be an example for Black girls to love their hair no matter its length.

It appears that Samuel L. Jackson may be in the doghouse for a little while after news outlets reported that the actor and his wife of 42 years, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, had a public argument while attending a gala where they were being honored. 

According to Page Six, the incident occurred on January 9 during the Theatre Communications Group gala at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. Sources told the publication that the argument between the Pulp Fiction star and Richardson Jackson was so bad that he left the event before receiving the award. 

Although it is unclear what the disagreement was about, the event organizer did inform Page Six that Jackson’s early departure was already planned and didn’t stem from the tiff with his wife.  

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A post shared by Samuel L Jackson (@samuelljackson)

Despite the limited information, one insider provided details about the power couple’s demeanor when they first arrived at the event, saying, “They apparently were in a fight when they arrived. They posed for pictures together, and then the fight [went on].”

A second source disclosed that the tension between Richardson Jackson and Jackson only got worse as they entered the Edison Ballroom’s press room. So much so, that the actor had an annoyed look following the heated discussion. Further into the night, Vanessa Williams presented Richardson Jackson with the award for her and Jackson’s contributions to the theater community.

During her acceptance speech, the 73-year-old explained to the audience members that her husband left the ceremony early because of COVID-19 concerns. Richardson Jackson is currently directing the Broadway play The Piano Lesson, which also stars Jackson.

A spokesman explained, “As the top-billed star of ‘The Piano Lesson,’ Mr. Jackson is extraordinarily cautious about the risk putting the production in jeopardy by exposing himself to COVID-19. Ms. Jackson accepted on behalf of both she and her husband simply to minimize his risk of exposure. Mr. Jackson had only ever planned on doing photos and then leaving, as everyone involved with planning the event knew in advance.”

Jackson and his wife have yet to publicly address the situation.

• Legal

by Sharelle B. McNair

January 11, 2023

Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action Organization Loses Election Lawsuit

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Stacey Abrams is looking at the “big payback” for her 2018 election lawsuit, alleging Georgia laws violated voting rights.

A judge ordered Abrams’ Fair Fight Action organization to reimburse the costs of defending the state in a lawsuit that challenged Georgia’s election laws, according to Fox 5.

On the organization’s website, the lawsuit claims there was an attempt to “hold Georgia accountable for an elections system that violates various rights of Georgia voters under federal law.”

Filed against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperg, he came out victorious as U.S. District Judge Steve Jones ruled against FFA.

Fair Fight Action and others involved were ordered to repay the state over $231,000 in legal fees. Broken down, $192,628.85 of that is for case-related printed documents and the other $38,674.86 is for making copies to use in the case.

Attorney fees are the only thing that don’t need to be paid back.

Raffensperger made a statement saying he feels the payback should be in the millions.

“This is a win for taxpayers and voters who knew all along that Abrams’ voter suppression claims were false,” Raffensperger said.

Judge Jones also dismissed all allegations of the state’s voting laws being illegal or discriminatory. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the challenge from the plaintiffs, claiming Georgia used an “exact match” voter registration policy, absentee ballot cancellation practices, and registration inaccuracies that brought up issues in both the 2018 and 2020 elections.

Jones also found Georgia’s election system didn’t violate any of the Voting Rights Act or the U.S. Constitution.

The four-year battle may be a loss for Abrams and her camp, but the former Democratic gubernatorial candidate doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

While appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show this week, Abrams alluded to the fact that another run may happen again, but she’s not exactly sure when. “I will likely run again,” Abrams said.

One thing Ciara will always do is be ten toes down for her man Russell Wilson — no matter the situation. 

The “Level Up” singer proved this once again by showing love to Wilson as his “rollercoaster” season with the Denver Broncos ended. The quarterback was traded to the team last March after playing with Seattle Seahawks for over a decade. 

During the 2022 -2023 season, Wilson and the Broncos went 5-12. One of the Broncos’ wins occurred on January 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers, with a score of 31-28. 

While being interviewed by ESPN, the Super Bowl winner reflected on the rough season, disclosing that he “fell short” of his expectations. Wilson said, “You’re trying to find that magic. I know that I feel like I fell short of my own standards and my own level of expectations. I just want to recapture that.”

 

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Days after Wilson’s and the Broncos’ final game, Ciara took to Instagram to praise her husband for all he had accomplished during his first season with the team, despite not qualifying for the 2023 Super Bowl.

On January 10, while uploading a compilation video of Russell and their family’s journey with the Broncos, the “Goodies” vocalist wrote as she described him as a winner for enduring the negative remarks from the media, and never wavering in his faith.

“I don’t know exactly where to start with what I want to say, as this season has been a roller coaster ride like no other… I’ve watched you endure so much and keep your head up high through it all! Your faith, belief, and confidence never wavered!”

Ciara continued, “I heard a lot of things people said you’re not, but what I do know is a Winner is someone that gets back up when they’re knocked down, someone who doesn’t stop believing…Someone who can’t be influenced by the words or opinions of others. Someone who loves loving others, serving others, and is always there for his family. All of that you are! You’re always Winning!”

The mother of three wrapped up the caption by saying how “proud” she is of Wilson and that she is grateful to be a part of a “beautiful journey” with him, despite it not turning out the way he planned. Ciara and Wilson, who have been together since 2015, married in 2016 and have a blended family of three children. It includes the singer’s son Future Wilburn, Sienna Wilson, and Win Wilson.

Comedian Eddie Murphy has been known to shock audiences throughout his career, and he definitely did it again last night at the 80th annual Golden Globes.

The legendary entertainer was honored last night by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that is responsible for the Golden Globe Awards. The six-time nominee and Golden Globe winner was the recipient of this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award.

During the Brooklyn native’s acceptance speech, he stated there were three rules that he has followed his whole career that have led him to this point.

“I’ve been in show business for 46 years, and I’ve been in the movie business for 41 years, so this has been a long time in the making and greatly appreciated,” Murphy said as he was ending his speech.

“I want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind.” he continued.

“There’s a blueprint, and I followed it my whole career. It’s very simple, it’s three things. You just do these three things: Pay your taxes. Mind your business… And keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out of your f-**king mouth!”

As the audience started laughing, Murphy calmly left the podium, wearing his famous smile.

Eddie Murphy shares three pieces of advice for up-and-comers in the industry:

1) Pay your taxes.
2) Mind your business.
3) Keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f—ing mouth.https://t.co/YDe7QBg9R9 pic.twitter.com/1iH3iHGBiz

— Variety (@Variety) January 11, 2023

The last piece of advice was in reference to Smith’s statement he yelled at comedian Chris Rock last year at the Oscars ceremony in defense of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock had just made a joke referring to her being bald, as she suffers from alopecia.

After Rock said that he was looking forward to Jada’s latest role in G.I. Jane (A movie starring Demi Moore where she shaved her head for the role), Smith went onstage and struck the comedian in the face. When Smith returned to his seat, he shouted at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out your f-**ing mouth!”

Anthony Estreet, a professor and former chair of the Master of Social Work Program at Morgan State University and chief executive officer of a behavioral health company in Baltimore, will be the new chief executive officer of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) beginning February 6.

Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, succeeds former CEO Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW, who retired on December 31. Janlee Wong, MSW, who retired as executive director of the NASW California Chapter in 2020, will serve as interim CEO of NASW until Estreet takes the helm, according to a press release.

“We are delighted to have Anthony Estreet as our next CEO at NASW after doing an extensive search,” said NASW President Mildred “Mit” Joyner, DPS, MSW, LCSW. “He has a wealth of experience in managing successful mental health services companies and is a respected thought leader in the social work profession. We are confident he will build on the successes of Angelo McClain and lead NASW’s accomplished staff to take our association to greater heights.”

Estreet earned a bachelor’s in science in psychology from Bowie State University, a MSW in social work at Virginia Commonwealth University, a doctorate in social work at Morgan State University, and a MBA at the University Maryland-College Park. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest intercollegiate African American fraternity.

He has been a professor and chair of the Master of Social Work Program at Morgan State University since 2013. Estreet is also founder and chief executive officer of Next Step Treatment Center in Baltimore, which provides substance use treatment and mental health services. He was vice president of the NASW Board of Directors but stepped down from that role after being considered a candidate in the search process. Estreet also served as president of the NASW Maryland Chapter and is an active member of the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Black Social Workers.

While at Morgan, Estreet was awarded more than $6 million in extramural grant funding for social work workforce development, research, and training. He also led the development and expansion of the first MSW program in the United States, and at a historically Black college or university, to have an area of specialized practice focused on addressing substance use disorders.

During his career, Estreet has also been tapped to turn around and expand an underperforming clinical program and speed up public health action to address HIV health disparities among men in Baltimore and Jackson, MS. Estreet has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, is a prolific national conference presenter and keynote speaker, and has two published books.

In his new role as CEO of NASW, Estreet says he plans among other things to increase membership, especially among student members; keep the association focused on addressing social justice issues, including racial equity and reproductive rights; and work to strengthen the social work workforce by expanding efforts to increase compensation for social workers.

“I am honored and humbled to be the next CEO of NASW,” Estreet said. “I have been a member of this great organization since 2007. As a former member of the NASW Board I know NASW is committed to supporting social workers and the communities they serve. This organization has done phenomenal work especially in the past three years, including supporting social workers in the delivery of mental health services during the pandemic and addressing systemic racism. However, we have much more work to do, and I stand ready to work collaboratively to support our great profession.”

Republican Byron Donalds (R-FL) was doing his failed House Speaker PR tour and got the right one on MSNBC’s The ReidOut.

Host Joy Reid was polite and cordial with Donalds, getting right to the point. Reid started the conversation by discussing the news, reported by ABC News, of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s attempt to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Eric Stallwell and Adam Schiff (D-CA) from certain committees.

Donalds immediately attacked Omar, claiming she spoke negatively about people of the Jewish community. “Ilhan Omar has said things that are reprehensible,” Donalds said.

https://twitter.com/KevinTober94/status/1612968790010073088

When Reid asked him to dive deeper into said things, he was unable to answer.

Things went left from there as the veteran anchor confronted the 44-year-old politician on his House Speaker nomination.

After just one term in Congress, Donalds was nominated last week by three fellow Republican congressmen. After boasting of his colleagues’ belief in his leadership, Reid questioned if he even understood the assignment.

After answering to the best of his abilities, the show’s host asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“Do you not believe that the idea was to make a diversity statement by nominating you?”

She brought up the fact that some political colleagues were critical of his nomination, making it look like the Republican Party was using him as a “token” in response to Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Donalds attempted to shut the narrative down, claiming that was never the idea and he knew the nomination was coming.

“The reality is that a lot of members actually do believe in my ability to lead,” Donalds said. “I was working with members on both sides of our conference to make sure that we can get the job done, and we did. That’s the only thing that matters.”

BOOM: Joy Reid explodes and just shouts "not true" over and over when Byron Donalds explains that Social Security is on a path to insolvency in 2035: "Joy, I'm a financial profession. I do more than just Congress…I'm telling you. [It] will go insolvent." pic.twitter.com/DnqrGdEP5N

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 11, 2023

Throughout the interview, the rookie politician dished out untruths on several topics.

He claimed social security will be null and void by 2035. As Reid shouted out “not true” several times, looking for facts, Donalds threw up the assertion that he is not only a politician but a finance professional, although his license for trade is invalid now that he’s a member of Congress.

Before running out of time, Reid decided to run through the list of his controversial voting records.

She confronted his co-sponsorship of two pieces of legislation opposing critical race theory.

“What is critical race theory in your view?” Reid asked.

Donalds’ said his issue is teaching the “controversial” subject matter at the grade school level.

“You are not able to have a detailed conversation of critical race theory at the graduate level.”

Reid countered that statement, asking if he believes students shouldn’t be taught about the racial history of this country.

The battle was cut short as producers gave the wrap-up signal. However, Reid got the last word with actual facts.

“Learning about racial history would actually be good for you.”

Watch the full interview below.

After celebrating the birth of his twelfth child, Nick Cannon may find his family time stretched thin, especially with his busy career.

This may be the reason his ex-wife, Mariah Carey, is seeking primary custody of Cannon’s first two children.

According to Radar Online, the R&B diva wants to have primary custody of the twins, Moroccan and Monroe, that she shares with the Wild ‘n Out creator. The additional children that Cannon has fathered over the past several years are allegedly factoring into Carey’s decision to seek a different arrangement.

“Mariah Carey is eager to gain ‘primary custody’ of her twins shared with ex Nick Cannon, according to insiders close to the songstress.”

Mariah Carey is eager to gain ‘primary custody’ of her twins shared with ex Nick Cannon, according to insiders close to the songstress. Get exclusive details. https://t.co/h3IZdVbPzr

— Radar Online (@radar_online) January 10, 2023

A source close to the Vision of Love songbird stated that the two have had an amicable joint custody agreement since they divorced in 2014. Carey has decided, going forward, that she is going to petition for primary custody of the children.

“The reality of the situation is that Monroe and Moroccan are usually with Mariah anyway. Nick doesn’t see much of them,” the source revealed, but also said Cannon is a doting father and makes efforts to see Moroccan and Monroe as much as possible.

The source also revealed that Carey isn’t trying to punish the entertainer, “But she wants to put him on notice that he can’t just flit in and out of their lives while he attends to his other children. And she wants legal standing as the twins’ primary caregiver.”

This latest action comes weeks after several sources indicated that Carey made the request to the All That alum that he “carve out” more time to spend with their two children.

A former NFL player who was found dead last summer in a hotel room in Raleigh, North Carolina, died by suicide according to a medical examiner’s report.

According to USA Today, former NFL wide receiver Charles Johnson died by suicide after seemingly overdosing on drugs based on a report by the medical examiner’s office. His death occurred on July 17. He was 50 years old. His wife reported him missing the day before he was discovered at a hotel room located approximately 6.5 miles from his residence.

The 50-year-old reportedly had no known medical issues and wasn’t taking any medication. The report stated that he was found to have “acute oxycodone, hydrocodone and mirtazapine toxicity” after his death.

The findings, which were obtained by USA Today Sports, said, “In the previous week, he had been acting strange and had recently purchased a funeral and cremation service.”

Officials from Raleigh stated that police officers went to the local Hampton Inn after receiving a call for a welfare check when Johnson did not check out when he was scheduled to. Included in the medical examiner’s report was the discovery of Johnson being unresponsive in the room lying on the bed.

He paid for the room on July 15, then went back home and left his residence without some of his essential items. The report said that he left his wallet, cell phone, keys and his car at his home.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The only personal items in the hotel room appeared to be two empty bottles of water, an empty travel (sized) bottle of body lotion, an empty travel container, a pair of sandals and a pair of eyeglasses,” was written in the report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh.

“A query of the North Carolina Prescription Monitoring Service showed no active prescriptions. An old (2018) short-term hydrocodone prescription was documented.”

The former football player attended and played collegiate football at the University of Colorado Boulder. In 1984, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the NFL draft. During his NFL career, he also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots, and the Buffalo Bills.

The young boy who appeared as a meme after being recorded at Popeyes many years ago has grown up to become a collegiate football player.

According to TMZ, Collin is now an offensive lineman at Lake Erie College. He is a freshman and has made a name for himself with his athletic prowess. Now, he’s looking to strike a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with the Louisiana-based chicken franchise.

Collin grew into a 6’1″, 330-pound football player and won a state championship with East Orange Campus High School in New Jersey almost two years ago in 2021.

The college athlete is getting help from one Twitter user who feels he deserves a deal with the notoriety he gained from the viral clip.

In a recent social media post, Collin tagged Popeyes and asked his followers to do the same in hopes of getting the franchise to sign him to a deal after being associated with them for almost a decade since the video went viral.

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Sports Illustrated reported Collin is going into his sophomore season with Lake Erie College. Before attending the college, Collin was bestowed with the following honors while attending East Orange Campus High School: first-team All-Conference, County, and Division honors, and Second Team All-State during his senior season. According to Lake Erie College, the athlete majors in sports management with a minor in comedian studies. Collin hopes to pursue a career as a sports analyst.