Last month, Kel Mitchell made headlines for the wrong reasons after his estranged daughter, Allure Mitchell, called him out for being an absent parent and abandoning the 21-year-old and her brother in a now-private TikTok video. 

The actor shares Allure and 23-year-old Lyric Mitchell with his ex-wife, Tyisha Hampton. Kel and Tyisha were married from 1999 to 2005.

According to Page Six, Allure accused Kel of not being there for her emotionally when she was growing up and only providing finances on what she claims looked “good on paper.” The list includes Allure’s car and university housing. 

@giafromthe90s #stitch with @alluremariah ♬ original sound – Gia Day

Allure claimed Kel wasn’t physically in her life from age 5 to 15. Since reconnecting, Allure shares that instead of her father mending their strained relationship, he’s too busy focusing on his career.  

Although Kel has not publicly addressed all of Allure’s claims, on January 5, The Shade Room exclusively shared court documents dating back to 2012 of the All That alumnus’ attempts to repair his relationship with his children to provide insight into his absence. 

The legal documents claimed that Kel went to “reunification therapy” in 2012 with his ex-wife, their two children, and a therapist named Susan Ralston. This visit was reportedly the first time Kel was able to see Allure and Lyrics after six years, even though he tried to get visitation immediately following his 2005 divorce from Tyisha.

In June 2015, things appeared to have worked out in Kel’s favor after he was granted visitation rights. He shared that he was happy to have Allure and Lyric back in his life. Although it is unclear what has transpired between Kel and his children the years after he gained visitation.

Kel is currently battling in court with Tyisha because she is asking for $1.2 million in back child and spousal support.

This Black writer has impacted the Black creative life at one of the oldest higher education institutions in the United States.

Toni Morrison, one of Princeton University’s most famous professors and author of Black experience novels, will be highlighted in a series of events and exhibitions scheduled at the institution next month.

According to the Princeton University Library, the community-wide series, Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory, will explore the late writer’s creative process and influences on the past, present, and future.

“It is difficult to overstate the importance of Toni Morrison’s writing to American literature, art, and life. This exhibition draws us toward the unexplored corners of her writing process and unknown aspects of her creative investments that only live in this archive,” said Autumn Womack, assistant professor of English and African American Studies.

In 2014, the university acquired 200 linear feet of research materials, manuscript drafts, correspondence, photographs, and other ephemera that were combined into the Toni Morrison Papers archive.

“In imagining this initiative—from exhibition to symposium to partner projects—I wanted to show the importance of the archive to understanding Morrison’s work and practice. But I also wanted to show how this archive, in particular, is a site that opens up new lines of inquiry and inspires new kinds of collaboration,” said Womack.

The exhibition will include around 100 original archival items to be organized into six categories: “Beginnings,” “Writing Time,” “Thereness-ness,” “Wonderings and Wanderings,” “Genealogies of Black Feminism,” and “Speculative Futures.”

“This is an unprecedented opportunity to explore the legacy of Toni Morrison’s work and the remarkable impression she left on Princeton University,” said Anne Jarvis, the Robert H. Taylor 1930 University Librarian.

You can see the creative process of Toni Morrison come to life in our newest exhibit, “Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory,” which opens February 22. Curated in part by @amariewomack:https://t.co/SXBAJUlz7q

— Princeton University Library (@PULibrary) December 30, 2022

Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory opens at PUL’s Milberg Gallery on Feb. 22, 2023, through June 4, 2023.

The series of programs will include an art exhibition at the Princeton University Art Museum’s Art@Bainbridge featuring Saar, performances responding to Morrison’s work presented by McCarter Theatre, and Princeton University Concerts, a landmark three-day symposium combining over 30 writers and artists to reflect on Morrison’s relationship to the archive, public tours of Sites of Memory, children’s programming, a spring lecture series, and undergraduate courses on Morrison’s work.

In addition to the exhibit, the Princeton University Art Museum will present writings and other notes from Morrison’s archive through “Cycle of Creativity: Alison Saar and the Toni Morrison Papers.” Morrison’s writings will be presented with sculptures, prints, and textiles by Saar, a featured artist in the exhibit. The combination of both creators’ works will reflect themes of musicality, labor, and ancestry.

As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, the Nobel Prize Laureate died in 2019. Morrison was the first Black woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature.

Morrison taught at the university for 17 years, from 1989 to 2006.

The director, who spent six years crafting a documentary on the international pop star Rihanna, confirms the film is “done” and is just waiting for Rih’s final approval.

Peter Berg — director of Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor, Hancock, and many more — says he’s put the finishing touches on Rihanna’s documentary and is just “waiting for her to approve it.”

“It’s done and sold, and Amazon’s ready,” Berg told The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the director, the only thing holding them back is how much of a “perfectionist” Rihanna is.

“She’s a perfectionist, so we keep adding,” Berg said. “It’s been six and a half years of filming, so, yeah, it’s ready to come out.”

At the rate they’re going, Berg says the waiting period could be prolonged a few more years if Rihanna decides to add more footage.

“We’re just waiting on her to say, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ I don’t know. Maybe it’ll be a 10-year project,” he said.

Despite the setbacks, Berg is confident Rihanna will greenlight the final project. When asked if he’s concerned the Bajan billionaire will change her mind about releasing the documentary, Berg said, “Not really.”

The documentary was first announced in 2016, Billboard reports. By 2019, it was revealed the rights to the doc had been sold to Amazon for $25 million.

Over 1,200 hours of footage were narrowed down for the documentary as of 2019. Once complete, the film will give fans a never-before-seen inside look into the life and career of Rihanna.

“When Rihanna asked me to make a doc, I thought she was joking. My work tends to be a bit more masculine, at least on the surface,” Berg said. “But this has allowed me to dip in and out of her life while I’m doing other things.”

A lot has changed since Rihanna started the documentary, including welcoming her first child last year. Berg, who first met the singer while working on the film Battleship, has enjoyed watching the growth of the singer/entrepreneur over the years.

“I’ve loved it — watching her in the studio, seeing her turn Fenty into this billion-dollar entity and, now, being a mom,” he said. “It’s such an enriching experience, I don’t really care how long it takes.”

Actor Winston Duke took to Twitter to blast one media outlet that seemingly tried to twist a joke he made about his Black Panther co-star Angela Bassett.

Duke appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday, where he joked about all the times the Black Panther cast gave Bassett standing ovations while filming the Marvel sequel.

“On set, you have moments where, that scene where Angela Bassett is like, ‘Have I not given everything?’ Everyone stopped on set and gave her a round of applause,” Duke said.

“Like, she had a standing ovation on set after the scene,” he continued. “You know, it got a little old after three times.”

However, Duke was taken aback when he realized Insider.com made a story out of his comments and made it seem like he shaded Bassett instead of praising her. As a result, Duke sent out a tweet calling out the “disappointing” journalism.

“Ugh! So disappointing when journalists/media misrepresent a statement in the hopes of what, generating a rift?” Duke tweeted. “If you watch the full clip, I gave only praises to @ImAngelaBassett who is an idol & icon to me & the entire cast!

“Shameful @thisisinsider! Why?” he added.

Ugh! So disappointing when journalists/media misrepresent a statement in the hopes of what, generating a rift? If you watch the full clip, I gave only praises to @ImAngelaBassett who is an idol & icon to me & the entire cast!

Shameful @thisisinsider! Why?https://t.co/AGNSStejad

— Winston Duke (@Winston_Duke) January 5, 2023

Duke followed up in a second tweet expressing his admiration and respect for Bassett, who he tagged to the message.

“@ImAngelaBassett has been an exemplar in every aspect & an incredibly generous mentor to each of us! What she has shared with me is invaluable,” he wrote. “We view her with reverence & literally pinch ourselves that we get to work with her; thereby becoming living witnesses to her talent!”

As a result, Insider updated the article and included a “correction” noting the mistake in their initial reporting of Duke’s GMA interview.

“An earlier version of the story included a browser headline that did not reflect that Duke was joking,” the outlet shared beneath the article.

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

January 6, 2023

Reporting While Black: Wall Street Journal Reporter Arrested While Conducting Interviews

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Wall Street Journal finance reporter Dion Rabouin was arrested and detained in November while on assignment in Phoenix, Arizona. The Phoenix Police Department claim Rabouin was trespassing.

According to reports, the journalist, who is African-American, was interviewing people for a story about savings accounts outside of a Chase Bank branch in north Phoenix. Two employees came out, asked him what he was doing and went back inside. Shortly after, police officer Caleb Zimmerman drove up.

Zimmerman approached Rabouin and told him he was trespassing. He told ABC15 that he identified himself as a WSJ reporter and he was working on a story, adding that employees in the branch knew what was going on. Zimmerman’s report claims that Rabouin never identified himself and refused to leave.

According to ABC15, the police department released an incident report but has not yet provided any video footage.

Luckily, bystander Katelyn Parady decided to film the incident, with the video’s first comments disputing the officer’s claims. Things started to get a little physical as the reporter attempted to leave, claiming Zimmerman didn’t want to look at his credentials and grabbed him by the arm.

“This could get bad for you if you don’t comply and don’t do what I say,” Zimmerman said, according to NBC News, while placing Rabouin in handcuffs.

NBC News reported that the paper’s editor-in-chief Matt Murray wrote a letter in December to the Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan with concerns. “No journalist should ever be detained simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.”

According to the letter, Rabouin filed an internal complaint. A few weeks later, he received a call from a police official saying that the department had reviewed the incident and found no wrongdoing.

Rabouin said he has basically let it go. “Journalists don’t want to be the story,” he explained. “We want to report the story.”

Actress Jackée Harry is keeping it real about how mean she was to a young Kenya Barris back in the ’80s and how it might’ve cost her a gig or two today.

Harry and Sheryl Lee Ralph sat down for a digital feature on Essence where they spoke openly about the ups and downs of decades in show business. During the deep dive, Lee Ralph brought up the importance of being nice to everyone you work with, no matter how small their role because you never know where or who they’ll be in the future.

“How many times has the young person that has brought me coffee ends up being the producer in the next five-to-10 years. Oh, I’ve seen that,” Lee Ralph said.

“You gotta tamp that ego down and really have someone good to talk you off the cliff,” she added.

Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jackeé Harry on learning to keep their egos in check. “You know who used to bring me my scripts from 227? Kenya Barris. I wasn’t nice to him. See, look at me now.” pic.twitter.com/22Vc9wLpV5

— Brande Victorian (@Be_Vic) January 4, 2023

That’s when Harry opened up and revealed how she mistreated Kenya Barris when he worked as a script runner on 227, the 1985-90 sitcom that turned Harry into a star..

“Well, I wasn’t talked off the cliff. You know who used to bring me my scripts for 227 to my door and deliver them? Kenya Barris,” Harry said.

Harry admitted that she “wasn’t nice to him”—and the Black-ish creator reminded her of this when they crossed paths years later.

“I wasn’t nice to him. You see, look at me now. I ain’t lyin’—and he reminded me of it!” she quipped.

Harry jokingly brushed off her bad behavior by saying, “It was the ’80s, baby!”

Once the clip made its rounds on Twitter, many noted the importance of treating everyone with respect.

“Lol Sheryl was disappointed. I never understood people in power being rude and or mean. It’s just a reflection of who you really are,” one user wrote.

“The way you treat people who can do nothing for you says a lot about your character,” added someone else.

But there were others who made light of Harry’s reveal by using it to cast shade on Barris and the criticisms that surround his productions.

“Jackeé Harry being mean to Kenya was his 13th reason for the content he makes now,” one user wrote.

“She was right to treat him… lemme stop,” added someone else.

Another Twitter user summed it all up by saying, “Jackee said she was mean to Kenya Barris and y’all said she wasn’t mean enough.”

Jackee said she was mean to Kenya Barris and y’all said she wasn’t mean enough pic.twitter.com/ozRANaodvv

— Salem’s Thot (@_Cordelra_) January 6, 2023

Jackeé Harry is still being applauded for owning up to her past mistakes.

The courtrooms are full of hip-hop’s elite these days. Next up is T.I. and Tiny.

The couple is preparing to go to trial in the intellectual property suit versus toymaker MGA Entertainment on behalf of the former girl rap group OMG Girlz. The lawsuit claims the toy company ripped off the likeness of the girl group for their L.O.L Surprise dolls after accusations made by T.I.’s stepdaughter, Zonnique Pullins, in April 2022.

Zonnique made an Instagram post in April, polling her followers and asking if the dolls resembled her likeness. Most of those who commented sided with Pullins.

The suit reportedly weighs heavily on “cultural misappropriation and racism issues being considered in litigation, among other pre-trial issues,” The Shade Room reports.

 

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A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

The OMG Girlz group rose to fame in 2011 after being signed to Tameka “Tiny” Cottle Harris’ Pretty Hustle record label in 2009. Their colorful hair and eccentric clothing choices made them a popular act among young teen girls, with their looks constantly being recreated.

The same looks can also be seen, almost identically, on the L.O.L. O.M.G Dolls seasons 1-3 and dance dance dance collections. MGA Entertainment’s dance dance dance L.O.L Surprise doll collection also featured a main character called “Major Lady,” with physical looks similar to Harris. While several dolls are in the collection, the trial will only have 31 dolls featured. A lawyer for the toy giant says there will be mini-trials so each doll can be explored fully.

This isn’t the first time MGA Entertainment has been accused of copying the likeness of Black women. Influencer Amina Mucciolo accused the company of copying her image back in June 2020. In response, the company’s CEO, Isaac Larian, referred to Mucciolo as a “disgrace to Black people and the BLM cause.”

Regardless of the trial and backlash, the dolls have been a hit since their release in 2016.

Fisk University, the first historically Black institution to form a gymnastics team, is entering its inaugural season, and the team expects nothing less than to compete against the best.

According to College Gym News, Corrinne Tarver is entering the season with her team as a first-time head coach.

“It’s pretty humbling and exciting,” she said of her position. “It’s something that’s never been done, so I love the fact that we can make it into what we want it to be but that we’re also going to be a blueprint for others to follow.”

Fisk Gymnastics first intrasquad of the season pic.twitter.com/7PfdRpJJQz

— Fisk U. Athletics (@fiskathletics) December 14, 2022

As Tarver sets the schedule for the upcoming season, her strategy is to expose her gymnasts to a balance of high-ranked and middle-ranked competitors.

“I want to give them the best opportunities to get the best scores, and we all know that when you compete against the big dogs, the scores are better,” Tarver said. “But I also didn’t want it to be too many of those. I wanted to have a nice mix of your high ranked ones and then ones that are more in the middle so that it wouldn’t be overwhelming every single weekend.”

“​​We’ve been doing routines, but they still have that safety net of either going into the pit or resi or getting a spot,” Tarver said in regards to how she has been preparing her team during the preseason.

According to Tarver, most of the girls on the Fisk team have never competed, so she is working to prepare them for the nonstop effort of the upcoming season.

“It’s exciting, but it’s a lot of pressure,” Tarver said. “I’m starting to see the nerves and the jitters and the stress right now.”

Tarver wants her girls to feel confident about their skills since many of the gymnasts were overlooked for recruitment for not being all-around gymnasts.

“Even though we’re small, even though we’re an HBCU, a lot of the stereotypes go along with that, that we can make an impact,” said Tarver. “We can, as a team, be competitive.”

This video that Zyia Coleman posted of the first ever gymnastics practice at a #HBCU has gotten over 700k views on #TikTok! pic.twitter.com/9nLiqulqyc

— Fisk University Gymnastics (@FiskUGymnastics) August 13, 2022

As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Fisk launched its inaugural gymnastics team last February.

• Food

by Diamond Jeune

January 6, 2023

Viral Chipotle TikTok Trend Causes Chaos for Restaurant Workers

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TikTok‘s latest viral trend about a modified Chipotle quesadilla recipe has caused chaos for restaurant employees. Long lines and how meals are prepared are on the list of issues.

This event began late last month after a social media user named Alexis Frost, who lives in San Jose California, uploaded a video on her TikTok page about a quesadilla order one Chipotle employee put her onto. Frost shared in the Dec. 20 clip that the individual told her to get a steak quesadilla with extra cheese and fajita veggies.

Before taking a bite, Frost claimed that the worker told her it could easily substitute a Philly cheesesteak. As the social media user began to dig in, Frost instantly gave her approval by telling her followers that the meal hack was “Definitely a 10.”

https://www.tiktok.com/@keith_lee125/video/7179813993278737707?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1

The post initially went viral after another TikTok user Keith Lee reviewed it the next day. In Lee’s video, the social media user said though he followed the recipe the way Frost had explained it, the one thing he felt was missing to complete the meal was vinaigrette.

When Lee tried the quesadilla, he forgot he was recording a review a couple of times while appearing mesmerized by the flavorful taste. The post has since generated 3.6 million views and received over 540,000 likes.

Following Lee’s video, other social media users have shared numerous clips of themselves trying the quesadilla, attempting to get in on the action. Many of these recordings can be found using the #quesadillahack and #chipotlehacks hashtags. This trend has become so popular that certain Chiptole restaurants had to deny orders of that quesadilla because of the massive wave of customers. 

On December 30, a Chipotle employee ranted on Reddit about the meal and how they received an email from their Field Leader that they would be fired if caught serving the quesadilla. The termination stemmed from various food safety violations the employees would commit while making the meal.

When this story and TikTok were reported on Today’s website, Chipotle released a statement saying that although the company is happy about the sudden interest in the specialized quesadillas, they claimed this meal is only supposed to be ordered online. The reason is its preparation time and helping the employees “avoid overcrowding” in the establishment.

The Chipotle statement ended with the company saying that although they it have that particular quesadilla order on their menu, it is exploring the idea of adding it in the future.

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 6, 2023

‘Black Panther’ Actor Winston Duke Says He’s ‘Face of Plus-Size Modeling Movement’

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Actor Winston Duke shares that he’s become “the face” of the plus-size modeling community following his modeling debut in Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Vol 4 show.

The Black Panther star appeared on Live with Kelly and Ryan Wednesday, where he spoke about his guest appearance in Rihanna fashion show and the new fan club he generated, People reported. When Ripa asked if Duke has received any other modeling offers, he shared his new revelation.

“No, but I’ve now been crowned the face of the plus-sized modeling movement,” he said.

Duke, 36, went on to share his pride in being a part of the plus-size modeling community.

“I had no idea, apparently I’m plus-sized,” he continued. “So I’ve been running around telling people to watch how they talk to me because I’m the ambassador for plus-size modeling now. Unofficial ambassador.”

The Us star recalled his surprise with the responses he received for his cover of Esquire magazine. The feedback further confirmed the public’s view of Duke being a member of the plus-size community.

“There were all the tweets saying, ‘We’re so glad’—I was like, the cover for Esquire magazine recently—and they’re like, ‘It’s so good to see a plus-sized man be dressed really well,'” Duke said. “And I’m like, ‘I’m plus-sized?'”

While laughing, Duke shared his enjoyment of being a part of the plus-size club.

“So I’ve just been going with it. I’m a plus-sized guy. I’ll take it!” he said.

Duke appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and shared a funny story of his recent horseback riding experience in Mexico where the “horse has no respect for the thick thigh nation.”

“This horse had no idea that I was the face of the plus-size movement,” Duke jokingly said.

https://twitter.com/FallonTonight/status/1611044479439441921

After throwing tantrums, making noises, and even refusing to move, Duke says the horse “finally sees home” and ra