• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion

by Stacy Jackson

December 29, 2022

Philadelphia Program Celebrates 15 Graduate Real Estate Developers of Color

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These Black professionals are on a mission to diversify the real estate industry.

Over a dozen BIPOC men and women real estate developers from across 12 companies celebrated the completion of the first phase of the Black Squirrel collective’s Philly RiSE program training.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Black Squirrel, a group of Black business leaders, created the initiative to train self-taught developers of color in Philadelphia.

With a focus on developers who already had experience in the industry through renovation or building, the collective structured the program as a support base for development projects.

Participants “are experienced developers, but they’re missing a couple of things,” said partner Jim Burnett, executive director of the Philadelphia-based community development financial institution VestedIn.

“They don’t have the networks that some white developers might have. They don’t have the capital. They haven’t been exposed to the process of getting properties out of the city’s inventory. …We wanted to design something that would provide those things,” he added.

“Trust me, they’re gonna make a difference in this city,” Kevin Williams, business development consultant and CEO of Black Squirrel, said at a party for the graduates.

Focal points have been placed on each participant producing up to 50 new residential housing units in the city, with over half offered under market rate. Additionally, each of the 12 companies, led by 10 Black developers, two Asian leads, and three run by women, will be required to put forth $75,000 that will be added to additional funding through program connections.

The Black Squirrel collective’s leadership team includes Burnett, Williams, business and investment adviser Thomas Webster, and West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative President Jabari Jones.

The initiative seeks to add more developers for a new cohort planned for next fall, with help from Maleda Berhane, CEO and co-founder of the development company AR Spruce.

The group’s mission is to run Philly RiSE for at least four more years.

As T.J. Holmes awaits his fate at Good Morning America, he has taken a step toward another separation.

According to The New York Post, the GMA3 host has officially filed for a divorce from his wife of almost 13 years. Holmes has filed the paperwork to end the marriage to his second wife, Marilee Fiebig. He is currently involved romantically with his GMA3 host Amy Robach.

The couple, who have been married since March 2010, also have a daughter, Sabine, who is turning 10 soon.

The news comes after Fiebig recently broke her silence about the affair that “blindsided” her. Reportedly the two had been separated for several months but were recently trying to “work things out” when Fiebig was blindsided with the affair that was revealed late last month.

“She’s devastated. She had no idea,” a source close to the immigration lawyer noted. They also stated they “were just together for T.J.’s birthday [on Aug. 19].”

Over the holiday weekend, Fiebig posted an Instagram Story referring to the after-effects of her husband’s affair. She mentioned that she is “exhausted.” This is reportedly the first time Fiebig publicly shared a statement since news of the affair broke.

Holmes and Robach, who hosted GMA3: What You Need To Know, are both suspended as an investigation into the alleged affairs occurs.

BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported that, according to The Daily Mail, Holmes and Robach were engaging in a romantic relationship. Although, on paper, both hosts are still married. The two recently separated from their respective spouses this past summer in August. Robach is almost officially divorced from Melrose Place actor Andrew Shue.

Once word leaked that Holmes was romantically involved with his co-host, according to Page Six, it was also revealed that Robach wasn’t the first woman on set who engaged romantically with Holmes. Producer Natasha Singh was named as a staffer who was involved with Holmes.

Page Six reported that Holmes and Singh were involved for three years, beginning in 2016. Holmes’ estranged wife discovered the two were an item in 2019 after finding several emails between the two.

• Leadership

by Derek Major

December 29, 2022

The Head Of The Chick-Fil-A Foundation Is Leaving To Start His Own Nonprofit

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Rodney Bullard, who has served as the head of the Chick-Fil-A Foundation for more than a decade is leaving the organization to start his own nonprofit.

Bullard told the Atlanta Business Chronicle that he is leaving his post as the foundation’s executive director and vice president of social responsibility to focus on “a passion of mine.”

“As I move forward, I am taking Chick-fil-A’s genuine ethos with me as I follow my calling to focus more keenly on building economic mobility for our communities,” Bullard, who helped build the Chick-fil-A Foundation into one of Atlanta’s largest company-sponsored charities, told the Chronicle.

Bullard added the new nonprofit will be designed in the spirit of the Beloved Benefit borne out of Chick-Fil-A that is supported by national companies including FedEx, Home Depot, and UPS. This year, the Beloved Benefit raised more than $6 million to foster greater economic mobility in Atlanta areas including Vine City and English Avenue.

Bullard sports an impressive résumé. The US Air Force Academy graduate and former NASA and DoJ employee is an alum of Harvard Business School, and Duke Law School. Additionally, Bullard is an author and said his nonprofit will bring additional support to Georgia’s communities.

“We want to focus on bringing people together in a fashion that allows us to focus on economic mobility,” Bullard said. “When we think about economic mobility, we think about education, we think about employment and we think about entrepreneurship. How can we further those areas, both programmatically and also philanthropically?”

Bullard told the Chronicle he will officially announce his new nonprofit organization next month during a  meeting of Beloved Benefit stakeholders at Mercedes Benz Stadium, home of the New Orleans Saints. According to the veteran, the new nonprofit could provide educational scholarships as well as partnerships that will connect entrepreneurs with their local municipalities.

There has been a verdict in the case of the attempted murder of Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz.

According to NBC News, 10 people have been convicted in the 2019 attempted murder of the Red Sox slugger. The attempt was made in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. It was alleged that Ortiz was the unintended target.

Each defendant was found guilty of attempted murder to conspiring and using illegal firearms, as well as associating with criminals, according to a statement released by the Dominican Republic’s Office of Attorney General earlier this week.

The convicted men who received the longest sentences were Eddy Vladimir Féliz García, 26, and Rolfi Ferreras Cruz, 27. They were both sentenced to 30 years in prison due to “their direct participation in the assassination attempt,” the attorney general’s office said. Ferreras Cruz was the alleged shooter who shot Ortiz from a motorcycle driven by Féliz García.

Another man convicted was Alberto Miguel Rodríguez Mota, 28, sentenced to 20 years. Rodríguez Mota is being labeled as “the person who paid those who carried out the act” against Ortiz.

The seven other men received sentences of less than 10 years.

Oliver Moisés Mirabal, 28, and Eduardo Ciprián Lebrón, 24, were both sentenced to a prison term of 10 years. Gabriel Alexander Pérez Vizcaíno, 31, was given nine years, and Joel Rodríguez de la Cruz, 28, has been sentenced to six years.

Three other men, Franklin Junior Merán, 26, Junior César La Hoz Vargas, 28, and Porfirio Ayendi Dechamps Vásquez, 29, each received a five-year sentence.

Three other people involved were acquitted due to insufficient evidence. The alleged mastermind, Víctor Hugo Gómez Vásquez, was one of the three escaping prison.

The attorney general’s office said the men who were convicted have also been ordered to pay 50 million pesos in compensation for damages caused.

BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported that Boston Red Sox baseball legend David Ortiz was shot in a Dominican nightclub. Dominican authorities stated that the intended victim in the shooting incident was meant to be Sixto David Fernandez. The target was sitting at the same table as Ortiz. Reports have said the shooters confused Fernandez with Ortiz, one of the most popular Dominican ballplayers ever.

The Los Angeles Rams website has started featuring Black-owned companies doing business at the training facility of the NFL team this season.

The latest one being spotlighted belongs to executive chef and owner Derrick Bivens, who operates the Billionaire Burger Boyz food truck and restaurant.

During the interview with TheRams.com, Bivens shared what led him to start the Billionaire Burger Boyz brand, which was allowed to sell some of its products at the training facility. It wasn’t the typical route that an entrepreneur may have taken as he describes it as being simple and actually a “beautiful accident” that sprouted the growth. His hunger was the starting point in the venture.

• Celebrity News

by Jasmine Jackson

December 29, 2022

‘I Just Hope He’s Okay’: Kanye West ‘Missing’ After Former Employee Alleges Rapper Owes Money

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Kanye West’s former manager, Thomas St. John, plans to serve the rapper who fell from grace a $4.5 million lawsuit, but Kanye is nowhere to be found.

The U.S. Sun retrieved a court filing from Dec. 19, 2022, that states St. John and his attorneys are requesting more time—until the end of March—to serve West and his company Yeezy L.L.C. The former manager’s efforts to contact the rapper have been unsuccessful because West was not reachable by mail, at home, or even at a law group listed as his contact.

Allegedly, the artist who BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported lost his billionaire status is being sued for unpaid retainer fees for an 18-month contract for St. John to work as his senior financial adviser. According to Daily Beast, the lawsuit alleges, “When confronted by the 18-month commitment that had just been made, Mr. West stated words to the effect of ‘The 18-month term was bulls**t’ and ‘You’re insane for even thinking I would stick to it.”

St. John’s failed attempts led some to question West’s whereabouts after @DailyLoud shared a tweet that the rapper was “missing” on Dec. 28.

Kanye West has reportedly been missing and unable to find for weeks according to his ex-business manager. pic.twitter.com/OkAfMiWr4I

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) December 28, 2022

One concerned user commented, “Kanye West has gone missing?! I just hope he’s okay and in a safe space.” While another said, the rapper is laying low.

Kanye got to much heat on him, he gotta lay low for a min pic.twitter.com/ZDcP0ScUIn

— Lambo (@Lambo_Whale) December 28, 2022

One user noted a sudden increase in concern for the rapper, “all of a sudden, everyone cares about him.”

https://twitter.com/d3estiiny/status/1608034863126298624

While Twitter users speculate about whether the 45-year-old father of four is actually “missing” or is laying low, his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, recently said that she tries to keep their children away from his antics in the public eye. She told Angie Martinez on the IRL Podcast, “If they don’t know things that are being said, why would I ever bring that energy to them? That is real, heavy, grownup s— that they are not ready to deal with.” West’s disappearance might be yet another antic that Kardashian will be keeping from their children, North, 9, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 3.

• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion

by Derek Major

December 29, 2022

Former Head Of D.C. National Guard Says If Black People Led Capitol Riot, More People Would’ve Died

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William J. Walker, the former head of the D.C National Guard during the Capitol Riot, told the January 6 Committee the law enforcement response would’ve been much different if the rioters were Black people.

“You know, as a law enforcement officer, there were—I saw enough to where I would have probably been using deadly force,” he said. “I think it would have been more bloodshed if the composition would have been different,” Walker told congressional investigators, in an interview transcript released Tuesday, according to NBC News.

Walker’s words echoed the thoughts of Black men and women who watched the events of January 6 unfold from their homes. The former Drug Enforcement Administration official also described his own experiences with discriminatory police stops, adding he’s had conversations with his five children and granddaughter concerning how to conduct themselves if they’re stopped by police.

“You’re looking at somebody who would get stopped by the police for driving a high-value government vehicle. No other reason,” Walker told the committee.

Five people died during the January 6 Capitol Riot; 725 people were arrested and charged for their actions on that day, many after returning home from Washington D.C. The January 6 Selection Committee released its final report on the incident last week, and has recommended Congress bar former President Donald Trump from running for office again.

Things could’ve been much worse if not for the actions of Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who lured rioters away from the Senate chambers and Vice President Mike Pence who were in the act of certifying President Joe Biden’s presidential election win.

Part of the reason the Capitol Riot got out of hand was the fact that the D.C. National Guard was not called to assist Capitol police officers for more than three hours. According to the committee’s report, the delay was “likely miscommunication between members of the civilian leadership in the Department of Defense.”

Guy Reffitt, a Texas native who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for his actions during the Capitol Riot, received the longest sentence of any rioter.

A rapper who has been known to collaborate with Ye has been reported missing.

According to Deadline, rapper Theophilus London, has not been heard from since July, according to his family said. The rapper hasn’t spoken to anyone over the course of the past five months. His family recently filed a missing person’s report Tuesday in Los Angeles after trying unsuccessfully to contact him. He was reportedly last seen in the Los Angeles Skid Row section of the city in October.

The 35-year-old rapper is originally from Trinidad and Tobago.

“Theo, your Dad loves you, son,” London’s father said in a statement. “We miss you. And all your friends and relatives are searching for you. Wherever you are send us some signal. No matter what, we will come get you, son.”

The Los Angeles Police Department has acknowledged that the recording artist is missing and has reached out to the public in hopes of locating him.

“On October 15, 2022, around 12 p.m., London was last seen in the “Skid Row” area of Los Angeles. The person reporting and Theophilus’ family members lost complete contact with him in October of 2022. London has not been seen since and his family is concerned.

“Theophilus is described as male Black with black hair and brown eyes. He stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs approximately 175 pounds. Theophilus has a birth mark near his left eyebrow.”

London has released three of his own studio albums since 2011. He has worked with other recording artists, including Travis Scott, Tame Impala, Ellie Goulding, and Big Boi. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2015 for his contribution to Ye’s song, “All Day.” His latest project, “Bebey,” was released in January 2020.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit is asking if anyone has seen him as of late to contact them during business hours at (213) 996-1800. If you’re calling after and/or before regular business hours, or on the weekend, please call 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).

If you wish to place the call anonymously, each out to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or via text at 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most Keypads) with a mobile phone. All text messages should begin using the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the directions.

Some expensive plans are in development for the South Side in 2023.

Twisted Eggroll, a food business established in January 2015, owned by Black businesswoman and Chicago native Nikkita Randle, will debut with a storefront in Greater Grand Crossing to provide a variety of frozen food products and made-to-order services for food lovers.

“Twisted Eggroll is a frozen packaged product that approaches the traditional egg roll with an infused spin,” the website states.

According to What Now Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago Recovery Plan and Community Development Grant extended a $784,238 grant to Randle and 59 other business owners recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

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A post shared by @twisted_eggroll

“This is something different, something new,” Randle said. “In our neighborhoods, we’re quick to have the same fast food options, but I hope [Twisted Eggroll] makes people step out of the norm. I’ve created a menu where people can be like, ‘I just got a taste for this today.’ Everything will excite your palate.”

Book Club Chicago reported that opening a storefront was the most reasonable business move for Twisted Eggroll. Randle worked to establish a following and built up a consumer base by attending pop-ups and corporate catering events.

“I looked at trends and what was doing well, and everyone was still shopping at the grocery store and shopping online,” Randle said. “I always had the vision to eventually get on stores’ shelves, but it’s costly to transition into consumer packaged goods.”

The restaurant will offer a variety of Randle’s signature eggrolls, including the cheesesteak and apple cheesecake options, frozen or ready-to-eat, along with a variety of side dishes and beverages for customers to enjoy.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @twisted_eggroll

Twisted Eggroll is a tribute to Randle’s father, who passed away in 2010 from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

“I felt like this was a way to honor him with things that we loved, which was eating, helping people, and creating generational wealth,” Randle said. “I poured everything into this vision.”

According to Randle, total costs for the storefront are “looking over a million” as the restaurant plans to have a large commercial kitchen and walk-in freezer space.

Twisted Eggroll products can presently be found at Foxtrot, Dom’s Kitchen & Market, and Green Grocer Chicago.

• News

by Derek Major

December 29, 2022

Former Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice Will Be Part Of Denver Broncos’ Search Committee For New Head Coach

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Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been tapped to be part of the Denver Broncos’ search committee for its new head coach.

MSN News reported that Broncos owner and CEO George Penner has already announced the Broncos’ next head coach will report directly to him instead of General Manager George Patton.

Penner, who bought the Broncos before this NFL season, traded for quarterback Russell Wilson and signed him to a $245 million extension, making the team a preseason contender in the AFC West under first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

However, things have not gone well. Wilson has struggled for weeks and his teammates have grown tired of his overwhelmingly positive attitude. Things hit a boiling point last week as cameras caught Bronco teammates fighting each other on the sidelines after Wilson was sacked on consecutive plays against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Broncos are currently 4-11 and Wilson has thrown for just 12 touchdowns this season, matching the number of bathrooms in the home the shares with recording star Ciara.

The disappointing season led to Penner relieving Hackett of his duties less than a year into the job. Rice is now part of the committee to find the team a new head coach and is sure to be part of the interview process which will likely begin after the Super Bowl in February.

Rice is a well-known figure in football circles as she was the only female on the College Football Playoff selection committee between 2013 and 2016. In 2014, Rice, Business Insider reported,  watched 14 or 15 college football games per week as part of her work with the comittee.

Early candidates for the Broncos head coach position include Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who was a finalist for the position last year before Hackett was chosen. Other potential candidates include former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, who spent the year working as an analyst for the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show.

Whoever the new coach is will have to develop a relationship with Wilson because the Broncos cannot escape his extension for several years.