• News

by Niko Mann

December 14, 2022

Don Lemon and Fiancé Tim Malone Invited To Attend Respect for Marriage Signing at White House

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CNN This Morning anchor Don Lemon and his fiancé Tim Malone were invited to the White House to witness President Joe Biden sign the Respect for Marriage Act. Biden signed the same-sex and interracial marriage protection bill on Dec. 13.

The Respect for Marriage Act gives federal protection to interracial and same-sex couples and requires that same-sex couples be considered married in every state provided they are legally married.

“Today is a good day,” said Biden. “This law — and the love it defends — strike a blow against hate in all its forms. And that’s why this law matters to every single American, no matter who you are or who you love.”

“This shouldn’t be about conservative or liberal, red or blue. No, this is about realizing the promise of the Declaration of Independence, a promise rooted in sacred and secular beliefs, a promise that we’re all created equal.”

Lemon appeared on CNN from the White House ceremony and said the couple immediately accepted the invitation.

“It will affect us. We are happy to be here to witness this moment. When we got the invitation from the White House, I said immediately, absolutely, we want to come and experience this,” said Lemon.

Malone, who is a luxury real estate executive in New York, shared pictures from the momentous occasion on Instagram with a caption.

“Honored to have witnessed such a monumental moment for equality 🌈 Love wins. Thank you @whitehouse @potus @flotus 🇺🇸 #respectformarriageact.”

 

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A post shared by Tim Malone (@timpmalonenyc)

Several musicians performed at the signing including singer Sam Smith, who performed “Stay With Me” prior to the signing. Cyndi Lauper was also in attendance and performed “True Colors” as Biden signed the bill. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington also performed.

The Respect for Marriage Act passed last month in the Senate, with just 12 Republican Senators joining the Democrats to pass the bill. The House passed the bill on Dec. 8. Thirty-nine Republicans joined the Democrats and Independents to pass the bill.

Judge Dana Douglas was confirmed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday, making her the first Black woman to serve on the court.

Reuters reports the Senate confirmed Douglas in a 65-31 vote, giving President Joe Biden his first appointment to the conservative court, which has consistently knocked down his policies. Douglas, who previously served as the U.S. Magistrate Judge of Louisiana, is the fourth active Democrat on a court with 12 judges nominated by Republican presidents.

Douglas’ confirmation makes her the third Black woman in the last two weeks the Senate, led by Democrats after the midterm elections, confirmed as a judge to the federal appeals courts, where Black women have long been missing. The other two judges confirmed to federal courts are Tamika Montgomery-Reeves and Doris Pryor.

Douglas’ appointment gives Biden a record of 11 Black women appointed as federal appellate judges. Before becoming a magistrate judge in New Orleans in 2019, Douglas spent 17 years as a partner at Liskow & Lewis, a New Orleans-based law firm.

Her path to confirmation was made easier as two of the state’s conservative senators, including John Kennedy, introduced her at her confirmation hearing earlier this summer. According to Fox News, Douglas will replace Judge James Dennis, who is retiring as an active judge and will have a reduced workload.

The court hears appeals from lower court cases in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. The Black female judge has received numerous congratulations, including from the National Urban League (NUL).

“Dana Douglas was officially confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, making her the first Black woman to serve in this role,” NUL President and CEO Marc H. Morial said in a release.

“We thank President Biden for his continued leadership to ensure our courts reflect the rich diversity of our nation’s people, and members of the United States Senate that voted in favor of Judge Douglas’ nomination for their efforts to push this confirmation through.”

WSBTV in Atlanta is reporting that rapper Gunna cut a deal and pled guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge.

Gunna, along with 26 alleged members of a criminal street gang supposedly headed and co-founded by Jeffery Lamar Williams, also known as Young Thug, was named in the 56-count indictment.

The associates were arrested on suspicion of gang involvement and conspiracy to violate the Georgia criminal racketeering law.

Gunna pled guilty to one charge, according to the outlet, but maintains his innocence. The charge was “conspiracy to violate the racketeer influenced and corruption act.”

He reportedly did what he believed would be best given the dire circumstances of possibly serving five years. After a year in jail, he now has time served under the deal.

 Gunna released a statement, saying:

“While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way,” he said in a statement.

As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, following his arrest, the 29-year-old recording artist was booked into the Fulton County Jail. He has been charged with conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and participating in Young Slime Life criminal street gang activity.

According to jail records, the RICO Act charge is from an alleged offense back in January 2013, while the street gang activity charge goes back to allegations from May 2018. The 56-count indictment was filed last Thursday and names 28 alleged associates of Young Slime Life.

Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, has been charged with racketeering. The court papers allege that Gunna committed felonies, including receiving stolen property and drug possession with intent to distribute.

Other associates in Young Slime Life have been charged with violent crimes, including murder and attempted armed robbery.

The indictment alleges Young Thug is a founder of Young Slime Life, which began in Atlanta in 2012. The group is said to be affiliated with the Bloods gang. The 28 people listed in the indictment have been charged with conspiracy to violate the state RICO Act.

Tabitha Brown shed tears while sending love to anyone out there who might feel like giving up because of the pain that comes with life.

The actress and TV/social media personality took to her Instagram on Wednesday to post a teary-eyed video message in response to news of Steven “Twitch” Boss, the professional dancer and former Ellen DJ, who died by suicide, TMZ reports.

Tabitha started her emotional plea by sharing her recent experience at her son’s last holiday performance in elementary school.

“I just left my son’s last elementary Christmas performance. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, I remember him being in kindergarten doing these performances.”

Tabitha said she became “emotional” realizing her son’s growth and “how small of a time that children are children.”

“We only get a little bit of time to allow a child to be a child, and then we all grow up and the world gets hard,” she said while wiping tears from her face.

That’s when Tabitha’s message became more serious as she spoke for “some of us” who “feel it’s too hard,” and “take matters into our own hands because we don’t think it’ll get easier.”

 

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A post shared by Tabitha Brown (@iamtabithabrown)

Tabitha continued crying while encouraging anyone who might be feeling that way that things will get better. She then directed her message to the news of Twitch’s passing.

“Hearing about Twitch right in the middle of my son’s performance made me even more emotional and sad,” she said. “Not just for Twitch but for anybody out there who might be struggling because you feel that life is too hard for you.”

The Tab Time host revealed she has “been there” before and can recall a time when he thought “it wasn’t going to get better.”

“But it did,” she explained. “I want to encourage anybody out there right now who you are thinking about giving up. It will get better.”

“You just gotta hold on and don’t give up. Joy will come again. You just gotta believe it.”

She ended her heartwarming message by telling her followers to “reach down inside and find the child inside of you” until you “find your joy again.”

Brown’s message is in response to Boss’ death on Tuesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was found inside a hotel and pronounced dead at the scene.

Michelle Obama became emotional while recalling the strength she saw her father display, despite his battle with multiple sclerosis.

The former First Lady sat down for a deep dive as part of REVOLT x Michelle Obama: The Cross Generational Conversation, where she opened up about the impact her late father, Fraser Robinson III, still has on her 30 years after his death, People reports.

“When I think about what my dad, as a Black man with M.S. [multiple sclerosis], could’ve done — he could have never worked a day in his life, he could have collected benefits, he could have succumbed to his disease and be depressed about it, but he didn’t,” Obama said.

She started to tear up when recounting the resilience her father displayed while battling the disease by continuing to be a present father and husband to his family.

“He never felt sorry for himself, he never expected others to do for him, and just the sheer act of him getting up every day and going to work was a statement that — ugh, now I’m going to cry — that stays with me every day of my life,” Obama said.

Robinson worked as a pump worker at the Chicago water plant and also served as a precinct captain for the Democratic Party before passing away due to complications of multiple sclerosis at the age of 55. Obama was 27 at the time of his death and, now at age 58, she credits her dad for shaping her future success at work and at home.

“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the lessons he taught us and how he is not here to see any of it, and so much of it is because of him,” she said.

“That is the power of what a working-class Black man can do in the world, which is why I don’t want any Black man out here to think that they don’t have something to offer their kids.

“What my dad did was beyond money, title, influence, nothing. I would trade it all for what my father provided us in that little bitty apartment on 74th and Euclid.”

The Cross Generational Conversation premieres on REVOLT Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. ET. It’s moderated by radio personality Angie Martinez, and features a deep dive between singer H.E.R., supermodel Winnie Harlow, singer and actress Kelly Rowland, Obama, and Tina Knowles-Lawson.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

December 14, 2022

Egypt Sherrod Shuts Down ‘Fact Checker’ Who Tried to Discredit Her Sex Trafficking Testimony

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Egypt Sherrod returned to Instagram to shut down one blogger who attempted to discredit her sex trafficking awareness video as a “hoax.”

The HGTV host posted a lengthy video on Tuesday night as a follow-up to her previous video detailing a possible kidnapping attempt she witnessed at a gas station in Kennesaw, GA.

“I need your help to repost this so that the TRUTH travels faster than a LIE!” Sherrod wrote in her caption. “I am so tired of women, specifically black women being disbelieved.”

“From medical care, to the workplace, and now even in regards to our safety. I never thought I’d have to FACT CHECK the Fact checker but I cannot allow someone to defame me and spread a libelous story just for likes and web hits,” she continued.

“KIDNAPPING and TRAFFICKING is not a hoax. And the trolling and skepticism are offensive to the families of the women and children who are still MISSING with no media coverage.”

“I will shout it from the rooftops if it saves a life. And please know that anything that I ever post is the truth and from my heart. I don’t have time for anything else.

 

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A post shared by Egypt Sherrod (@egyptsherrod)

In the video, the Married to Real Estate host explained the night in question, when she saw a man acting suspiciously around the pumps at a gas station. She then noticed a tissue was placed in the handle and warned a group of college-age girls she saw approaching the pump.

However, after posting the video testimony online, Sherrod caught wind of an article that attempted to label her claims of calling the police as a “hoax.”

Sherrod showed proof of the communication she had with authorities after dialing 911 once she was safely back inside her vehicle. She included showing her phone and the length of the 911 call along with a text message from authorities asking her to rate her interaction, which she responded to.

Sherrod also shamed the person behind the article for adding to the problem of discrediting women, particularly Black women, as the realities of sex trafficking continue to plague communities across the country.

She  also shared that she put her attorney on notice to look further into the blogger trying to discredit her.

Don’t mess with a Black woman who’s got receipts!

It looks like Demetrius Flenory Jr. has the characteristics of his father when it comes to his legal issues.

According to TMZ, “Lil Meech, “ no stranger to being arrested, was apprehended at a Florida airport. The actor, who plays the role of his real-life father, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory, in the Starz series BMF, was arrested at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Tuesday.

Sources have informed the media outlet that Lil Meech was caught at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport carrying a hidden firearm in his luggage. Security personnel at the airport discovered the weapon and contacted deputies from the Broward Co. Sheriff’s Office.

Police officers came and arrested the actor.

The weapon was reportedly a Glock 19 9mm. Although the gun wasn’t loaded, Flenory was found in possession of a 15-round magazine.

Radar Online reported that Lil Meech was taken to the local jail, where he is behind bars with a $2,500 bond. He was hit with a felony charge.

50 Cent, who has no problem trolling actors who appear on his shows, took to his Instagram account to insinuate that Lil Meech was still in character when he went to the airport. The master promoter also took the opportunity to boost the upcoming season of BMF, which is slated to debut on Jan.6.

Rev. Al Sharpton is organizing a group of Black leaders from New York to discuss tackling crime after Democrats in the state lost three House seats in the Midterm Elections.

Politico reported that Sharpton is worried Black political leaders are missing a prime opportunity to collaborate on one of the state’s biggest issues.

“They haven’t been in the room together to talk about crime,” Sharpton said about the meeting, scheduled for January, according to Politico.

“Why are we not talking collectively?”

New York sports a bevy of Black political leaders, including State Attorney General Letitia James, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

“We have more Blacks in power than Adam Clayton Powell could have ever dreamed about,” Sharpton added, referencing the first Black New Yorker elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“There has to be some way we can all sit down and say, ‘We may not agree on these 10 things but we can agree on these three things.’”

Since he stepped into office, Adams has tried to reverse the city’s bail reform laws that were enacted in 2019. However, the city’s progressive Democrats have blamed Adams, a former New York Police Department (NYPD) officer, for the House losses, due to his constant focus on crime despite the fact that the city is the safest among the six largest cities in the U.S.

Amid that fight, New York Republicans in the deep blue state attacked New York Democrats on crime. Adams thanked Sharpton for bringing Black politicians together for the summit.

“Public safety and justice are the prerequisites to prosperity, and with 90 percent of the people [in] New York State believing crime is a serious problem, this is a critical issue to get right and tackle right now,” Adams said in a statement, according to Politico.

“I thank Reverend Sharpton for bringing this group together for this important discussion about making New Yorkers safer,” said Adams.

Sharpton shared that he hoped the summit would lead to a consensus in 2023 on public safety, instead of the infighting that took place this year.

“You need a neutral force to say, ‘Let’s all sit down.’ We may say, ‘Fine we don’t agree on bail reform, but what do we say about stop and frisk’ or whatever it is. There have got to be areas of agreement,” Sharpton said Tuesday.

Will Smith is opening up about his experience playing an escaped slave in Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation and how it expanded his understanding of the “generational trauma” brought on by the transatlantic slave trade.

Smith sat down with his children Willow, 22, Jaden, 24, and Trey Smith, 30, on the latest episode of Red Table Talk, where he spoke candidly about his transformation to star in the new film, which tells the true story of Peter, an escaped slave who embarks on a tortuous journey to the north.

“As the years have gone on I’ve gotten more and more locked into these characters for longer periods of time,” he told his children.

“And it’s just the weight of this story, the weight of these experiences — the quality of these actors. It was emotionally, it was physically, it was spiritually taxing.”

Smith recalled how “seriously” all of the actors took the film, citing an intense moment where one actor “ad-libbed” by spitting on the Academy Award winner, People reported.

“One of the first days on set, there is a scene with one of the actors and he leans down in my face and says, ‘You a cold one, ain’t you?’ and then he ad-libbed…,” Smith recalled.

He then turned toward Willow to simulate spitting on his daughter the same way his co-star spit on him.

“I was like, ‘Makeup!’ No, but it was like … I was like, ‘Whoa, every actor on this set was taking it really, really seriously,'” he shared.

Elsewhere during the deep dive, Smith worked to break down the trauma slavery caused Black families, and how that trauma can carry over across generations.

“Me, as an actor, my image was you guys and imagining being pulled away,” Smith told his children. “Just imagine somebody comes in here right now and beats me and snatches me away, and you guys don’t know if you’ll ever see me again. That is the legacy of slavery in America. It creates generational trauma, even on a cellular level.”

Will’s RTT takeover with the Smith kids is up on Facebook Watch.

Her business, Shea Yeleen, makes and sells natural shea butter skincare products in the U.S. The products are sourced from northern Ghana at a cooperative Wright created in 2009 that pays women five times more than what they would normally make in living wages.

Wright shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE, by email, that her business will use the Prosper Deal Room forum to try to build connections and expand production from Ghana to include Mali, Uganda, Senegal, South Sudan, Morocco, and Chad.