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.

He lived his life fighting for equality and human rights and now his legacy and “good trouble” motto will live on.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced Tuesday that it will circulate a stamp in 2023 honoring the life and legacy of late civil rights leader John Lewis.

According to Axios, the stamp will feature a photograph of Lewis that was captured by photographer Marco Grob for an issue of Time that was published on August 26, 2013.

The U.S. Postal Service announces additional stamps it will issue in 2023. More will be revealed in the weeks and months ahead. For full details: https://t.co/O5tlIhILnl pic.twitter.com/aPGg57qnoE

— U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) December 13, 2022

“Devoted to equality and justice for all Americans, Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s,” USPS said in a statement.

“Even in the face of hatred and violence, as well as some 45 arrests, Lewis remained resolute in his commitment to what he liked to call ‘good trouble.'”

Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA) posted a tweet in celebration of the announcement.

“I’m honored that this new stamp will join Atlanta’s John R. Lewis Post Office in honoring a great man and a guiding light for justice and moral clarity,” she wrote.

I'm honored that this new stamp will join Atlanta's John R. Lewis Post Office in honoring a great man and a guiding light for justice and moral clarity. Two months ago, President Biden signed my legislation renaming our post office in honor of Mr. Lewis. pic.twitter.com/XWrbPfTwAQ

— Congresswoman Nikema Williams (@RepNikema) December 13, 2022

Linda Earley Chastang, a former chief of staff for Lewis who now heads the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, embraced the announcement.

“Lewis’ face is the face of voting rights. Having it on a postage stamp honors Lewis and the movement which he led and, in the process, encourages voter participation, civic engagement, and getting into ‘good trouble,'” Chastang said in a statement, according to NBC News.

Lewis, 80, died in 2020 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The late American politician and civil rights activist was known as the “Conscience of Congress” for his unyielding battles for racial equality, voting rights, and human rights.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in 2021.

Lewis received the Earl G. Graves Sr. Vanguard Award at the inaugural BLACK ENTERPRISE Black Men XCEL Summit in 2017.

• Technology

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

December 14, 2022

Queen Khamyra Helps Maximize Teen Audiences, Content, And Brand Awareness for Girl Gamers

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Forbes 30 Under 30 lister and Girl Gamer Queen Khamyra is expanding her social empire.

As a social media star there are always a few close activities that are hidden from the public to ensure privacy. In the past, her love for gaming had been protected due to her using it as a space of wellness and healing. Gaming has been a therapeutic place for her to balance her online and in-real-life (IRL) pressures. Now, with platforms like Twitch, gamers like Queen Khamyra can merge their audiences and passions together. Twitch is an interactive live-streaming service where creators can share the things they love with a community of millions, and carve out a tight-knit corner of the internet to call their own.

This is why Queen Khamyra is launching her new Twitch channel. The programming will include segments of her interacting with her audience via gaming, product reviews, pranks, and so much more. Upcoming talent will include familiar friends and celebs who will join in on gaming competitions while answering questions teens want to know.

This 16-year-old entrepreneur believes that with support, consistency, and a safe place for young teen gamer girls like herself to strategize; there is potential for them to soar. In addition to her new channel she will be launching Queenz Gaming (QG). QG is a community initiative where its members can support and uplift each other. The collective will aid each other on the games, provide insight, share experiences, brand partnerships, and overall consistently encourage one another throughout their gamer girl journey.

“Girl gamers aren’t just players, we are true gamers. We should have the freedom to play what we want and with who we want, period” says Queen Khamyra. 

Her exceptional growth, quality content, and excellence within social media has excelled her as one to watch in 2023. While the conversation continues to build toward the solutions for inequalities within the creator community, Queen Khamyra finds it is important to also maximize industry efforts toward those consistent solutions with BIPOC creators and young girl gamers. Her brand Putta Crown On It was created to encourage her fans to value one another’s inner Queen and King. In a world where emotional reaction is directly linked to increased social engagement, it becomes easier to be consumed with negativity. Putta Crown on It is a reminder to those facing negativity and adversity to believe in themselves and soar.

As an entrepreneur and innovator Queen Khamyra is continuing her career by bringing smiles and laughs, helping others see their true King and Queen, and trailblazing change within the gamer community. Queen Khamyra plans on utilizing her love for music, gaming, fashion, acting, and overall creativity, to revolutionize and add value to the culture.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law on Tuesday at a jubilant celebration that featured U.S. singer Cyndi Lauper performing “True Colors” in front of thousands of supporters on the White House lawn.

The new law provides federal recognition to same-sex marriages, a measure born out of concern that the Supreme Court could reverse its legal support of such relationships.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Biden signed the bill.

“Marriage is a simple proposition. Who do you love? And will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that. The law recognizes that everyone should have the right to answer those questions for themselves,” Biden said.

“Today’s a good day.”

The event featured performances by pop icons Lauper and British singer Sam Smith.

“Well, this time, love wins,” Lauper said before starting to sing.

Made famous by her 1983 song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Lauper, 69, said the act offered peace of mind to families like hers and Americans nationwide.

“We can rest easy tonight because our families are validated and because now we’re allowed to love who we love, which sounds odd to say, but Americans can now love who we love,” Lauper, an activist on LGBT issues who has been married to actor David Thornton since 1991, told reporters at a briefing prior to the performance.

Addressing the crowd before the signing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the bill promoted equality.

“Everyone deserves to bask in the magical blessing of building a union with the person you love,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose daughter and her wife are expecting a child, called it “a day of jubilation.”

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Andrea Shalal, Katharine Jackson; Editing by Howard Goller and Josie Kao)

The news of Sean “Diddy” Combs, aka Love, having a new baby daughter has sent shockwaves throughout the world.

As word got out about the baby, knowing that City Girls rapper Yung Miami isn’t the mother, DJ Akademiks, via social media, labeled her a side chick.

However, Diddy shut that down in one tweet.

Diddy, who is known to rarely discuss his personal affairs in public made sure to acknowledge that Yung Miami, his girlfriend, is “very important and special” and stated emphatically that the rapper is not his side chick.

“@yungmiami305 is not my side chick. Never has been, never will be. She’s very important and special to me, and I don’t play about my Shawty Wop. I don’t discuss things on the internet and I will not start today.”

@yungmiami305 is not my side chick. Never has been, never will be. She’s very important and special to me, and I don’t play about my Shawty Wop. I don’t discuss things on the internet and I will not start today.

— LOVE (@Diddy) December 13, 2022

In a follow-up Tweet, he sent a message that others better leave anyone associated with him alone or he’ll come see them. Of course, they’ll just have a discussion “like human beings.”

So think what you want. But know that if you do something to hurt mine, I’m gonna to come to your house and we’re gonna talk about it like human beings. LOVE.

— LOVE (@Diddy) December 13, 2022

 

Before Diddy released his latest single, “Sex In The Porsche” on Tuesday, he took to Twitter to address the controversy between Akademiks and Yung Miami after the DJ attacked the young rapper in a series of unsavory tweets.

Yung Miami mad at me for pointing out the obvious.. u said u and that nigga go together real bad… that nigga had another baby wit another woman. u the side chick. dont get mad now. at least u get hella gifts. live ur life queen. Also u tell us ur business lol ofc we gon comment

— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) December 12, 2022

Yung Miami, born Caresha Brownlee, hit back at Akademiks, shutting down claims she was just a side piece in Diddy’s love life.

 

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A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

According to TMZ, the identity of the woman who gave birth to Combs’ is a 28-year-old Dana Tran.

It’s been reported that she works in the cybersecurity industry. No details have been provided about how they met or how long they’ve known each other.

Families were walking in a winter wonderland this past weekend with the Currys.

NBA star Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha Curry, hosted their 10th annual Christmas with the Currys celebration on Sunday.

The Currys helped families through their nonprofit Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which helped 2,000 people in need, including 500 children, during their winter wonderland event at The Bridge Yard in Oakland, California.

The Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is an initiative founded by the Currys in 2019 to help promote a healthy childhood by fighting to end childhood hunger, providing access to education, and curating safe spaces for children to be active.

According to Good Morning America, families invited to the event were selected from the foundation’s partners, including Homies Empowerment, Black Culture Zone, East Oakland Youth Development Center, Community Education Partnerships, and Oakland Athletic League.

 

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A post shared by Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation (@eatlearnplay)

“The holidays are meant to bring us all together to share in the joy and warmth of each other’s presence,” the Currys said in a statement.

“We love our community and realize this time of year comes with anxiety and pressure for parents who are already doing everything they can to make ends meet. Christmas with the Currys is our way of lifting this burden for families in need throughout Oakland and ensuring they are part of a community that makes their season brighter.”

The Currys provided for the attendees to partake in a day full of fun activities: ice skating, food trucks, decorating sugar cookies, sledding, and snowball fights. The guests even got a chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The Curry shared that the celebration reminded them “how big an impact the gift of giving can make in one family’s life.”

Other notable guests in attendance during the Curry’s celebration event included Workday Chairperson Aneel Bhusri, Olympic champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, and her husband, Stanley Cup champion Bret Hedican.

DJ Stephen “Twitch” Boss, who was a DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and also an acclaimed dancer and entertainer, died at the age of 40, reportedly by suicide.

According to People, Boss’ wife, Allison Holker confirmed his death and released a statement:

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share my husband Stephen has left us. Stephen lit up every room he stepped into. He valued family, friends and community above all else and leading with love and light was everything to him. He was the backbone of our family, the best husband and father, and an inspiration to his fans.

“To say he left a legacy would be an understatement, and his positive impact will continue to be felt. I am certain there won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t honor his memory. We ask for privacy during this difficult time for myself and especially for our three children.”

TMZ reported that Holker rushed into a police station in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and told police officers that Boss left the home without his car, which is something he would not do. Police received a phone call a short time later of a shooting at a hotel. They discovered him there with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Boss’ death is pending additional investigation according to The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.

Boss joined The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014 when he appeared as a guest DJ. He became permanent on the daytime talk show and worked his way to becoming a co-executive producer in 2020.

Boss is survived by his wife Allison and children Zaia, 3, Maddox, 6, and Weslie, 14.