December 8, 2022
Metro Boomin Launches ‘Single Moms Are the Real Superheroes’ Initiative During NFL Game
There was a different team running through the tunnel during Sunday’s NFL game.
Hip-Hop producer Metro Boomin teamed up with The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation to launch the “Single Moms Are The Real Superheroes” campaign, a nonprofit initiative to assist women with struggles they may face as solo parents.
According to TMZ, 26 mothers and their children from around the country were invited to attend the ultimate football experience at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Atlanta Falcons matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Falcons players made room on the field for the families to stand next to them during the national anthem.
The invited attendees sported official campaign shirts that read, “Single Moms Are The Real Superheroes.”
https://twitter.com/MetroBoomin/status/1599896113204846592
The initiative comes alongside his latest album project “HEROES & VILLAINS,” which released on Friday.
The Source reported that the campaign began earlier this year with the help of the Harveys.
“Our mission is to ensure the needs of the whole family are met and we know that the most important part of that nucleus is the mom,” Sharon Page, Executive Director of the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, said.
Metro, who was raised by a single mother, Leslie Joanne Wayne, has been extending his efforts to help single mothers since 2017. Wayne passed away, leading Metro to continue pursuing his initiative.
The campaign helped 150 parents attend the Single Moms Enrichment Retreat and granted one mom a $25,000 scholarship to use toward her study.
Reportedly, Metro decided not to attend the Atlanta Falcons game in order to honor his own mother, who died tragically at the hands of her husband earlier this year, and to keep the spotlight on the mothers.
As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, his mother was found dead outside of Atlanta after her husband, who was not Metro’s father, killed her and committed suicide after.
December 8, 2022
There’s a Teen In Office: Youngest Black Mayor In U.S. Elected In Arkansas
This young man came fresh out of high school and moved right into a government seat.
Jaylen Smith, a recent high school graduate, became the youngest Black mayor in the United States after he was elected mayor of Earle, Arkansas, in a runoff election.
According to Fox 13, the 18-year-old defeated Nemi Matthews Sr. on Tuesday night, 218 votes to 139.
Smith announced his victory with a Facebook post, addressing citizens of the small Arkansas town.
“Citizens of Earle, Arkansas, it’s official!! I am your newly elected Mayor of Earle, Arkansas… “It’s Time to Build a Better Chapter of Earle, Arkansas,” he wrote in the caption.
CBS News reported that Smith, a native of Earle, ran on a mission to improve public safety, repair the city’s drainage systems, and address community matters that include involvement and abandoned housing.
“First, I want to improve public safety here. Secondly, tear down abandoned houses … transportation here for the community, bring a grocery store here,” he told Fox13 during an interview last month, discussing his goals if elected.
“I have what it takes as a first comer,” Smith told WMC in August. “I want to get a lot done at this amount of time. I want to do what it takes to better the city of Earle, Arkansas.”
Smith recently graduated from Earle High School where he served in multiple leadership roles in school clubs. According to his Facebook, he also served three years as president of his school’s student government association.
Matthews, street and sanitation superintendent of Earle, congratulated Smith on his win in a Facebook post.
“Good evening citizens of Earle,” Matthews wrote. “First I want to Thank everyone that supported me during this entire election. Secondly I congratulate Mayor elect Jaylen Smith for a well ran race I wish you well. Again Thanks!!!” 
Earle is a small city in Arkansas, located about 30 miles northwest of Memphis, with a population of under 2,000 people.
December 8, 2022
Black-Owned Wellness Empire Develops New Feminine Care Product, Graphene-Infused Pads
Oftentimes, women feel ignored when it comes to their periods and overall reproductive health.
Reign Sanitary Napkins, a Black-owned, natural feminine product brand created by Qiana Crump and her family, provides non-toxic, chemical-free products that are safe for women and the environment.
With feminine care growing within the beauty and wellness industries, Reign Sanitary Napkins services Black women, empowering them to take their health into their own hands with access to quality and natural feminine products.
Period Taboo Is a Real Thing Within the Black Community!
The Crump family aims to provide a solution to individuals who feel overlooked and ignored.
According to the company, being able to provide clean products that are affordable is a part of their mission to ensure women don’t have to compromise their health. The Crumps believe all women deserve access to these sort of products, as well as information regarding periods and reproductive care.
Reign is dedicated to amplifying the voices of women who feel voiceless because of areas of their lives that make them feel ashamed.
Reign Sanitary Napkin
Reign is a non-toxic sanitary napkin company that infuses graphene, a Nobel prize-winning material, into its products. Using non-toxic sanitary products comes with various benefits, including helping with dysmenorrhea (painful abdominal cramps), fatigue, metabolism, bacteria, aroma, immune system wellness, and moving heat away from the core.
The Reign pads are odor-controlling, breathable, and ultra-thin, with a 3-dimensional level and leak guards for extra protection.
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The panty liners offer protection for those who experience lighter periods or occasional spotting.
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Reign customers can choose from sanitary napkins for a variety of flow levels, from Very Light to Super Heavy. The company also offers a special Reign Supreme package and Reign Customer Bundle.
Reign Vitamin Spray
Additionally, the company provides Vitamin Sprays that are available for women, men, and kids.
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“Through our Micro Droplet Technology spray platforms, we ensure you receive effective vitamin uptake and efficacy, at a higher and faster rate than if you took your vitamins in capsule or pill form,” the website states.
Spray options include the C+Zinc vitamin, an “immune enhancing” formula utilizing a number of synergistic bioactive constituents, and the D3 spray, which promotes calcium absorption in the gut and helps bine growth and remodeling.
Reign Vitamin Sprays also come as a Kids Multi-vitamin spray; the Men’s Complete Spray, with more than 12 different vitamins and minerals designed to meet a man’s unique physiology; a Women’s Multi-vitamin spray; and the Spray Lean-keto, designed for those who seek a healthier lifestyle.
The Story Behind Reign Sanitary Napkins
The Crump family, advocates for sustainability and responsible manufacturing, created Reign Sanitary Napkins on June 1, 2019, during the peak of the covid-19 pandemic. After experiencing some terrible reproductive health issues of her own, doctors recommended Qiana undergo surgery that would require a partial hysterectomy. Qiana experienced heavy bleeding after the procedure, and her husband went on the search for a sanitary pad that would absorb beyond what store box brands could offer.
Qiana spent the following year testing various natural materials from her home kitchen to perfect a $6 prototype. The Crumps were able to develop a formula with an extensive ability for absorbency and breathability, two issues most women face during their cycles.
Qiana wanted to become a part of the feminine product industry to help represent women that looked like her. In an effort to heighten the licensed or enthusiast voices in the industry, the Crumps aimed to educate their community on natural products and toxic chemicals within some of the larger brand names.
Success of Reign Sanitary Napkins
The Crump family has gained a gross revenue of $11 million from the $6 product within Reign’s first year. The company is headed towards reaching $100 million in revenue by the end of this tax year.
The Reign team has supported hundreds of thousands of women across the country through their business and nonprofit, Justice For My Jewels.
Reign is a part of a fundraiser to help raise community awareness and protect women and young girls by providing their products as a healthier alternative.
December 8, 2022
Three Band Members of The Human Jukebox Killed By 18-Wheeler While Trying to Change Flat Tire
Tragedy struck at Southern University and A&M College when three members of the school’s marching band were killed after a car accident earlier this week.
According to a Facebook post by Dennis J. Shields, president-chancellor of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, college, three members of the school’s marching band, dubbed The Human Jukebox, died when an 18-wheeler struck their vehicle.
Shields wrote:
“Dear Southern University Community,
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the tragic deaths of three of our students who reportedly succumbed to injuries in a vehicular accident on Tuesday evening in Natchitoches Parish. Our thoughts are with the families, friends, classmates and other loved ones of Broderick Moore, a freshman majoring in music from Cedar Hill, Texas; Dylan Young, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering from Cedar Hill; and Tyran Williams, a freshman majoring in music from Irving, Texas. All three young men were members of the Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band, to which we also extend our condolences.”
According to a statement released by the Louisiana State Police Department, the three students were struck by the 18-wheeler when trying to change a flat tire.
“On December 6, 2022, shortly after 7:00 p.m., Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a fatal crash on I-49 north of Natchitoches. This crash killed 19-year-old Tyran Williams of Dallas, TX, 21-year-old Dylan Young of Dallas, TX, and 19-year-old Broderick Moore of Cedar Hill, TX.
“The initial investigation revealed that a 1999 Jeep Laredo was stalled on the northbound shoulder of I-49. The occupants of the Jeep were attempting to change a flat tire on the vehicle. For reasons still under investigation, a northbound 1997 Freightliner, driven by 62-year-old Clyde Gay of Coushatta, drifted onto the northbound shoulder, struck the left side of the Jeep and impacted all three pedestrians.”
The police report also stated that Williams, Young, and Moore were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Gay, the driver of the truck, did not sustain any injuries. Toxicology tests were taken, and officials are waiting for the results. The crash is under investigation.
December 8, 2022
Shannon Sharpe ‘More Excited’ For Deion Sanders Than ‘Sad’ for Jackson State
Former Denver Bronco Shannon Sharpe is excited for his friend Deion Sanders amidst the news he will be the new head coach for the Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders is currently the head coach of the Jackson State Tigers at Jackson State University.
Sharpe told his co-host Skip Bayless that even though he was sad for JSU losing its coach of three years, he was more excited for Sanders landing the head coaching job at the University of Colorado Boulder. Sanders faced criticism for leaving the HBCU for the Colorado Buffaloes, where he will earn approximately $5.9 million annually. Sanders earned $300,000 per year at Jackson State.
Sharpe stood up for his friend during Monday’s episode of Undisputed and noted that JSU should also be happy for Sanders. Sander’s son, Shedeur Sanders, will go to Colorado to play football as the team’s quarterback.
“I’m more excited for him than I am sad for Jackson State. And I think Jackson State should be excited, be happy for him because he gave you the blueprint and showed you what you could become. You’re more than a head coach.”
“We say, ‘We want our Black coaches to get opportunities’; he gets an opportunity, he takes the opportunity, and now you mad,” he said.
Sharpe also noted that Sanders was responsible for upgrading JSU into a premier college football program by leveraging his relationships. Sanders played in the NFL for 14 seasons and in Major League Baseball for nine seasons, and is the only athlete to have played in both a World Series and a Super Bowl.
“He brought eyes to HBCU, Skip,” he added.
Sharpe told his co-host that Sanders elevated JSU by donating $150,000 of his own salary to the HBCUs football facilities, making sure the team had new uniforms from Under Armor and partnering with American Airlines so the team could fly for long-distance travel. He also said Sanders will be in a position to offer minority coaches and players opportunities.
December 8, 2022
Georgia’s Runoff System Was Created to Hurt the Power of Black Residents
Tuesday’s Senate runoff between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican candidate Herschel Walker is the result of a general election system that was pushed by a powerful segregationist who wanted to limit the power of Black voters.
The Washington Post reported that while 10 states currently use the runoff in primary elections, Georgia and Louisiana are the only ones to use it in general elections. Georgia’s runoff system was created in 1964 at the request of Denmark Groover, who blamed Black people when he lost a reelection bid and proposed runoffs.
Groover, who was also behind two redesigns of the state flag, one of which included the Confederate Flag, later admitted that the system was intended to suppress the power of Black voters and their political representation. Ashton Ellett, a political historian at the University of Georgia, told The Post that the Peach State’s adoption of the two-round system was a way of “ensuring a conservative White candidate won an election.”
“A runoff makes it harder for folks who have less resources to vote. This was before advanced in-person voting or [voting was offered] by mail and when we had many other unfair, iniquitous, undemocratic policies. It wasn’t for a partisan advantage so much as an ideological and cultural one,” Ellett added.
The runoff system was part of a flurry of changes to America’s election system during the mid-1960s as Black Americans and activists marched and died for the right to vote fairly, and previous techniques to suppress Black votes, including Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, literacy tests, intimidation, and violence became illegal.
More than 50 years later, the runoff system was used in the first election in U.S. history where two Black men fought for a U.S. Senate seat. Neither candidate discussed the system during their campaigns or the runoff.
Runoffs in Georgia are common when it comes to local and down-ballot races, but the runoff between the two Senate candidates was only the 12th statewide runoff since the system was created. Voting rights advocates, including Stacey Abrams‘ Fair Fight organization, have been pushing to get rid of the system.
Bernard Fraga, a political science professor at Emory University, told The Post that the runoff system adds intentional friction to the voting process and provides “a second chance for the majority group to consolidate support and stymies efforts by numerical minorities to build a winning coalition.”
December 8, 2022
U.S. Basketball Star Griner Released from Russian Custody in Prisoner Swap -U.S. Official
(Reuters) – U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been released in a prisoner swap with Russia and is now in U.S. custody, President Joe Biden said on Thursday.
“She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home,” Biden said in a tweet.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone with Griner from the Oval Office, a U.S. official said, adding that the call included Griner‘s wife, Cherelle.
Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
Biden is to make remarks at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT), the White House said.
The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a former arms dealer.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Chizu Nomiyama)
This story is developing
December 8, 2022
‘I’m Looking For People That Smell Like Weed’: Pastor Jamal Bryant Shares Plans To Launch Cannabis Business
Pastor Jamal Bryant has a plan to drive business to his church and increase membership among Black males…selling weed.
The New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor appeared on the Cool Soror podcast with Rashan Ali and explained his goal to launch a cannabis business to help drive membership and entrepreneurship within the Black community.
“I’m looking for people that smell like weed,” Bryant said flat out.
Ali started to laugh, but Bryant explained his new business plans.
“No, no, really. New Birth is the largest land-owning Black church in America,” he shared. “So my position to my deacons is, why are we not raising cannabis?”
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Bryant touched on what he thought he could accomplish by adding the growing industry to his mega-church.
“I’ll be able to bring in Black males that are able to do it legally,” he explained. “I’m teaching them farming. I’m helping them to enhance the ecosystem.”
Bryant went on to note who he is hoping to target and have join his congregation.
“So if the Black kid in Bankhead says ‘They’re growing weed at the church! Where can I join?’ I don’t need no pamphlet for him,” Bryant said.
The cannabis industry raised over $1.6 billion in January 2021, GlowHub reports. While the industry is booming, Black people’s chances of joining the market are still a far reach compared to their white counterparts, as noted by The Guardian.
The main obstacle for Bryant is Georgia’s strict laws against the sale of cannabis unless for medical purposes. In September, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission voted to award two medical cannabis licenses to two businesses in the state, Cannabis Business Times reports.
But the state still has a long way to go since passing a 2015 law that allows registered patients to possess low-THC cannabis oil but prohibits the cultivation or dispensing of cannabis in the state.
December 8, 2022
Florida Police Chief Resigns After Flashing Badge, Asks for Leniency at Traffic Stop
A police chief in Tampa, Florida resigned from the police department on Monday after she was caught on video flashing her badge to get out of a ticket, according to 6ABC News.
Mary O’Connor quit the Tampa Police Department after the mayor asked for her resignation. The former police chief was riding in a golf cart with her husband on Nov. 12 when the couple was pulled over by a deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. O’Connor was pulled over for driving on a road without a license plate tag.
O’Connor asked the deputy if his body camera was on before identifying herself as the police chief in Tampa and flashing her badge.
After O’Conner identified herself, the deputy responded, “Oh! How you ‘doin’?”
“I’m hoping that you’ll just let us go tonight,” said O’Connor.
Of course, the deputy let her go. “If you ever need anything, call me. Seriously,” she concluded.
O’Connor was put on administrative leave last month following the release of the bodycam footage while Internal Affairs completed an investigation. The mayor’s office released a statement announcing O’Connor’s resignation.
“Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has requested and received the resignation of Police Chief Mary O’Connor following the completion of an Internal Affairs investigation into a recent traffic stop involving O’Connor.”
“The Tampa Police Department has a code of conduct that includes high standards for ethical and professional behavior that apply to every member of our police force,” read the statement. “As the Chief of Police, you are not only to abide by and enforce those standards but to also lead by example. That clearly did not happen in this case.”
“It is unacceptable for any public employee, and especially the city’s top law enforcement leader, to ask for special treatment because of their position.”
O’Connor was sworn in as the police chief in March following a 22-year-long career in law enforcement. The mayor also noted Assistant Police Chief Lee Bercaw will serve as interim police chief as the city conducts a nationwide search for a new chief.