Equitable Holdings (NYSE: EQH), a financial services holding company comprised of two complementary and well-established principal franchises, Equitable and AllianceBernstein, today announced the appointment of Arlene Isaacs-Lowe as an independent member of its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

With a career spanning more than three decades, Ms. Isaacs-Lowe has amassed a global reputation for driving growth and profitability for major firms throughout the financial services sector and integrating environmental, social and governance strategies into company culture, according to a press release.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to extend Arlene a warm welcome to Equitable Holdings,” said Joan Lamm-Tennant, Chair of the Equitable Holdings Board of Directors. “Arlene’s deep expertise spanning financial services, risk management, capital management and ESG across multiple global markets will help guide our organization’s leadership in these critical areas and more.”

“We are honored to have Arlene’s leadership on the Board of Directors at Equitable Holdings,” said Mark Pearson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Equitable Holdings.

“Her deep industry expertise, global experience and passion for being a force for good are all characteristics that will help ensure Equitable Holdings is a driver of positive impact for generations to come.”

Ms. Isaacs-Lowe joins the Board after having spent nearly 25 years in several key leadership positions at Moody’s Corporation. Most recently, she served as Global Head of Corporate and Social Responsibility and president of The Moody’s Foundation. Her reputation as a global business leader was forged as she led Moody’s Investors Service Relationship Management team’s market coverage across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In the U.S., she also led business development for Moody’s Financial Institutions, Real Estate, and Public, Project and Infrastructure Finance team.

Prior to Moody’s, Ms. Isaacs-Lowe was a real estate portfolio manager for MetLife Realty Group, Inc. and served as CFO of Equinox Realty Advisors. She is active on several boards, currently serving as a non-executive director for Compass Group PLC. (OTC: CMPGY) and Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: XHR). Ms. Isaacs-Lowe also serves on the Board of Visitors of the Howard University School of Business and the advisory board of Alaffia, a social enterprise supporting community empowerment projects in West Africa.

Ms. Isaacs-Lowe was named the 2022 International Honoree by Beta Sigma Gamma, the international business honor society, one of the 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business by The Network Journal, honored as a Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of Greater New York and honored as one of the Most Powerful Women in Business by BLACK ENTERPRISE. She has also been included in the Power List 100 of the most influential people of African-Caribbean and African American heritage in the UK and the EMpower list of the Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives.

• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

December 6, 2022

National Christian Financial Advisors Relaunches Their Automated Platform, Cyborg-Advisors

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National Christian Financial Advisors, Inc. (NCFA), is relaunching its digital advice product, Cyborg-Advisors, by partnering and using Betterment for Advisors.

NCFA is a leading minority-owned independent registered investment advisory firm (RIA) specializing in helping employees personalize and manage their employer-sponsored retirement plan assets. Betterment has over 730,000 plus customers and managers $33B in client assets and is the pioneer of the Robo advisory model.

NCFA initially launched on Jan. 17, 2017, using their developers’ in-house technology.

“NCFA designed Cyborg-Advisors to Democratize Wall Street,” said Hakeem J. Webb, Founder and CEO at National Christian Financial Advisors, Inc., intending to level the playing field for minorities, unbanked people, and micro-to-midsize businesses. “After a short delay, we can now deliver access to seasoned wealth advisers, financial planners, institutional portfolio managers, institutional research, financial literacy, and planning tools typically available to individual investors with $500,000 or more, institutions, and hedge funds. The playing field is now leveled!”

From a technology standpoint, Cyborg-Advisors now have best-in-class technology to help us make people’s lives better through automated wealth management, including opening accounts, transferring money from other custodians, depositing money, and linking bank accounts.

The portfolios and operations are automated, but you have access to an entire firm with seasoned qualified independent wealth advisors who are fiduciaries and will always put your interest first.

Product Offering:

• Fee-only advisory
• No Commissions
• No Proprietary products
• Automated Investing
• Checking & saving accounts – Hassle Free, No-Fee Mobil-first checking and Visa debit card
• IRAs, 401k and 529 plans
• Expert-built, curated portfolios
• Customized Faith Based portfolios
• Customizable portfolios
• Socially Responsible Portfolios
• Financial planning

“Easy, simple, intuitive, and comprehensive,” said Nicole J. Bennett, a former CVS Health Executive and long-time client of NCFA.

“I needed to roll over my 401k assets by September 30, 2022. I reached Hakeem a few days before, told him, and he shared that his firm was relaunching their automated platform Cyborg-Advisors. The entire process took me less than 10 minutes. I was impressed. It takes me more time to order a cup of coffee. I highly recommend working with Hakeem, NCFA, and using the Cyborg-Advisors platform.”

NCFA, Inc. is a leading minority-owned and operated national independent full-service, fee-only registered investment advisory (RIA) and wealth management firm that serves a global client base of diverse investors and aims to ‘Democratize Wall Street.’ For more information about National Christian Financial Advisors, please visit our website at: www.ncfainc.org

Betterment is a technology-driven financial services company offering everyday spending and saving services alongside its core investing and retirement solutions. Since 2010, Betterment has had one mission: to help people make the most of their money to live better lives. Using cutting-edge technology, they empower hundreds of thousands of customers to manage their money – for today, tomorrow, and someday – through personalized, expert advice, automated money management tools, and tax-smart strategies that help keep taxes low across accounts.

• Celebrity News

by Derek Major

December 6, 2022

MSNBC Host Joy Reid Says Lindsey Graham Chauffeuring Herschel Walker Proves GOP Lacks Respect for Black Men

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MSNBC host Joy Reid is not a fan of Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker‘s campaign surrogates appearing with him, claiming it proves Republicans don’t respect Black men.

Mediaite reported that Walker has been making the rounds to give his final pitch to Peach State voters before Tuesday’s Georgia Senate runoff. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has sat alongside Walker during most of those appearances, which Reid and Democratic strategist LaTosha Brown find “insulting.”

“Black people are upset,” Brown said, according to Mediaite. “They feel insulted. They feel insulted that here the Republicans would actually pick a candidate and because he was a ballplayer, that in some way, and if they planted this narrative that Black men were not going to vote and are upset with the Democratic Party, that those two things would be enough for us to be fooled.”

Brown added Black voters are too “sophisticated” to be wowed by a former athlete, adding that Walker’s campaign is “racist,” which Reid responded to by saying Graham is “walking” the former running back around.

“I have heard this from a lot of Black men even if they’re not in Georgia,” Reid said. “There’s a certain disrespect that a lot of Black men, in particular, feel about particularly the way that Walker has been walked around by people like Lindsey Graham and sort of used and put forward. They don’t seem to respect him, and they don’t seem to respect Black people.”

Many have criticized the candidacy of Walker, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, including Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who said in an interview with CBS that Walker was the wrong choice for the Republican Party.

“This wasn’t the right brand for Republicanism. I think Herschel Walker will probably go down as one of the worst candidates in our party’s history,” Duncan said, according to People.

One of the reasons Graham might be touring with Walker is because of the numerous times the former running back has put his foot in his mouth, including recently, when he compared werewolves to vampires.

According to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, early voting in the Georgia runoff has broken two single-day voting records in a week as more than 1.85 million residents have voted early.

• Arts and Culture

by Stacy Jackson

December 6, 2022

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Star Quentin Oliver Lee Dies of Colon Cancer at 34

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This Broadway actor has taken his final bow.

Actor Quentin Oliver Lee reportedly died of colon cancer at the age of 34 on Thursday, Dec. 1.

According to NBC News, Angie, wife of the Broadway star who was widely known for his role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera, posted on Lee’s Instagram page to update fans and followers on the news.

“Quentin passed in the wee hours of the morning,” she wrote. “It was the most beautiful moment of my life. I saw his last breaths, held his hand tight, and felt his heartbeat slowly drift away. He had a smile on his face, and was surrounded by those he loves.”

“It was peaceful, and perfect.”

“He was an incredible man, husband, father, son, brother, friend, singer, actor, and disciple of Christ with great faith in his Father in Heaven. To say ‘he will be dearly missed’ doesn’t reflect the scope of the people and communities he has created and touched,” she added.

Angie shared photos of Lee holding their daughter, along with a sentimental message.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Quentin Lee (@quentinsings)

The Phantom of the Opera‘s official Instagram page also posted a message of condolences.

“The Phantom family is saddened to hear of the passing of Quentin Oliver Lee,” the page captioned the post of performance stills. “Quentin brilliantly lead our North American tour in 2018. Our hearts are with Quentin’s family and friends.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Phantom of the Opera (@phantomopera)

Today reported that Lee announced his diagnosis with stage 4 colon cancer over the summer.

“May 1st, I got Covid, and all the symptoms that go along with that. Worst of which for a performer was the difficulty breathing and fatigue,” he wrote in a June journal entry on the Caring Bridge website. “At the same time, I had been having IBS like symptoms. Running to the bathroom, difficulty eating, etc.”

“Turns out, I also had a big ol’ mass in my colon, and ‘innumerable masses’ in my liver,” he wrote.

Lee’s other Broadway appearances included Prince of Broadway and Caroline, or Change.

After a brief and tumultuous relationship, Ye no longer has Milo Yiannopoulos on his presidential campaign team.

Although no financial arrangement was previously discussed, Yiannopoulos has sent a $116,000 invoice to the former billionaire, TMZ reports.

According to the outlet, because of the latest media “tour” that the two of them embarked on, including a disastrous interview with Alex Jones on his platform, Infowars, Ye has been billed for Yiannopoulos’ services.

Yiannopoulos, a right-wing extremist, was also with Ye at a dinner last week with former president Donald Trump and white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Ye stated that he went to ask the former president to run with him as his vice presidential candidate.

The Daily Beast reported that Yiannopoulos told the media outlet that he left the presidential run on his own accord, despite reports that he had been let go by the fashion designer.

“Ye and I have come to the mutual conclusion that I should step away from his political team,” Yiannopoulos informed The Daily Beast over the weekend. “I will continue to pray for Ye and all his endeavors.”

There were reports that Yiannopoulos allegedly tried to engineer a power “move against” Fuentes and that was the reason for his dismissal from the team.

Yiannopoulos stated the rumor is not true.

“Any suggestion that I tried to get anyone fired is false — especially not people I brought in myself, who owe me their gratitude, loyalty, and respect,” Yiannopoulos said.

He then added, “I’m not in the least bit drawn in by perks and private jets. Maybe the others are.”

TMZ reported that they have tried to get in contact with him to question him about the invoice.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 6, 2022

Black Militia Leader Handed 7-Year Sentence For Brandishing Weapon at Feds During Breonna Taylor Protest

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John Johnson, also known as Grandmaster Jay, the leader of a Black militia group, has been handed down a prison sentence of seven years.

He was arrested for actions taken during a 2020 protest for Emergency Medical Technician, Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Kentucky police officers.

According to The Louisville Courier-Journal, Grandmaster Jay was found guilty of assaulting and brandishing a firearm toward state and federal officers.

The 57-year-old, who is from West Chester, OH, was arrested on December 3, 2020.

He was originally facing the statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Grandmaster Jay is the leader of “Not F**cking Around Coalition” (NFAC), a Black nationalist paramilitary organization based in the United States that advocates for Black liberation and separatism.

He was also ordered to serve 3 years of supervised release, with no option of parole.

The NFAC founder was in Louisville, KY protesting the death of 26-year-old Taylor, who was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police officers who appeared at her residence on a no-knock warrant in March 2020.

When Grandmaster Jay was apprehended, the criminal complaint stated that Johnson had “forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with federally deputized task force officers while they were engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties, when Johnson aimed a rifle at them on September 4, 2020, in Louisville, Kentucky.”

He was accused of brandishing an AR platform rifle at police officers for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) the U.S. Secret Service, as well as the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Grandmaster Jay’s attorney, Murdoch Walker II, told The Louisville Courier-Journal that they plan to appeal the sentence.

• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

December 6, 2022

Two Farmers Make History, Open Houston’s Newest Black-Owned Farmer-Operated Grocery Store

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Meet Ivy Lawrence-Walls and Jeremy Peaches, two farmers turned entrepreneurs from Houston, Texas, have opened a Black-owned grocery store called Fresh Houwse Grocery which aims to provide locally sourced produce for residents in their community.

Lawrence-Walls of Ivy Leaf Farms and Peaches of Fresh Life Organic Produce has always been aware of the food insecurity in Sunnyside, the neighborhood they grew up in. It has become a USDA-designated food desert and they aim to find ways to combat it.

Since October 2021, the duo started planning to open a grocery in Sunnyside. The businesses that were once thriving in the 1960s on Cullen Boulevard, known as “Black Wall Street,” have mostly been closed down. Now, even grocery stores are more than a mile away from most of the residents in Sunnyside.

After nearly a year of preparations, especially finding the right location that is off of a main road and accessible in the Metro, they were able to open Fresh Houwse Grocery.

“It’s almost like history,” Peaches told the Houston Chronicle. “It’s not every day you see farmers producing food and distributing it through a grocery store in the community they were raised in.”

Prior to that, the two founded the Black Farmer’s Box, which provides locally sourced produce to residents in food desert communities. They saved up its profits to use for the store, along with the $27,000 they raised from a community fundraiser, and $50,000 grant they received from HGTV “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines.

Fresh Houwse houses a wide selection of products that ranges from fresh produce, grains, seasonings and canned goods to everyday essentials and household items. The store is ideally situated to serve residents in Sunnyside and nearby South Park.

“We’re a Bodega-style, get it how you live grocery store,” Lawrence-Walls said. “In order to make healthy eating a (lifestyle), you have to be available, consistent and convenient.”

Be sure to follow the store on Instagram @FreshHouwse

This story first appeared on Blacknews.com.

One month after announcing that the signature sneaker launch of Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving was shelved, Nike has officially terminated its contract with the athlete.

According to ESPN, the sneaker giant, in a statement to the media outlet said, “Kyrie is no longer a Nike athlete.” The Athletic‘s Shams Charania also reported on the fractured relationship.

Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete, Nike spokesperson says. The sides have parted ways one month after Nike suspended its relationship with the Nets star. Irving has one of most popular signatures shoes in the NBA and is now a sneaker free agent.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 5, 2022

In a reply to Charania’s tweet, Irving seemed unfazed. The talented point guard posted a gif that stated, “Let the party begin.”

pic.twitter.com/BZr4vbxlhV

— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) December 5, 2022

Irving was punished for tweeting a link to Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!, a film that some considered anti-Semitic. This took place right before the scheduled release of his Kyrie 8 signature shoe.

Shetellia Riley Irving, who represents Irving as his agent, said that the decision to sever ties was a mutual one.

“We have mutually decided to part ways and wish Nike the best in their future endeavors,” she informed CNBC on Monday.

Irving left a message to fans who have supported him in the past by purchasing his sneakers.

“Anyone who has even spent their hard earned money on anything I have ever released, I consider you FAMILY and we are forever connected. it’s time to show how powerful we are as a community.”

https://twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1599835738576605184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The Brooklyn Nets had previously suspended the mercurial New Jersey native for eight games, stating that Irving was “currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets” for his “failure to disavow antisemitism,” after NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed disgust and criticized Irving for not offering “an unqualified apology.”

Upon Irving’s return to the court, The Brooklyn Nets released a statement: “Kyrie took ownership of this journey and had conversations with several members of the Jewish community. We are pleased that he is going about the process in a meaningful way.”

• News

by Eric Moody

December 6, 2022

Nation Remembers Wife of Late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Cecilia ‘Cissy’ Suyat Marshall, Dies at 94

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The nation is remembering the wife of the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, 94-year-old Cecilia “Cissy” Suyat Marshall, who died on Nov. 22.

Cecilia Suyat worked alongside her husband, civil rights leader Thurgood Marshall, at the NAACP. He became the high court’s first Black justice in 1967, followed by a career as a civil rights lawyer.

As The Associated Press reported, Thurgood Marshall played a huge role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that outlawed segregation in public schools.

He retired in 1991, and died in 1993 at the age of 84.

Born in Hawaii on July 20, 1928, Suyat later moved to New York City and took night classes at Columbia University to become a stenographer, the The Associated Press reported.

She was then sent to work at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People by an employment office.

“The clerk, she saw my dark skin, and she sent me to the national office of the NAACP,” Suyat stated in an interview with The Washington Post.

“That is the only reason I can think of that she sent me to the NAACP for my first job. And to this day, I thank her because had it not been for her, I wouldn’t have known anything about a race problem.”

Suyat told The Washington Post that growing up in the Hawaiian islands, they never had the racial problems that she experienced once lived elsewhere in the U.S.

“Working with the NAACP opened my eyes,” she added in her interview. And it was at the NAACP that she met her husband of almost two decades. Suyat worked on a variety of cases with the NAACP and also helped Marshall prepare for arguments in the Brown v. Board of education case in 1952 and 1953, according to The AP.

Justice Elena Kagan and Chief Justice John Roberts praised Suyat to the Associated Press calling her “a marvelous woman” who will be remembered as a “vibrant and engaged member of the Court family.”

Suyat leaves behind two sons, Thurgood Jr. and John, The Associated Press reports.

The Supreme Court stated that funeral arrangements were pending.

With the turn of the year less than a month away, many people are beginning to set resolutions for things they’d like to implement or change in 2023. Many of these resolutions will include finding a new career, shaving time off a personal best or traveling to a new destination.

Other resolutions will center around boosting one’s learning profile. For those looking for ways to accomplish just that, The Unlimited Lifetime Learning Subscription Bundle ft. Rosetta Stone is just what they need. And with this Last Chance Shipping deal, it can be yours in time for Christmas.

For a limited time, you can purchase a lifetime subscription for just $149. That’s a savings of 91% from its MSRP ($1,749). December 8 is the last day you can order to guarantee Christmas delivery.

Starting with Rosetta Stone, students will have access to 24 languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Dutch and Hebrew. Rosetta Stone’s award-winning software uses proprietary speech-recognition technology that analyzes words students say 100 times per second.

TrueAccent helps develop a command of language as users learn to read, write, speak and understand. Learn basic conversational skills like shopping, ordering food, hailing a taxi, and other real-world situations. In addition, the advanced speech engine allows students to compare their accents to native speakers.

Rosetta Stone received PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice Award. In its review of the language-learning program, the Wall Street Journal writes: “Rosetta Stone… may be the next best thing to living in a country.”

Lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited is also included in this bundle.

StackSkills contains a pre-selected library of more than 1,000 courses. An additional 50 courses are added each month. This program offers access to courses in graphic design, finance, business, marketing, IT, and more.

PC Mag, PC World, Engadget and NBC News have featured StackSkills. It’s rated 4.5 stars on TrustPilot.

This bundle makes for the perfect holiday gift and fits the bill for those looking to learn a new language or skill. Purchase it today.

Prices subject to change.