• Politics

by Derek Major

November 18, 2022

Donald Trump Asks For Law Mandating Death Sentence For Drug Dealers In Speech Announcing 2024 Presidential Run

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Former President Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential run Tuesday and called for the death sentence for drug dealers.

“We will wage wars against the cartels and stop the fentanyl and deadly drugs from killing 200,000 Americans a year,” Trump said to applause from several hundred supporters. “And I will ask Congress for legislation ensuring drug dealers and human traffickers, who are responsible for death, carnage, and crime all over our country.”

Trump, who is still under multiple investigations, added that every drug dealer on average will kill 500 people with the drugs they sell.

The Washington Post easily debunked that claim, writing that it’s unknown how many drug dealers there are, making it impossible to estimate how many people the average dealer kills. Additionally, according to the National Institute of Health, about 600,000 people died from overdoses between 2010 and 2020.

That means according to Trump’s statistics, there are about 1,200 dealers nationwide. However the U.S. government prosecutes about 20,000 drug dealers per year, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Additionally, it is unknown whether applying the death sentence to drug dealers can actually happen. In a 2008 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court said, “The death penalty should not be expanded to instances where a life was not taken.”

However the  High Court did say its ruling does not account for crimes defining and punishing treason, espionage, terrorism, and drug kingpin activity.

Trump added that his plan will reduce overdose deaths by up to 75%. That claim is also bogus as the death penalty has never worked as a deterrent to stopping crime, partly because it’s used so little that researchers cannot accurately measure its impact.

While Trump’s base may have been excited about his announcement and speech, many of his mainstay supporters were not. Fox News cut its live feed of Trump’s speech less than an hour into it and ABC News reporter Olivia Rubin tweeted a video of audience members leaving Trump’s announcement as he was talking—and security staff not letting them do so.

A crowd has formed by the exit of the ballroom as some try to leave Trump’s announcement speech before he has finished…. But security won’t let them. pic.twitter.com/O7C6QJfYgK

— Olivia Rubin (@OliviaRubinABC) November 16, 2022

• Lifestyle

by Atiya Jordan

November 18, 2022

Meet Vegalia Jean-Pierre: Haitian Digital Artist and Animator Who Created Digital Brushes For Black Hair

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Vegalia Jean-Pierre, a Haitian digital artist and animator from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is providing artists with creative solutions dripped in Black hair versatility.

The 28-year-old created by Vegalia, a brand of one-of-a-kind tools for artists to design realistic Black hairstyles in digital artwork. Ranging in price from $8 to $20, she offers digital brushes for several natural hairstyles including curls, coils, braids, twists, locs on Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop, and Procreate.

Her journey to entrepreneurship was fueled by not only her passion for art but the low representation of Black characters in the shows she watched as a kid.

“I’ve grown up with cartoons and anime and everything,” Jean-Pierre told Allure. “There are not a lot of Black characters that accurately represent us. At first, I started to develop characters like that—that’s why I developed these brushes in the first place. I drew this character [and it] took three to four hours to draw her micro-braids.

“And I don’t really want to do that again, but I don’t want characters to just not exist just because it took a long time,” she continued. “I want other people to be able to use these. I want other people to accurately draw us, too.”

 

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The creation of her tools for Procreate and Photoshop started as a test project. She used research on different Black hair textures and drew inspiration from her family. Later, the process transcended into a massive blowup on TikTok. Her brushes for braids hit millions of views on the platform and made her a lot of money while working a full-time job. However, the demand for other textures and styles increased.

“I slowly began to build and build all the brushes to be even more inclusive for all those softwares and have over 50 different hair curl textures,” Jean-Pierre said.

“I’m sure I’ll have more in the future, but anywhere from animators to illustrators to do book covers to comic book artists, to people who are just hobbyist or really young beginners that just want to use it for fun or to practice how to draw curls,” she added.

Back in 2021, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported on Jean-Pierre’s reward of more than $50,000 from TikTok to fund the creation of an app. She participated in a three-month Black Creatives incubator program, where she was equipped with resources that helped to increase her TikTok following to over 500,000 followers at the time. She now has more than 600,000 followers.

• Men

by Derek Major

November 18, 2022

Wall Street and Netflix Star Ross Mac Discusses Generational Wealth On The Your Money, Your Life Podcast

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Former Wall Street professional Shareef “Ross Mac” McDonald joined Black Enterprise’s Your Money, Your Life podcast Thursday to discuss generational wealth.

McDonald, who spent more than a decade working at Morgan Stanley joined BE Senior Vice President Alfred Edmond Jr. and started the discussion talking about the first time he realized some people discuss money differently.

“I pride myself on being a guy who wants to bring Wall Street to Main Street, I grew up on the Southside of Chicago, went to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, graduate from there, and worked on Wall Street,” he said. “And one of the things I realized when it comes to the wealth gap in this country when it comes to Black and White and other groups, it boils down to an information…but more importantly, an exposure gap.

“One of the things that I learned while being at Wharton was that there’s different levels of what money is and also they’re different conversations that other kids from different cultures are having that kids from the inner cities aren’t having. And I learned this being an 18-year-old kid sitting in Econ 101 next to an Asian student who was literally day trading in the middle of class.”

McDonald said he wants to be the urban Jim Cramer. The Chicago native is doing just that today, imparting his financial and stock knowledge to help the Black community through his YouTube channel, his work on Revolt TV, and the Netflix documentary Get Smart With Money, where he coaches NFL cornerback Jalen “Teez” Tabor on how to better manage his money.

McDonald and Edmond also discussed inflation and why it’s paramount that Black people invest their money as opposed to keeping it in a savings account or a shoebox under the bed.

“The reality is, and what especially now should teach you, is that the cost of living goes up every year. And what I’m talking about is something called inflation, so at a very bare minimum, people need to understand that you need to—at a minimum—have your money invested in something that is going to be equal or more to inflation.

“So, in a normal year, inflation is about 3%. What I mean by that is a basket of goods that you’re going to spend in a normal year is about 3%, so in a normal year if something costs $100 last year, it’s going to cost $103 next year and keep going each year and so just think about your money in that shoebox and you’re getting no return or even in that savings account where you’re getting pennies, .06%.”

The full interview, including more on how to better save your money and how to start having the right conversations with your children and family concerning money, can be found here.

• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

November 18, 2022

Chase Takes Nationwide Action To Expand Credit Access for Small Businesses Through Special Purpose Credit Program in Historically Underserved Areas

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Chase has announced the national launch of a Special Purpose Credit Program (SPCP) to improve access to credit for small business owners in historically underserved areas.

The program is the first of its kind to be offered for small business owners nationally and one of many initiatives Chase has introduced to expand small business relationships, drive inclusive economic growth and increase access to credit for minority small business owners in a sustainable way.

“Access to capital has historically been disproportionally challenging for small business owners who live and work in communities of color,” said Ben Walter, CEO, Chase Business Banking.

“We want to do our part to create more parity by saying yes to more business owners in these areas so they can grow and thrive, and their communities can benefit in turn.”

The program is geography-based, allowing the bank to target capital to the areas that need it most. The goal of the program is to extend credit to small business owners who might not otherwise be approved or receive it on less favorable terms. Customers do not need to do anything special to qualify. If the business is located in an eligible area, then the application will be evaluated under the program.

Chase began piloting the program in Dallas, Detroit, Houston, and Miami earlier this year and expanded it to 21 cities in July. It is now available for businesses in majority Black, Hispanic and Latino neighborhoods across the U.S.

Small Businesses are the Engine of the American Economy

“Small businesses are critical drivers of economic growth and job creation, and credit is key to helping them survive and thrive,” Walter said. “They are also important anchors for their neighborhoods, and when they are better able to invest and grow they create more vibrant and resilient communities.”

As part of the firm’s $30 billion commitment, its Business Banking arm has been increasingly focused on supporting the growth of Black, Hispanic and Latino entrepreneurs.

“Minority entrepreneurs are rapidly becoming the customer of the future,” said Mikal Quarles, head of Chase Business Banking Racial Equity Strategies. “We want to help more minority-owned businesses create and sustain wealth long-term. We are accomplishing this by building the infrastructure, strengthening relationships, and bringing owners into the mainstream financial system. Growing and thriving small business customers are an important driver of our long-term business goals.”

Other Initiatives Under way to Support Minority Business Owners

Special Purpose Credit Programs are just one way Chase is driving sustainable, inclusive economic growth with a focus on greater access to credit.  Chase recently:

• Improved the application process for smaller-dollar loans (generally up to $500,000) to make the process easier, faster and less intimidating.
• Launched a digital loan application so customers can apply for a business line of credit online – no need to call or visit a branch. It’s being rolled out in phases and is expected to be widely available in 2023.
• Expanded its free one-on-one coaching programto more than 40 trained senior business consultants in 21 U.S. cities to provide mentoring and advice to minority business owners on everything from boosting creditworthiness to managing cash flow to effective marketing.
  • Since the program’s inception in 2020, Chase has mentored more than 2,600 minority business owners, helping them improve their operations, plan for growth, and network with others in the local business community.
• Launched a new resource centerat Chase.com/businessconsultant that provides free educational content, resources, and advice to help early-stage and established entrepreneurs achieve their goals.

“Creating a more equitable economy is a business and social imperative,” said Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “I applaud Chase for helping minority business owners pursue their dreams.”

Research Supports the Need for Special Efforts to Expand Access to Credit

When looking at liquid wealth among U.S. small business owners, the JPMorgan Chase Institute found that:

• Black and Hispanic small business owners have a lower level of starting wealth, which may mean these founders are less able to invest in their businesses.

• Existing wealth inequities could influence the ability of Black or Hispanic founders to invest in their businesses and generate meaningful wealth.
• Programs targeting low-income or majority-minority neighborhoods could be particularly helpful for Black and Hispanic business owners, who typically start firms with less cash, which may limit their opportunities for wealth creation.

Director Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation is set to hit theaters on Dec. 2 and Apple TV+ on Dec. 9.

The film stars Will Smith and is the actor’s first film release in the wake of his now-infamous Oscars slap assault against Chris Rock. With Fuqua being the first to release a film of Smith’s following the controversial moment, the filmmaker is forced to address speculation about working with the Academy Award-winning actor.

The film is based on the real events of an escaped slave who joined the Union Army during the Civil War. Following the war, the man’s whip-scarred back was photographed and became the image used for anti-slavery messages.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Fuqua says despite Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in March, Apple “never stopped talking about releasing the film” as there was never any talk “about the movie not coming out.”

Fuqua calls the film his “strongest piece of work” and credits Apple for being “very careful” with monitoring the timeline of when the film would release, considering all the negative press Smith has received following the Oscars slap attack.

“Isn’t 400 years of slavery, of brutality, more important than one bad moment?” Fuqua asked.

The Training Day director also pointed out that, in Hollywood, there have been “some really ugly things that have taken place” and that “we’ve seen a lot of people get awards that have done some really nasty things.”

Fuqua enjoyed working with Smith, whom he describes as the “nicest person I’ve ever met in my life.” He also believes everyone who worked on Emancipation will “tell you the same.”

The Equalizer filmmaker personally knows Chris Rock and thinks he’s also “a good guy.” While he notes the Oscars slap was “an unfortunate event,” he hopes that “we can move forward and get past it.”

BIPOC-founded Immersive and IRL pop-up program, Sip Shop Eat! may be coming to a city near you, and you might not want to miss being a part of this space of emerging entrepreneurs.

Sip Shop Eat! was launched by CEO & Founder Taylar Colyar in April 2017 as a platform for small businesses to gain visibility within a community where they can connect, share, and promote their brands with like-minded entrepreneurs.

Coylar was inspired to curate a circle of resources after her experience as a vendor left her dissatisfied. Her mission was to associate with other entrepreneurs to have a space to learn and inspire each other.

“I love small businesses, Coylar says on the Sip Shop Eat! website.

“I’ve always wished I had a full-circle resource to connect with and learn from other entrepreneurs. I created Sip Shop Eat as a platform for small businesses to gain the visibility they often yearn for. Providing a resource for the entrepreneurs that run them and the shoppers that support them.”

The experiential platform invites entrepreneurs and consumers to gather, connect, and discover the best food, beauty, style, and drinks through IRL and virtual experiences provided by various independent brands.

In an interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE, Colyar shared her experiences navigating entrepreneurship and growing the Sip Shop Eat! brand.

The Inspiration Behind Sip Shop Eat!

“My inspiration was created from something I craved. An experience that would provide brands with the visibility, support, community, and sales that they too were craving.”

“My journey started with an online, luxury vintage boutique. As a new mom of two, I found it challenging to navigate entrepreneurship. I was attempting to keep my online business afloat,” she told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I started doing pop-up shops and events after struggling with online sales for a few years. While I experienced sporadic success at pop-up events, my experiences were inconsistent, and I realized that many market organizers did not truly consider the brands who were showcasing.”

These experiences led Colyar to host her first Sip Shop Eat! in Manhattan, New York. Her efforts to keep brands at the center of the mission led to curated experiences where business owners were thriving from the events. After a one-time event, her pop-up was becoming highly requested.

Does Your Brand Match The Sip Shop Eat! Vibe?

“At Sip Shop Eat, we are always looking for brands that are innovative, on-trend, and unique. Our customer has a unique sense of style, appreciates vintage, but also enjoys wearing the latest trends. As a result, we always look for brands who are one of a kind.”

Colyar shared that she aims to avoid overlapping too many similar brands.

Additionally, a brand’s vibe plays a significant factor when selecting vendors for pop-up events.

“More than anything, the vibe we create is the most important for us. For this reason, the number one thing we look for is the applicant’s overall vibe which is demonstrated in the application.”

Entrepreneurs Gain Invaluable Benefits

According to the creative entrepreneur, “The benefits for participating entrepreneurs are invaluable.”

Colyar said the overall goals for her pop-up events are for entrepreneurs to find community, raise brand awareness, meet new customers, and network with like-minded entrepreneurs.

Additionally, business owners can make direct sales from event attendees.

The Future of Sip Shop Eat!

“In the future, we plan to expand to more cities, adding more dates to our annual tours. In addition, we plan to continue elevating the IRL and virtual shop small experiences for our audiences,” Colyar said.

According to the website, the Sip Shop Eat! entrepreneur program cultivates emerging entrepreneurs through virtual gatherings, The Entrepreneur’s Book Club, and by gathering and sharing transformative information and resources that benefit entrepreneurs.

Sip Shop Eat! has expanded to three major cities, a virtual Pop-UP, and a digital online shop for larger brands and smaller brands to connect.

The brand will be hosting its upcoming Sip, Shop, Eat! Holiday in Brooklyn Pop-Up at Hook Studios in Brooklyn, New York, from Dec. 10–11. Attendees at the two-day pop-up will experience a selection of over 65 small business vendors to shop from while enjoying a nail bar, tarot, unlimited cocktails, cotton candy, and more.

 

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Sign up for the event at https://www.sipshopeat.com/rsvpbrooklyn

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 18, 2022

Russian Penal Colony Where Brittney Griner Will Spend Her Time Revealed

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After speculating where imprisoned WNBA player Brittney Griner would serve her jail time, her attorneys confirmed that they now know where she is located.

According to Reuters, on Thursday, her attorneys revealed that Griner, sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison after being convicted on drug charges, has been taken to a penal colony approximately 300 miles southeast of Moscow.

Previous reports of her whereabouts were unknown, with only the news that she would be spending her time at a penal colony. A penal colony is unlike a regular prison system. Reportedly, conditions are harsher as prisoners work for minimal pay.

Griner’s attorneys confirmed the Phoenix Mercury basketball player had been taken to Female Penal Colony IK-2, located in the town of Yavas in the Mordovia region. This is the same region where another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan, has been serving his 16-year sentence. The Russian courts convicted him of espionage charges that he denies. He is located in a different penal settlement.

In a written statement, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boikov said, “We can confirm that Brittney began serving her sentence at IK-2 in Mordovia. We visited her early this week. Brittney is doing as well as could be expected and trying to stay strong as she adapts to a new environment.”

A representative from the U.S. State Department stated their disappointment in not being notified of the move to the penal county, as the United States wasn’t told of her location.

A statement was released regarding the situation.

“We are aware of reports of her location, and in frequent contact with Ms. Griner’s legal team.

“However, the Russian Federation has still failed to provide any official notification for such a move of a U.S. citizen, which we strongly protest.”

As previously reported, Griner was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison on Aug. 4 by a Russian court in Moscow. She has been detained in Russia since February, when Russian authorities discovered vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

Michelle Obama is opening up about the personal beauty sacrifices she made during her husband’s presidency to appease the masses who needed to “adjust” to having a Black family in the White House.

The former first lady sat down for a candid discussion at the Warner Theatre in Washington on Tuesday as part of her promotional tour for her new book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, The Washington Post reports.

While speaking with the crowd, Obama explained why she avoided wearing her hair in braids while her husband sat in the Oval Office, explaining that Americans were “just getting adjusted” to having the first Black president.

Obama prefers wearing her hair in braids and felt like it would’ve been an easier hairstyle to wear while serving as first lady. But “nope, they’re not ready for it,” the Chicago native said.

Instead, Obama opted to wear her hair straightened for all eight years of Barack’s presidency. She didn’t want to cause a media firestorm the family knew would come as the Obama administration worked to meet its goals.

“Let me keep my hair straight,” Obama decided at the time. “Let’s get healthcare passed.”

Obama uses the situation as an example of the types of decisions Black women are faced with on a daily basis as they navigate dynamics within the workplace. While many Black women find it easier to wear their hair in protective styles like braids, dreadlocks, or Afros, there is constant pressure to meet Eurocentric beauty standards at the workplace to align with what corporate America deems as a more professional, “clean-cut” appearance.

“We deal with it — the whole thing about, ‘Do you show up with your natural hair?’” Obama said.

In March, the House passed the Crown Act to combat hair discrimination in the workplace, NPR reports. The law aims to end bias against someone’s hairstyle, including those “in which hair is tightly coiled or tightly curled, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros.”

In July, Massachusetts signed the Crown Act into law, making it the 18th state to implement the anti-hair discrimination bill, Allure reports.

• Education

by Niko Mann

November 18, 2022

Michigan State University Opens New Space For Department Of African American and African Studies

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Michigan State University celebrated the opening of a new learning space for the Department of African American and African Studies on Thursday, according to NBC affiliate WILX.

The new 8,400-square-foot learning space is located on the second floor of North Kedzie Hall and will serve as a place to increase student, faculty and staff engagement. The new space also includes social and wellness rooms.

The Department of African American and African Studies was founded at Michigan State University in 2019, and the school launched African American and African Studies as a major back in March of this year. The new bachelor’s degree program was created for students who attend the university with the intent of pursuing a “higher education with a real-world, sincere desire for change.” The cultural practices of African Americans and Africans including Black Feminism, Black Gender Studies, Black Sexuality Studies and Social Justice are included in the curriculum.

MSU Inaugural Chairperson Ruth Nicole Brown said that the undergraduate degree provides an opportunity for students to dream out loud, experience Black joy and demand answers about why systemic inequities still exist.

“Students want opportunities to make a positive difference, hold a critical thought, and radically imagine something needed but does not yet exist. Students want to know how they can contribute to change,” said Brown.

“They yearn for Black joy and educational spaces to dream out loud informed by active witnessing and intellectual curiosities demanding context for historical continuums of injustices and answers as to why systemic inequities persist.”

“They want to know more about Blackness as diasporic belonging, as healing, expansive, and life-affirming. This new degree in AAAS answers that call.”

Religion and Spirituality, Performance, Film and Institutions are also part of the new undergraduate program. AAAS Associate Professor LeConté Dill said that the program will arm graduates with the tools to navigate the world.

“By earning an AAAS degree from MSU, students can expect to enter careers armed with an expanded toolkit of research, art, and activism to lean on as guides on how to move in the world, as we say in AAAS, ‘beyond survival and into wellness,’” she said.

The Department of African American and African Studies is part of the university’s College of Arts and Letters.

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 18, 2022

Tia Mowry Credits ‘Self-Love’ As Reason for Filing For Divorce From Cory Hardrict

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Tia Mowry is opening up after announcing her divorce from Cory Hardrict last month and the TV star is crediting “self-love” as the reason why she made the filing.

The Sister Sister star appeared on the Today show on Wednesday where she spoke candidly about the “awakening” she had ahead of filing to divorce her husband of 14 years.

“I knew when I really started to focus on my happiness,” Mowry said.

“I feel like women, we tend to focus on everybody else’s happiness, making sure that everybody else is OK — meaning our children, our friends, our family — but at the end of the day, it’s about self-love.”

Mowry, who shares two children with Hardrict, elaborated on her self-love journey and how it led her to call it quits after 14 years of marriage.

“When you start to really work on yourself, love yourself, know your value and know your worth, then all of a sudden, there’s this awakening,” she said.

“And it’s not easy. It’s a hard journey, but at the end of the day, I feel like it is so, so worth it,”

The Game alum credited therapy and the loss of relatives for motivating her to come to the life-changing decision.

“It was all of that together that gave me that ‘aha’ moment,” she said.

Despite the divorce. Mowry still sees their 14-year marriage as a “success” and describes their breakup as a “celebration.”

“I look at it as, like, a curriculum,” Mowry explained. “You’re learning, you’re growing, you’re evolving, you’re creating, and I was able to create with Cory some beautiful, amazing children.”

She continued.

“It’s not about staying in something because however long you are in that situation that equals success. It’s about really, again, are you happy? Because life is really short.”

 

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Mowry announced her divorce through a heartfelt Instagram post on October 4. The former couple shares their son Cree, 11, and daughter Cairo, 4.