Columbia University Women’s Basketball Team Aims to ‘Support Black Women’ With Campaign
by Stacy Jackson

November 10, 2022

Columbia University Women’s Basketball Team Aims to ‘Support Black Women’ With Campaign

One women’s college basketball team has its sights set on goals that aren’t just about scoring buckets this season.

The Columbia women’s basketball program announced its season-long “Support Black Women” campaign, an initiative to support Black women within the Harlem community.

According to the Columbia Lions, the team made the announcement days before the start of the 2022-2023 season, posting a video Friday that it would extend a mission it began last season.

“We thought it was important to continue our “Support Black Women” campaign,” senior Lilian Kennedy said. “Last year, we recognized that this was a mission we wanted to continue–we didn’t want to just have that stop last year.

“We think there are several more opportunities to show our support, such as inviting certain groups to our games, continuing to have Black-owned restaurants provide our pregame meals, and just championing and supporting them throughout the season.”

Head coach Megan Griffith said the campaign will now include spotlighting local Black-owned businesses during games, extending resources to local women’s shelters, and seeking out more opportunities to be active in the Harlem community.

“This team is process-oriented and our work is ongoing,” Griffith said.

“I’m proud to see that our players want to continue to use their platforms to make a sustainable impact in our greater community. The work will continue!”

The team will continue ordering home pregame meals from local Black-women-owned restaurants, in addition to connecting with local organizations to implement their SEED (Success, Envision, Empowerment, Determination) mentorship model.

The Lions have spent time volunteering at Grow Our Game, a community basketball clinic that empowers the upcoming generation of girls to become confident leaders who impact the community.

To extend their mission to the masses, the Lions’ video message will play during halftime of every home game.

TRANSFORMERS: INNOVATORS OF TODAY & TOMORROW HOSTED BY NOW & LATER, THE LONG LASTING CHEW “RECOGNIZE THE CHEW”
by Black Enterprise

November 10, 2022

TRANSFORMERS: INNOVATORS OF TODAY & TOMORROW HOSTED BY NOW & LATER, THE LONG LASTING CHEW “RECOGNIZE THE CHEW”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 10, 2022

RHOA’s Porsha Williams Releases Size-Inclusive Fashion Collection, ‘Power By Porsha’

Porsha Williams is getting to the bag amid her hiatus from The Real Housewives of Atlanta and throwing her hat into the fashion arena.

On Thursday, the television personality launched a size-inclusive collaboration collection as part of Amazon’s The Drop that includes dresses, halter tops, and two-piece sets for occasions from day to night. The new Amazon clothing collection is made for all with sizes ranging from XXS to 5X and affordable price points of $80 or less.

“There is nothing more valuable in life than owning the power to be yourself,” Williams said of her new collection.

“That’s why I am calling my Drop collection Power by Porsha.”

Williams gushed about her new collection’s vibrancy and eccentric designs.

“The power in this collection comes from the bold colors, the unique styles and from you,” she continued. “Every piece in this collection gives you the chance to dress up, dress down, feel sexy, feel cozy or match it with something else you love in your closet; all to show the world how you feel on the inside with what you wear on the outside.”

The new collection pieces are the only ones Williams intended to share with the public. But it comes after her slip-up on Instagram Live where she revealed her wedding dress, Blavity reported.

The Bravo star was on Instagram Live on Wednesday when she accidentally gave fan an eyeful of one of her wedding dresses.

https://twitter.com/itsKARY_/status/1590501228081184769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1590501228081184769%7Ctwgr%5Ea31c5ea6349792e76dfe29f4179eb9a35d4948bc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Frhoa-star-porsha-williams-accidentally-165806807.html

Williams is gearing up to tie the knot with Simon Guobadia in a series of lavish weddings to follow his Nigerian culture. The reality TV star faced backlash when she first announced her relationship with Simon since he appeared on RHOA season 13 as the husband of “Porsha’s Friend,” Falynn Pina, People reported.

When confirming her engagement to Simon after one month of dating, Williams claimed that she and Pina “are not friends.” Fans criticized Williams, with many viewers assuming she exited RHOA to avoid being judged by the rest of the group.

‘Woman With No Clothes On…Twerking’, Houston’s Turkey Leg Hut Owners Explain Dress Code
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 10, 2022

‘Woman With No Clothes On…Twerking’, Houston’s Turkey Leg Hut Owners Explain Dress Code

The owners of Houston’s popular Turkey Leg Hut (TLH) are opening up about their highly criticized dress code and explaining why they felt forced to implement one after seeing women come in wearing “nothing.”

Turkey Leg Hut owners Lynn and Nakia Price recently appeared on Tony Robinson’s Get Yo Ass Up show where they addressed their eatery’s dress code policy that came under fire last year. Since opening their restaurant in 2015, TLH has skyrocketed in popularity with Houston locals and visitors seeking out the establishment to throw down on their scrumptious turkey legs.

However, the Prices noticed that some female patrons came into the restaurant wearing little to no clothing. With the restaurant still being a family establishment, the Prices decided to implement a mandatory dress code.

“Please let me break down this dress code,” Nakia explained.

“The dress code was implemented simply because in all of the years we have been in business, we never had to implement a dress code. We’ve never had to tell people how to act. We never had to do anything like that.”

 

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Nakia shut down rumors that she implemented the dress code out of jealousy of her man looking at another woman. The Prices revealed it was Lynn’s idea to implement the dress code after noticing children staring in amazement at some of the clothing and behavior from certain patrons.

“You bring your child in there and the child looks and says, ‘Mommy, I’ve seen it where we sit,’ and they look at the daddy,” Lynn chimed in.

“Our kids come to the restaurant from time to time and you got women with no clothes on, and they just sitting there and they twerking,” Nakia added. “It’s like, what happened to our self-respect as women.”

The eatery went viral last summer when it announced the new policy and told patrons “We are not a club,” but a “family restaurant” that wants everyone to feel comfortable.

by Niko Mann

November 10, 2022

‘Black Panther’ Suit Worn by Late Actor Chadwick Boseman To Be Displayed at National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian will soon display the suit worn by Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther. According to the Smithsonian, the suit will be included in the exhibition “Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures” in March 2023.

The exhibition seeks to elevate stories by using objects that speak to social equality and the liberation of Black people. The Black Panther costume worn by the first Black superhero in mainstream American comics will be one of the highlights of the exhibition.

“On March 24, 2023, our museum will debut a major, thought-provoking exhibition, ‘Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures.’ One of the highlights of this new exhibition will be the #BlackPanther hero costume worn by the late Chadwick Boseman, pictured here. #NMAAHCFutures.”

 

The temporary 4,300-square-foot exhibition will also include the uniform worn by the late Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Nyota Uhura in Star Trek, the typewriter used by science-fiction writer Octavia E. Butler, and the spacesuit-inspired costume worn by LaBelle singer Nona Hendryx.

The exhibition will also include the aviation suit worn by Trayvon Martin at Experience Aviation as he followed his dream of becoming an astronaut. Martin was murdered in 2012 as he walked home from the store.

Kevin Young, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, said the museum is honored to incorporate the joy of an imagined future in the face of injustice.

“Trayvon Martin’s flight suit tells the story of a dream of space flight ended tragically by earthbound violence,” said Young. “We are honored to tell more of Trayvon’s story, exploring his love of flight and mechanics and his fondness for science and technology. Afrofuturism charts the joy of a rich, imagined future, often in the face of injustice.”

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is located in Washington, D.C. next to the Washington Monument. The exhibit will be on display through March of 2024.

conflict, conversations, work, workplace, drama,
by Derek Major

November 10, 2022

Twitter Lays Off Entire Staff in Africa Without Severance; Facebook Lays Off 11,000

Less than a week after opening its only African office in Ghana, Twitter has laid off all but one employee while Facebook announced that it laid off 11,000 employees.

Business Insider South Africa reports Twitter employees found out they were laid off via emails or by being abruptly locked out of their employee accounts. In a since-deleted tweet, Twitter CEO Elon Musk said that employees were offered three months’ severance.

However, CNN international correspondent Larry Madowo tweeted that employees in Ghana were told they were being laid off without additional information or an exit packet and were not offered the same severance as U.S employees.

Twitter’s Ghana office officially opened November 1. Three days later, staff members were locked out of their email accounts and their work laptops stopped functioning. Twitter also laid off employees and closed its office in Japan and laid off 90% of its staff in India.

Twitter isn’t the only social media giant that recently announced layoffs. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a letter sent to employees this week that Facebook is laying off 11,000 employees or 11% of its staff. The social media site has also instituted a hiring freeze through Q1 of 2023.

“Today I’m sharing some of the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history,” Zuckerberg wrote in the letter.

“I’ve decided to reduce the size of our team by about 13 percent and let more than 11,000 of our talented employees go. We are also taking a number of additional steps to become a leaner and more efficient company by cutting discretionary spending and extending our hiring freeze through Q1.”

Meta’s investors are concerned about the rising costs and expenses at the company and the slow start of its Oculus headset, which could have major future implications, especially for jobs that require significant training such as flying or the medical field. However, the headset’s $400 price tag is leaving it out of touch for most individuals and companies.

Amazon has not announced layoffs but has instituted a hiring freeze that could last months.

Amazon “will continue to monitor what we’re seeing in the economy and the business to adjust as we think makes sense,” Beth Galetti, the senior vice president of people experience and technology, said according to KIRO7. “We’re facing an unusual macro-economic environment, and want to balance our hiring and investments with being thoughtful about this economy.”

Her Win: Megan Thee Stallion Credited on Drake’s New Album Despite Diss in ‘Her Loss’ Song
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 10, 2022

Her Win: Megan Thee Stallion Credited on Drake’s New Album Despite Diss in ‘Her Loss’ Song

Megan Thee Stallion is laughing all the way to the bank when it comes to being referenced on Drake‘s new album with 21 Savage, Her Loss.

Drake seemingly took aim at Megan on the track “Circo Loco” where he rapped a subtle line that appeared to reference Megan’s 2020 shooting incident with singer Tory Lanez. “This b***h lie about getting shot, but she still a stallion/She don’t even get the joke but she still smiling,” Drake rapped in the song.

After catching wind of the shady rap line, Megan took to Twitter to blast Drake and any other artist who is siding with Lanez in wake of her accusing the Toronto singer of shooting her.

“Since when tf is it cool to joke [about] women getting shot,” Megan tweeted upon the album’s release.

But it looks like Megan is getting the last laugh. Turns out the Houston Hottie is listed in the credits of the intro track on Drake and 21’s collab album.

According to UpRoxx, Drake and 21 Savage’s Rich Flex track features an interpolation of Megan’s highly recognizable flow from her 2020 hit single, “Savage.”

One look at the song credits and it shows they’ve been updated to include M. Pete, Megan Thee Stallion’s government name, as a composer. Megan’s co-writers, J. White Did It (A.G. White) and Bobby Sessions (B.D. Session Jr.), are also credited. The song credits means Ms. Megan is getting paid off the same album Drake dissed her on.

Fans were quick to applaud Megan for the easy win.

“We love to see it,” one fan tweeted.

https://twitter.com/ijayt205/status/1588581052620378113?s=20&t=AZTvRAxLOz_E0snviHlaBg

“Yea baby get that MF check,” added someone else.

Drake has remained silent about the backlash that he has received for his sly reference to Meg’s shooting on the song. But he has a $4 million lawsuit from Vogue to worry about.

Small Business Administration Proposes Rule Increasing Number Of Non-Bank Lenders
by Derek Major

November 10, 2022

Small Business Administration Proposes Rule Increasing Number Of Non-Bank Lenders

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed a rule increasing the number of non-bank lenders in its 7(a) loan program to provide more lending options to underserved small businesses.

The Business Journals reports the Biden administration and the SBA said in October it wanted to revisit lending participation. SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman said in May the agency was considering expanding the role of Fintechs in its lending programs.

Supporters of the proposed rule, which includes fintech representatives, said it will increase access to capital for small businesses, especially in underserved areas. Attorneys and accountants say businesses, especially small ones, are becoming more interested in SBA loans and grants, but some in the banking industry have concerns about increasing access to the fintech industry.

Hundreds of banks participate in the SBA 7(a) lending program and more than 1,500 banks made loans in 2022. However, since 1981, the agency has limited non-bank licenses that give 7(a) loans to just 14 “small business lending companies,” that are regulated by the agency.

However, the agency has been dipping its toes into expanding its lending options.

In 2011 the SBA created the Community Advantage Pilot Program (CAPP) to provide smaller 7(a) loans to mission-oriented lenders focused on economic development. The pilot was extended to 2024 earlier this year.

The SBA has used non-bank lenders before. In the initial days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA used non-bank lenders to help distribute Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds.

The SBA anticipates it can add three new non-bank lenders to its lender network, based on the resources it will take to supervise them. Additionally, the agency said the lenders in CAPP would also be able to apply to the program and it would not increase the number of lenders the agency has to supervise, since they’re already part of the SBA lending system.

The agency has also proposed removing the existing loan authorization requirement for lenders seeking SBA authorization for 7(a) and 504 loans. Currently, both SBA loans require a loan authorization providing the terms and conditions under which the agency will make or guarantee business loans.

Instead of its current process, under the proposed rule by the agency, it will rely on the terms and conditions of the loan application submitted by the SBA lenders. The agency is also working with HBCU fraternities and Sororities to help close the wealth gap

14-Year-Old Walking After Successful Open Heart Surgery Following Collapse on Football Field
by Eric Moody

November 10, 2022

14-Year-Old Walking After Successful Open Heart Surgery Following Collapse on Football Field

It has been a rocky road to recovery for 14-year-old high school freshman Zaidyn Ward who collapsed in the end zone after scoring a football game’s final touchdown as his team huddled there.

Thankfully, this Texas student-athlete successfully received open-heart surgery two months after the August 31 incident at Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas.

Ward had just finished playing his second game of the year when he suffered a seizure on the field, according to ABC affiliate KXXV. A medical team at the game provided CPR and eventually used a defibrillator twice to save Ward.

The teen was transferred to Cooks Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, roughly 300 miles away. Due to complications, KXXV reported that surgeons quickly realized Ward wasn’t getting blood flow in the left side of his heart and considered performing open heart surgery, considered rare for people his age.

A fundraiser was organized to help Ward and his family pay for the necessary medical expenses. The effort raised over $35,000 with an original campaign goal of just $8,000.

But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ward’s scheduled surgery was reportedly delayed more than once.

“What they wanted him to do was come here and give, I guess, his lungs enough time to heal,” Ward’s mother, Cassandra Combs, told KCBD.

Despite the challenging road, Ward persevered and completed the surgery successfully.

“It feels good. They’re saying that I’m healing faster than what I am supposed to be, so that’s a good thing. I’m already walking after the surgery,” Ward told KLBK following his surgery. Doctors said complications amid an unknown birth defect involving the arteries caused Ward to pass out. 

 “He’s healing,” Combs added. “Zaidyn is pulling through. He’s been walking around, he had his tubes taken out, and he’s done his breathing treatments. He’s healing slowly, but so far, he’s doing pretty good.”

Overall, Ward is optimistic for his future as his doctors said he can return to the football field next year.

by Niko Mann

November 10, 2022

Banned for Life: Man Gets Boot After ‘Heckling’ Black Child At Royal Opera House Performance

A man has received a lifetime ban from the Royal Opera House in London after he heckled a 12-year-old child during his performance.

Malakai M. Bayoh was making his debut as Oberta in the George Frideric Handel opera seria Alcina on Tuesday, November 8.

Bayoh is a music student at the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in London. According to The Daily Beast, when Bayoh took to the stage, the heckler yelled, “Rubbish!” and booed the young performer. Associate art editor of the Financial Times, Josh Spero, tweeted about the incident and asked who would do such a thing to a child.

“The nastiest thing happened @RoyalOperaHouse tonight during Alcina: a ~12yo boy was sweetly singing his lines when a man in the audience yelled ‘rubbish!’ and booed him. Who would do that to a child? Once the boy was done, the audience responded with wild applause and cheering.”

The Royal Opera House also tweeted about the offensive disruption and confirmed that the man was no longer welcome at the facility.

“Unfortunately, the opening night of Alcina featured an audience member who disrupted the show and the excellent performance by young singer Malakai M Bayoh. We are appalled that a member of the audience behaved in this way and steps have been taken to ensure the audience member in question does not return to the Royal Opera House.”

The Royal Opera House also congratulated Bayoh on his excellent performance despite the rude disturbance.

“We would like to congratulate Malakai M Bayoh for his stellar performance as Oberto in our first night of Alcina,” said the spokesperson.

“Malakai is astonishingly talented—bringing great acting and beautiful singing to the role—a huge accomplishment for such a young singer.”

Bayoh received thunderous applause and cheering from the audience at the end of the show.

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