Former College Football Coach Compares Descendants of Slaves to Criminals at Donald Trump Rally
by Derek Major

October 11, 2022

Former College Football Coach Compares Descendants of Slaves to Criminals at Donald Trump Rally

Alabama Senator and former college football coach Tommy Tuberville is facing intense backlash after comparing descendants of enslaved people to criminals.

NPR reports Tuberville made the comments during a rally for former President Donald Trump in Nevada last weekend. During the rally, the former football coach criticized Democrats for being pro-crime.

“They want crime because they want to take over what you got,” Tuberville said at the rally. “They want to control what you have.”

“They want reparations because they think the people that do the crime are owed that. Bull****! They are not owed that.”

The comments received immediate backlash, including from NAACP President, Derrick Johnson, who did not mince words in a statement released Monday.

“Senator Tuberville’s comments are flat-out racist, ignorant, and utterly sickening. His words promote a centuries-old lie about Black people that throughout history has resulted in the most dangerous policies and violent attacks on our community,” Johnson said.

“We’ve seen this before from the far-right, and we’ve seen what they can do when they take power. Next time the Senator wants to talk about crime, he should talk about Donald Trump’s hate-fueled rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and the attacks that followed.”

“Perhaps the real criminals are in his orbit.”

Tuberville’s comments were especially concerning considering he spent more than 15 years coaching dozens of young Black men at the University of Cincinnati, Auburn University, and Texas Tech University.

Additionally, there has been growing support to provide reparations to descendants of enslaved people. While many are still against reparations, some areas have come up with programs around reparations. In Illinois, the town of Evanston started a reparations program around housing.

Last year 11 mayors in St. Louis, Los Angeles, and even Oklahoma, pledged to develop reparation programs to help Black Americans in the form of home loans, business investments, and more.

In California, the state began a reparations task force and released two studies detailing its history of racism and recommending ways the state can give reparations back to descendants of formerly enslaved people, including housing grants, tuition benefits for college students, and raising the minimum wage.

by Eric Moody

October 11, 2022

John Legend and Other Celebrities Shut Kanye West Down After Anti-Semitic Tweets

Rapper Kanye West‘s latest antics may have long-lasting effects.

While the mercurial rapper has been known to go off against Black people and pledge allegiance to white supremacists, this time celebrities are working together to shut him down and shut him up after posting what many considered to be anti-Semitic speech in tweets on Saturday.

A laundry list of celebrities have spoken out after Ye tweeted:

“I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”

Kanye then continued: “The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”

After his tweet, Twitter locked Ye out of his Twitter account for the now-deleted tweet that the company stated violated their policies.

Twitter followed a similar action that Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, took to restrict the rapper’s Instagram account for similar violations from a text message screenshot shared on his account with rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The Instagram post showed messages that Ye stated: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me. I told you this was war.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, musician John Legend, and actress Jamie Lee Curtis are just a few notable celebs who have spoken out against Ye’s social media behavior.

Ye’s comments on the Jewish community follow a controversial month for the 45-year-old.

This includes his partnership feud with Adidas, wearing a White Lives Matter t-shirt in Paris at his fashion show during Fashion Week, and his appearance with Fox News host Tucker Carlson where Ye commented on singer Lizzo appearing to look “unhealthy” regarding her weight.

Last month, Ye ended his business partnership with Gap, citing failure to meet obligations involving the distribution of his merchandise via letter, the Associated Press reported.

‘Manufactured Crisis’: Stacey Abrams Brushes Off Concerns About Black Support in Georgia
by Derek Major

October 11, 2022

‘Manufactured Crisis’: Stacey Abrams Brushes Off Concerns About Black Support in Georgia

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) brushed off concerns that she lacked Black support in Georgia, calling it a “manufactured crisis.”

The Fair Fight founder insisted she is polling well with Black voters in Georgia and is not concerned with Gov. Brian Kemp’s attempts to pull in Black voters heading into the midterm elections.

“I think the manufactured crisis [is] designed to suppress turnout…,” abrams said.

“I’ve done more than 50 events in the Black community,” Abrams told Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream, according to The Hill.

“I’m excited about the turnout we’re seeing—I’m excited about the engagement that we’re seeing. I know, however, that every election cycle, there has to be some worry, and in this case, it is a worry that’s being manufactured.”

According to FiveThirtyEight, Abrams is six points behind Kemp in the latest polls. According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, Abrams has 80% support among Black voters, including 75% of Black men supporting her.

The Georgia voting rights advocate has been trying to raise her profile with Black men, making an appearance on the 85 South show in August and telling Yahoo News during a campaign event in the same month:

“If Black men vote for me, I will win Georgia.”

Abrams also participated in an HBCU panel with rapper 21 Savage and Hot 97 host Charlamagne Tha God.

Abrams lost the 2018 race to Kemp. The HBCU graduate reportedly received 97% of the vote from Black women and 91% support from Black men.

Black people in Georgia, especially young Black men and women attending Atlanta-area HBCUs, are organizing and registering Black voters to help Abrams beat Kemp.

Abrams believes her platform, which includes tackling Georgia’s high incarceration rate, expanding Medicaid, and improving financial factors for Black businesses, appeals to Black men.

“These are all very discernible and clear issues for Black men, for Black communities,” Abrams said according to News Nation.

“And I’m the only candidate not only talking about these issues but providing solutions.”

‘Relax, Relate, and Rejuvenate’: Black Women Open Modern-Day Country Club With a Twist
by Stacy Jackson

October 11, 2022

‘Relax, Relate, and Rejuvenate’: Black Women Open Modern-Day Country Club With a Twist

Time away from a busy schedule is well-deserved for all of the hardworking women around the world.

Tiffany Griffin and LaToye Morris, founders of Mahogany Manor, are offering Black women a space to take a quick break from their daily tasks at their modern-day country club ‘with a twist.’

According to Model D, the dynamic duo met while teaching at the Detroit Windsor Dance Academy years ago. As both women ventured through their busy schedules, they were searching for a space to decompress from their daily work and family duties, inspiring the idea of Mahogany Manor, which originated in 2018.

“We were in the thick of things with children and them becoming themselves, and we thought we should do funny mom quotes. And it went from that to, ‘moms need a place, ‘wives need a place, then it was, ‘business women need a place and specifically Black women just need a space where we can just be ourselves and be acceptable to each other,” Morris said according to the outlet.

 

Morgan and Griffin curated the environment for Black women to take a well-deserved break from their daily tasks. Hosting events and programming allowed the founders to present their vision to women in Detroit from social groups for mothers and other places centered around relief and support for Black women.

“Our tagline is ‘relax, relate, rejuvenate,’ right? So we want to have a space to relax, just decompress, especially in the middle of your schedule,” Morris said.

 

Although the women have not found a permanent location for Mahogany Manor due to the interruption of the pandemic, they currently have a residence in the Brownstone Room in Marygrove’s Madame Cadillac building one weekend per month. This allows the women to continue to provide resources for women to unwind, network, and take part in self-care practices, including yoga, mental health exercises, and other workshops.

(Image: Instagram / @themahoganymanor / Screenshot)

Plans for Mahogany Manor reportedly include five locations, 10,000+ memberships, and the hopes of becoming a household name.

HBCU Graduate Opens Houston’s First Black-Owned Hibachi Food Truck
by Atiya Jordan

October 11, 2022

HBCU Graduate Opens Houston’s First Black-Owned Hibachi Food Truck

Dempsey Robinson is serving Japanese-style flavors to the Houston community and beyond from the city’s first Black-owned hibachi food truck.

The 25-year-old Texas Southern University (TSU) alum and former football player launched his first food truck in Houston’s Third Ward in August, Fox 26 Houston reported. He moved to Houston in 2015 to play scholarship football for TSU. Now, he is the co-founder of Hibachi Bros Food Truck along with his friend, business partner, and grill chef, Philip Taylor. 

Shortly after college graduation in 2021, the pair banded together to bring the first of its kind to one of the most ethnically diverse cities.

Typically cooked on a large, open grill, the popular cuisine consists of a wide variety of foods, including vegetables, chicken, steak, shrimp, scallops, and even desserts. Hibachi restaurants are popular in major cities in the United States, but Robinson and Taylor are upgrading the food truck experience with its late-night hours, homemade frozen Italian ice-style treats, and more.

“I want to be Houston’s hibachi,” Robinson said, per the Houston Chronicle.

“I want to be the people’s hibachi.”

Home of the grilled “BRO-RITO,” Hibachi Bros Food Truck features authentic Japanese-styled hibachi entrées, made to order, with five signature sauces and a variety of combo plates. They also offer vegetarian options, signature beverages, and “Samurai Ice” juices.

Celebrities like Lil Baby, Ray J, and Maxo Kream have even stopped by to indulge. The bros of the operation were also asked to throw a party for basketball star James Harden at his home in Houston.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by THE PEOPLES HIBACHI (@hibachibroshtx)

Robinson, a Los Angeles native, is no stranger to giving back. His love and pride for football is now offering specials every NFL Sunday at the 4501 Almeda Road location. If customers buy four entrées, they can receive one entrée for free, or buy three entrées and get a free BRO-RITO.

 

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A post shared by THE PEOPLES HIBACHI (@hibachibroshtx)

Back in August, the Hibachi Bros Food Truck even hosted a “Burritos for Backpacks” supply drive to help Houston Independent School District students in need. The food truck provided a free BRO-RITO per new backpack donation per customer.

“We love to give back and help kids succeed and thought this would be a fun way to rally some community support for backpack donations by offering our one-of-a-kind Hibachi-stuffed burritos as an extra incentive,” Robinson said, per the Defender Network.

The hibachi duo has also opened a second food truck which will act solely as an onsite catering business for private parties, events, and tailgating.

For more information, visit https://hibachibroshtx.com.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 11, 2022

Candace Owens Exposes Alleged Audio of Kim Kardashian Trashing Whitney Houston and Ray J

Singer Ray J, who rose to fame as R&B singer Brandy’s little brother and in a viral sex tape with Kim Kardashian, was also known to be a good friend of the late singer Whitney Houston.

While Ray J’s relationship with Houston was never made clear, it clearly pissed off his ex-girlfriend Kardashian who was caught on audio cussing Ray J out and disparaging Houston.

Conservative pundit Candace Owens got her hands on the voicemail left for Ray J by Kardashian and, on Monday, released the audio exposing Kardashian’s heated rant, which attacks Houston and her drug use and includes calling the beloved international superstar an “old hag.”

The combative host does not reveal how she obtained the audio but decided to release it to the public. Owens even calls the Kardashians a “Hollywood cartel” based on their alleged actions behind the scenes.

Surprisingly, she somewhat comes to the defense of Black men by saying what has been stated over the years about the Kardashians’ use of Black men and how they “leave them in the dust.”

“Well, some tapes are making the rounds, of Kim Kardashian and she’s talking trash, this was years ago and it seems to be a voicemail that she left Ray J. Where it’s not the sweet little Kim K that she presents today. She’s nasty; she’s calling Whitney Houston a crackhead and she’s yelling at Ray J. This tape landed on my lap and I am told it is much much more.

“This is just a sample.”

On the explosive tape, Kardashian is heard berating Ray J and Houston as she yells at hm, and calls him “disgusting and desperate.”

She tells Ray not to call her back and never to contact her again.

“I think you’re honestly a sick human being. You are just so desperate that you’ll do anything for f**cking attention, and you’re just so disgusting. Honestly, go, like have fun with old hag Whitney Houston, like, you’re so sick, and like crack is definitely not wack with you guys. You are just, honestly, it makes me laugh on how disgusting you guys look.”

She proceeds to call him and the couple disgusting several times, and by the end of the message, she is cursing at him and ends the message by stating, at the top of her lungs, that she “hates” him.

Owens has invited Ray J to come on her podcast to discuss the situation.

A Step in the Right Direction: President Joe Biden’s Pardon of Cannabis Possession Will Help Black Victims of War on Drugs
by Derek Major

October 11, 2022

A Step in the Right Direction: President Joe Biden’s Pardon of Cannabis Possession Will Help Black Victims of War on Drugs

It’s no secret that the War on Drugs has led to the mass incarceration of Black and Hispanic Americans, turned minority neighborhoods into police states, and deprived men and women of their freedom.

President Joe Biden announced an executive order pardoning simple federal cannabis possession charges for thousands of Americans, something advocates say is a first step in reversing decades of racism and uneven drug enforcement. In a release, Biden described how cannabis changed the lives of Americans, and how Black and Hispanic people were the true victims of the War on Drugs.

“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit,” Biden said in a statement last week.

“And while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates.”

Biden’s executive order also calls on governors to pardon those charged at the state level and initiates a review of cannabis being considered a Schedule I drug, which is on the same level as heroin and a more serious classification than fentanyl.

The order will pardon more than 6,500 Americans and lawful permanent residents who were convicted on federal charges of simple possession between 1992 and 2021. The executive order will not affect anyone currently incarcerated because no one currently in federal prison is there on simple possession charges alone.

Patrice Willoughby, the vice president of policy and legislative affairs at the NAACP, said Biden’s pardon is a nice start to ending a drug war that has affected generations of Black Americans.

“Too many people have been caught up as a result of that and have been denied jobs, opportunity, housing, and other benefits of this country because of a malevolent policy,” Willoughby told NPR.

“This is a step towards restorative justice.”

While Biden’s act has drawn praise, others say it doesn’t go far enough and they want to see the president address possession at the state level where most possession charges occur.

“These pardons certainly have an impact of removing some of these collateral consequences for individuals,” Eliana Green, senior policy advisor at the Hood Incubator, a nonprofit organization for cannabis justice reform told NPR.

“We definitely, at the state levels, need to be creating more record cleaning remedies for folks and avenues for folks to be able to remove these collateral consequences that are imputed on them.”

Currently, 38 states allow medical cannabis use and another 19, including New York, New Jersey, and Oregon, allow recreational use. Voters in another five states will determine how their states view possession in next month’s midterm elections.

Black Man Saves Elderly Asian Man In Attempted LA Carjacking; Hailed As Hero
by Eric Moody

October 11, 2022

Black Man Saves Elderly Asian Man In Attempted LA Carjacking; Hailed As Hero

An unidentified Black man is being hailed as a hero after saving an elderly Asian man from a carjacker in Los Angeles.

A community advocacy organization called Black and Asian Souls, took to Instagram Friday, posting a video of the incident.

The video captured the unidentified good Samaritan pointing a handgun at the alleged carjacker, forcing him to walk away from the victim.

The man then shouted at the alleged carjacker, denouncing the actions that were allegedly intended for the Asian man.

The now-viral footage of the incident occurred back on April 27 in Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile area, according to information obtained from NextShark.

“This video was provided by a resident, to one of my fellow LAPD volunteers,” Representative Thao Train of Miracle Mile Zone 7 told NextShark. “When I reviewed the video, I felt strongly that it had to be shared.”

Others on social media supported the do-gooder’s actions.

“…This is the type of behavior that’s needed in EVERY community in America to exile the sickness of people who are doing the damage to our communities,” said user and former congressional candidate Barrington Martin II in a tweet.

One person wrote on YouTube, “Good for this guy for pushing the bad guy right out of the neighborhood. We need more of this in our communities.”

According to the San Francisco Police Department, anti-Asian hate crimes in 2021 jumped 567% from 2020.

Preliminary data collected by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism also reflects that Los Angeles and New York saw record highs of anti-Asian hate incidents.

by Stacy Jackson

October 11, 2022

Brand Consultant Barbara Clarke Ruiz Connects to Her Korean Half-Sister Through DNA

An extensive family history search brought one member a shocking extension to her sibling status.

Barbara Clarke Ruiz, a Black brand consultant in New Jersey previously featured in BLACK ENTERPRISE, recently united with her Korean half-sister after a DNA sample was sent in by her cousin, Franklin Clarke, to the popular genetic testing company, 23andMe. Clarke Ruiz’s cousin reportedly sent in the sample about a year and a half ago as a part of a long research process on their family history.

According to Montclair Local, the results they received indicated that one of their family members had a half-sister. The history of Clarke Ruiz’s family includes her father, who fought in the Korean war. Because of a photograph of her father with a Korean woman holding a baby, kept by family members in Virginia, she believes her father had a relationship during the time he was deployed.

As reported by the outlet, Lupe Ibarra, the woman who matched the DNA profile of Clarke Ruiz’s family, is a California resident born in Seoul, South Korea. The Korean woman was allegedly adopted and brought to America at 4 years old by a Mexican American and African American couple.

Ibarra had also attempted her own family research to track down her ancestry.

“I kind of let that fall through the cracks when they told me that the chances of trying to find my mother or any information was going to be kind of difficult,” Ibarra said. “Because it was right after the Korean War days, and a lot of that information wasn’t kept.”

“My mother only told me that my biological mom was Korean and my biological father was a soldier,” Ibarra added. “That’s all I knew. So, I decided to go ahead and do the 23andMe to pacify my children.”

Ibarra said that her son got a lot of information after he made contact with Franklin, who was allegedly her first cousin.

The connection between the two half-sisters was comfortable when they met for the first time, according to Ibarra.

“It was like, ‘OK, we’re good. We’re OK,’” she said.

Clarke Ruiz felt the connection after receiving a candy bag from Ibarra that reportedly contained her favorite treats that she keeps in her purse all the time.

The half-sisters hope to coordinate a family reunion in the future.

Lizzo
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 11, 2022

Lizzo Seemingly Reponds to Kanye’s Shade About Her Weight: ‘I’m Minding My Fat, Black, Beautiful Business’

The verbal attacks against Lizzo have not put a damper on the spirit of the famous entertainer.

While performing in Toronto last week, she seemingly commented on Kanye West’s “assessment” of her and her weight during his recent interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News.

TMZ posted a video of Lizzo apparently responding to what Ye said about her last week.

On Friday evening, the 34-year-old recording artist held a concert in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena. As she stood on stage, she said to the audience, “I feel like everybody in America got my motherf**king name in their motherf**king mouth for no motherf**king reason. I’m minding my fat, black, beautiful business!”

She then proposed getting married so she could live in Canada.

“Can I stay here? Who can I marry for that dual citizenship?”

People reported last week that while Ye was occupying time with Carlson, for no apparent reason, he brought up Lizzo and her weight as the two talked.

“When Lizzo loses 10 pounds and announces it, the bots, that’s a term for like telemarketer callers on Instagram, they attack her for losing weight, because the media wants to put out a perception that being overweight is the new goal when it’s actually unhealthy,” the controversial hip-hop artist tells Carlson.

“Let’s get aside the fact of whether it’s fashion and vogue, which it’s not. Or if someone thinks is attractive, to each his own. It’s actually clinically unhealthy, and for people to, to promote that… it’s demonic.”

Yet, West is not the first or latest person to comment unprovoked about Lizzo.

Less than two weeks ago, conservative commentator Candace Owens directed a shot at Lizzo. She said that she was “offended” that Lizzo was “defiling” history by playing the flute the Library of Congress offered her to play in front of a live audience.

And right before being sued by two minors for sexual assault this past summer, comedian Aries Spears threw shade at Lizzo during an interview.

The Mad TV star appeared on The Art of Dialogue, and after being asked to share his thoughts on Lizzo’s music, he took the chance to body shame the Grammy Award-winning singer.

His response?

“I can’t get past the fact that she looks like the s**t emoji,” Spears said.

Fans of Lizzo took to social media in defense of her after the interview aired.

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