by Daniel Johnson

September 7, 2025

First-Of-Its-Kind HBCU Prep High School Opens In NYC

According to Dr. Asya Johnson, the principal of HBCU College Prep High School, the aim of the school goes well beyond offering dual credit and a path to an associate’s degree.

On Sept. 4, New York City officials opened the doors to a school they hope will transform the prospects of the students who learn within its halls. The school is a first-of-its-kind historically Black college and university preparatory school, part of a bid that its administrators hope will have the upshot of advancing both college readiness and exposure and access to HBCUs among its enrollees.

As Dr. Asya Johnson, the principal of HBCU College Prep High School, told ABC News in an interview before the school’s opening, “There’s just not enough exposure to HBCUs across the country. We talk about college and college access, but we do not spend enough time celebrating the history and the data around it.”

In part, the lack of exposure is due to the fact that the majority of HBCUs are located in the South, due to the fact that those particular institutions were created as a counter to the denial of Black students by universities in the former Confederate states that observed Jim Crow segregation laws.

Because of this history, HBCUs tend to punch above their weight class when it comes to producing Black graduates, particularly when it comes to professional occupations like doctors, lawyers, and judges, despite only operating a few of these specialized schools in comparison to predominantly white institutions. HBCUs produce the majority of Black people (over 80%, according to studies) who operate in these fields.

Delaware State University, one of a handful of HBCUs, otherwise referred to as historically Black land-grant universities, located outside of the South, is both a partner institution of the high school as well as the alma mater of its principal, something that likely shaped her desire to expose students to the rich history and possibilities created by HBCUs.

“It’s important because it doesn’t exist. We often don’t explain to students what exists beyond just our state or our local tri-state area. Why not expose students to that? We want them to know that from the minute they walk into the doors, how much we love and care for them,” Johnson said.

The school, located in Jamaica, Queens, had only 100 seats available in its first year, but received over 1,000 applicants. Like many charter schools, it used a kind of entrance exam to help determine who would receive one of the coveted seats.

Its criteria involved writing an essay, which involved the student asking for admission to solve either a technology or health issue in their community, and a video discussing how they wanted to use their degree to give back to their communities.

According to DSU President Tony Allen, “To be clear, the greatest indicator for a lower-resourced student from an under-served community to actually get into the middle class and change the economic trajectory for themselves, their families, and their communities is their attendance at an HBCU.”

Per the office of New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams, students who attend the school will receive up to 64 college credits toward a liberal arts degree at Delaware State University and are guaranteed admission should they choose to apply there.

According to Johnson, the school’s aim extends well beyond offering dual credit and a path to an associate’s degree; it is her desire that these students become productive members of society.

“We’re not just trying to give kids a high school diploma and an associate’s degree, but we want to prepare them for the real world to make sure that they can be active citizens in this society. HBCUs, and our school, in particular, are not just for students who are Black.” An admission that is plain to see, but is likely politically imperative given the current climate that equates diversity, equity, and inclusion with programs designed to benefit Black Americans at the expense of more privileged individuals. “Anyone can attend an HBCU, just like anyone can attend and apply to HBCU Early College Prep here in New York City,” Johnson noted.

by Daniel Johnson

September 7, 2025

Black Cracker Barrel Server Called ‘Burnt Biscuit’ By Coworkers As Managers Ignored Racism, Lawsuit Claims

Roberta Mendez's lawsuit claims coworkers referred to her as 'nappy headed [N-word,] burnt biscuit,' and 'monkey.'

Cracker Barrel, the popular restaurant with the decor that hearkens back to the Old South, is the subject of a federal lawsuit from former server Roberta Mendez, a Black woman, who is accusing one of the company’s Tennessee locations of looking the other way regarding racist behavior and attitudes from fellow employees.

According to The Independent, Mendez’s lawsuit, filed on Aug. 21, levies accusations that her coworkers would refer to her as “nappy headed [N-word,] burnt biscuit,” and “monkey.”

The lawsuit comes at a time when the company is facing drama over revamping its logo, removing the “old-timer” in overalls. After facing backlash from conservatives who complained the company had gone “woke” with the move, the company reverted to its old logo.

Mendez claims that on at least one occasion, a shift leader pointedly told Mendez in 2024, “I don’t like Black people.” Mendez, who has worked at the Nashville-area establishment since 2015, also says in her lawsuit that despite either meeting or exceeding the expectations in her performance reviews, she was “treated less favorably than her Caucasian counterparts who made derogatory comments to [her] based on her race,” during that same time period.

Among the more explosive claims, as well as a familiar one concerning Cracker Barrel’s culture in the lawsuit, is Mendez’s assertion that management at the restaurant “segregated its Black workers from its Caucasian workers,” and when she brought her concerns to her superiors, instead of disciplining the employees she told the company was engaging in unsavory behavior toward her, she was instead written up.“

When Mendez escalated her concerns to Human Resources, she was only told not to sign the write-up,” per the complaint. “No remedial action was taken.”

In August 2024, after her working conditions still had not improved, Mendez went further up the chain of command and submitted a grievance to Cracker Barrel’s corporate division, which detailed “her treatment and the treatment of other Black employees.”

However, much like when she escalated her concerns to the company’s HR department, Mendez was the only one held accountable. Despite doing nothing wrong, she was fired the next month for what the company described as “breaking company policy,” while none of her white coworkers were called to account for their reported conduct.

Cracker Barrel has faced lawsuits alleging discrimination before. In 2010, it settled a civil rights lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice that alleged that the company “engaged in a pattern or practice of denying to African-American customers and potential customers, on the basis of their race or color, the use and enjoyment of the facilities, services, and accommodations of Cracker Barrel restaurants on the same basis as they make such available to non-African-American persons.”

Further back, in 2004, the company agreed to pay $8.7 million to settle all lawsuits brought by the NAACP, lawsuits which indicated that the company engaged in the segregation of Black and white patrons, complete with allegations that it served Black patrons food that had been reclaimed from trash cans. According to The African American Registry, the settlement is similar to another settlement it provided to the Justice Department.

“That settlement found that Black customers at many of the country store-themed restaurants were seated in areas segregated from white patrons, frequently received inferior service, and often were made to wait longer for tables. Blacks who complained about poor service also were treated less favorably than whites,” the African American Registry noted.

Representatives for Cracker Barrel, meanwhile, did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent before the story was published.

According to Kyle Biesecker, who, along with his co-counsel Rachel Ringer, is representing Mendez in her lawsuit against the company, the next step is for Cracker Barrel to officially respond to their lawsuit, which he believes will lead to depositions.

“Next, Cracker Barrel will file their answer to the complaint and discovery will proceed from there,” Biesecker told The Independent. “We expect depositions to bear out many of the facts as alleged by Ms. Mendez.”

Mendez is suing under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin, and the substance of her complaint revolves around the accusation that Cracker Barrel “subjected her to pervasive harassment on the basis of her race, created a hostile work environment, and terminated her employment… when she complained of racially disparaging comments and behavior from her coworkers and supervisors.”

Mendez seeks reinstatement to her position at both the salary and seniority which she would have earned were she not fired by the company, in addition to back pay, lost benefits, compensatory and punitive damages with interest, and a trial by jury. Mendez is requiring the company to cover her court costs and legal fees if it loses in court.

52 Walker, Independent Art , Global, Ebony L. Haynes

by Mary Spiller

September 7, 2025

Artist Amy Sherald To Debut ‘American Sublime’ At Baltimore Museum After Withdrawing From Smithsonian

Artist Amy Sherald, renowned for her portrait of Michelle Obama, has relocated her major solo exhibition 'American Sublime' after pulling it from the Smithsonian over censorship concerns.

Artist Amy Sherald, best known for her portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama, has found a new home for her solo exhibition, “American Sublime.” The show will now open at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Nov. 2 and run through April 5, museum officials announced.

The exhibition was originally slated for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery this fall, but Sherald canceled in July after learning that officials were considering removing her painting “Trans Forming Liberty” — a reimagined Statue of Liberty as a transgender figure — to avoid sparking controversy with President Donald Trump.

“When I understood a video would replace the painting, I decided to cancel,” Sherald said at the time. “The video would have opened up for debate the value of trans visibility, and I was opposed to that being a part of the ‘American Sublime’ narrative.”

In her new statement, according to The New York Times, Sherald expressed excitement about bringing the show to Baltimore, a city where she has built much of her career. “Baltimore has always been part of my DNA as an artist,” she said. “Every brushstroke carries a little of its history, its energy, its people and my time there. To bring this exhibition here is to return that love.”

The Baltimore Museum of Art’s Director Asma Naeem praised Sherald’s voice and vision, calling her work “powerful and resonant in their profound humanity.” Sherald will also be honored alongside artist Wangechi Mutu at the museum’s annual fundraiser in November.

“American Sublime” marks the largest presentation of Sherald’s work to date. It debuted last year at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, later moving to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, before the Smithsonian controversy derailed its third showing.

The dispute over “Trans Forming Liberty” unfolded as Trump ramped up efforts to reshape the Smithsonian. In March, he signed an executive order accusing the institution of embracing “a divisive, race-centered ideology” and later demanded a review of its exhibitions. Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet resigned in June after Trump said he was firing her.

Sherald has since become vocal about the broader implications. Writing on MSNBC‘s website, she argued: “Constraining museums does not protect the public. It impoverishes us.”

She added, “It became clear during my exchanges with the gallery how quickly curatorial independence collapses when politics enters the room.”

by Mary Spiller

September 7, 2025

NAACP Sues Missouri Over Special Session Redistricting Plan

The NAACP is suing Missouri over a special redistricting session, arguing the plan is unconstitutional and threatens to silence Black voters’ voices.

The NAACP has filed a lawsuit against the State of Missouri, challenging what it describes as an unlawful effort to redraw political maps that would weaken the voting influence of Black residents. The legal action, filed jointly with the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP, seeks to block a proposed special legislative session that the group argues violates both state law and constitutional protections.

“This case is about defending democracy and protecting the voice of every voter,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO. “The Missouri legislature’s attempt to force a rushed, unconstitutional redistricting process in a special session is a blatant effort to silence Black voters and strip them of their fundamental rights. We will not stand by while elected officials manipulate the system to weaken our power and representation.”

The lawsuit, filed Sept. 3, calls for immediate judicial intervention to prevent the governor and state lawmakers from proceeding with the session. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People leaders argue that the proposed plan undermines the principle of fair representation and exacerbates the systemic barriers that already exist for Black communities in Missouri.

“Our communities already face systemic barriers to full participation in our democracy,” said Nimrod T. Chapel Jr., President of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP. “This attempt to redraw maps behind closed doors and outside of regular order is nothing more than an attack on Black Missourians’ ability to choose leaders who reflect and respect their needs. We will use every tool at our disposal to stop it.”

The Missouri case follows a similar lawsuit recently filed by the NAACP against Texas, also challenging redistricting maps it says are unconstitutional. Both efforts, the organization argues, reflect a broader pattern of attempts to weaken the political power of Black voters nationwide.

The NAACP emphasized that its mission remains rooted in the fight for racial equity, civic engagement, and fair representation. “We fight to ensure that democracy works for all,” the group said in its statement.

Founded on a legacy of grassroots activism, the NAACP said it continues to advocate and litigate in pursuit of equal rights and representation for Black Americans. The organization pledged to remain vigilant against efforts to undermine voter power and to push forward policies that ensure equity and opportunity for marginalized communities.

by Daniel Johnson

September 7, 2025

Harlem Hellfighters Awarded Congressional Gold Medal Amid Ongoing U.S. History Debate

The Harlem Hellfighters ar the most well-known group of Black World War I soldiers.

The Harlem Hellfighters, a group of Black New York National Guardsmen who served in the 369th Infantry Regiment during World War I, were posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Sept 3. That particular award is the nation’s highest honor bestowed upon civilians by Congress, given to the families of those soldiers several decades after the U.S. Army ignored their military service.

According to NPR, the historical correction of the erasure of the all-Black infantry group was accompanied by a rare moment of bipartisanship from Republicans, who have previously faced criticism for their efforts to erase the contributions of Black people from United States history in general and the military in particular.

In his comments, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) noted that throughout history, Black Americans have often answered the call to serve their country, even though, as history will show, their country did not serve them.

“We know that generations of African-American soldiers have answered that call to fight for freedom, whether on battlefields at home or abroad. Their nation asked them to fight, and they did again and again, even while being denied the full measure of those freedoms here on American soil,” Johnson said.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), who proposed honoring the group in 2021, declared in his comments at the ceremony that no matter how long it has been since an injustice has occurred, it’s never too late to make amends.

“It’s never too late to do the right thing. Today, we honor the legacy of your fathers, your grandfathers, and your great-grandfathers who served our nation under extreme circumstances and despite intense discrimination. We are all better for their service,” Rep. Suozzi noted.

According to Suozzi’s bill, the medal awarded to the Harlem Hellfighters will be donated to the Smithsonian Institution, “where it will be displayed as appropriate and made available for research.”

Debra Willett, the granddaughter of Harlem Hellfighter Sgt. Leander Willett accepted the award on behalf of the group, remarking that the honor is one that her grandfather and his compatriots likely never expected or anticipated during the course of their military service.

“I know that my grandfather and the other brave men that fought alongside him never thought that their courage and their exploits would be celebrated in such a revered setting. They sacrificed, and they thought they were making a difference. And today proves that they did,” Willett stated.

Interestingly enough, the group was honored by a video game company, Electronic Arts, through a DLC pack for 2016’s Battlefield 1, before it was collectively honored by the United States. However, Black gamers rightfully criticized EA’s short narrative treatment as a bait-and-switch after featuring a Black soldier on the game’s cover.

Despite this controversy, the accomplishments of the Harlem Hellfighters, who are believed to have earned that particular nickname from the Germans they met on the battlefield, are noteworthy.

According to The History Channel, the group survived for more than six months in combat, more than any other American group. In addition, members of that unit were among the first American units to be honored by France, which outfitted them with better weapons after noticing the shoddy equipment the United States had provided them and allowed them to fight alongside French units. When the Harlem Hellfighters returned home, they were the subjects of a ticker tape victory parade, an honor that was rare for Black soldiers at the time.

According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, despite the fanfare that accompanied their return, their story was largely forgotten and erased from history; however, the opening of that museum allowed for their story to be revived and told through their “Double Victory: The African American Military Experience” exhibition.

As Chad Williams, a professor of history and African American and Black diaspora studies at Boston University, told NPR, the honor bestowed upon the group, while overdue, also represents a “cynical” Trump administration.

“On the one hand, it’s long overdue recognition, but it is certainly ironic, considering the times that we’re in. It speaks to the very complicated and oftentimes very hypocritical ways in which this country has chosen to address its racial history. It was a very inspiring, very patriotic, very well-deserved recognition of the historical significance and sacrifices of the 369th,” Williams said. “On the other hand, it was a very cynical display of selective racial memory.”

by Daniel Johnson

September 6, 2025

Trump Appears To Threaten Chicago With National Guard Deployment, But Chicago Isn’t Scared

'The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution,' Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson posted on social media.

After Donald Trump appeared to threaten Chicago with a National Guard invasion using his favorite communication device, memes posted to his Truth Social account, leaders in Illinois responded with swift and strong condemnations of both his message and tone.

According to The Chicago Sun-Times, Trump made several references to the 1979 movie “Apocalypse Now,” with Trump apparently casting himself in the role of Lt. Colonel Kilgore. In a take on Robert Duvall’s delivery of the often-quoted line, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” Trump amended his post to read, “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning,’” a clear reference to the film.

The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city.

This is not a joke. This is not normal.

Donald Trump isn't a strongman, he's a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator. pic.twitter.com/f87Zek7Cqb
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) September 6, 2025

The implication is both clear and troubling, as evidenced by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s response on X on Sept. 6. Pritzker declared that the post, which the White House’s official account also posted on the social media site, “is not normal.”

He continued, “The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”

Likewise, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson used his X account to call on the city’s citizens to protect each other amid more lawless threats aimed at the city from Trump and the Trump administration.

The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution.

We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/B7AH1ufByH
— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) September 6, 2025

“The President’s threats are beneath the honor of our nation, but the reality is that he wants to occupy our city and break our Constitution. We must defend our democracy from this authoritarianism by protecting each other and protecting Chicago from Donald Trump,” Johnson wrote.

As a Chicago resident and former member of the Chicago City Council, as well as the former CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times from 2017 to 2019, Edwin Eisendrath told The Guardian that the National Guard won’t solve any perceived problems with crime. In addition, Chicago’s history as a city of activists does not bode well for a deployment of troops inside the city.

“If you think of the civic action you’ve seen over history, whether that’s the Pullman strikes a century ago, or Haymarket, or the early union movement, or what we did in the civil rights movement, or the organizing for the Women’s March, Chicagoans are organized. So we aren’t helpless,” he told the outlet.

Sjonia Harper, a resident of Bronzeville, one of Chicago’s most well-known historically Black neighborhoods, also recognizes the pattern in Trump’s calls to invade certain cities across the country, which he says are dealing with unacceptable crime rates.

“It’s not going to just end with [Chicago]. It’s going to expand. He’s already talking about New Orleans, and if you think about all the cities he’s talking about – LA, Black mayor; DC, Black mayor; Chicago, Black mayor; Baltimore, Black mayor; New Orleans, Black mayor. We have to be able to call it out for what it is,” Harper noted.

According to Matt Conroy, a Democrat who is running for election in Chicago’s fifth congressional district, the federal troops will likely “terrorize” Black and Latinx communities while costing taxpayers an exorbitant sum of money.

“Rather than addressing the root cause of this, they’re just doing what they think looks good for the TV and pretending to be a strongman authoritarian, and that’s all that Donald Trump really wants to be. What they’re doing is completely illegal. … Honestly, [Trump could] invoke the Insurrection Act, but [it’s important] to stay together, have a plan, know your rights and be respectful of law enforcement, to not escalate the situation further, and to provide [Chicago residents] with additional resources,” Conroy pointed out.

To that end, Denise Poloyac, a board member for the Indivisible Chicago Alliance, indicated in her comments to the outlet that for Chicagoans, the best prescription for federal overreach is solidarity.

“We can’t be effective if we don’t act together, and I think we draw our strength from each other. I think that is the strength of Chicago, and that’s what’s going to get us through this, and, you know, I think that’s the strength of a lot of places in this country. I think that’s what Trump’s administration doesn’t understand, that we are in a community,” she noted.

by Mary Spiller

September 6, 2025

Rolling Ray, Viral Social Media Star And Zeus Network Personality, Dies at 28

Rolling Ray, the viral social media personality and Zeus Network star known for his catchphrase “Purr,” has died at 28, his family and Zeus confirmed.

Rolling Ray, a social media sensation celebrated for his sharp wit and viral one-liners, has died at 28. His passing was first shared by his mother, Sazola Nay, on Facebook, and later confirmed by Zeus Network in a heartfelt post on Sept. 4. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

“Gone way too soon. #RestInPeace to the BIG hearted, most Raw, & Real FRIEND & #Zeus Star #RaymondHarper aka @iamrollingray,” the network wrote. “You were Unapologetically & Authentically your TRUEST Self. From your ZEUS Fam, we Love, Thank, & will Miss you Always. Sending Prayers & Condolences to his loved ones!”

https://twitter.com/The_ZeusNetwork/status/1964060100844204454

Born Raymond Harper in Washington, D.C., Rolling Ray built a devoted following online through his unapologetic humor and viral appearances on shows like Catfish: Trolls in 2018 and Divorce Court in 2019. His larger-than-life personality helped him amass nearly 450,000 Instagram followers and contributed to the rise of “Purr,” the catchphrase most associated with his brand.

Ray later joined the Zeus Network, where he both starred in and executive-produced the dating show Bobby I Love You Purr, helping Bobby Lytes search for love. He also appeared in two episodes of The Conversation with Lytes in 2021, after years of public feuds.

Lytes paid tribute to him on Instagram, writing: “Rest in Peace to the most famous boy in a wheelchair. We came together and showed the world how two different people from 2 separate paths in life can put hate aside and create magic. You are loved all over the world, and you will be missed dearly. Spread your wings and fly my iconic friend Rolling Ray.”

Rapper Cardi B also honored him in a message on X, saying, “… I know that soul made it to heaven…You will truly be missed BIG PURRRR!!!”

Rolling Ray was a menace lmaoo… but he changed soo much and became so positive. I know that soul made it to heaven…You will truly be missed BIG PURRRR!!!
— Cardi B (@iamcardib) September 4, 2025

Ray’s influence stretched beyond entertainment, with notable viral moments such as videos of him rolling in front of police during Black Lives Matter protests and his infamous Divorce Court quip: “Beyonce has my number.”

https://twitter.com/itsKARY_/status/1963412520326078711?s=19

Another fan-favorite line directed at Lytes read, “I just came back from the dead and they told me you’re still not that girl.”

Rolling Ray leaves behind a legacy of authenticity, humor, and cultural impact that resonated across social media and beyond.

Lisa Cook, President Trump, mortgage, resignation

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 6, 2025

Justice Department Launches Probes Into Mortgage Fraud Claims Against Lisa Cook

Fed governor Lisa Cook is fighting to keep her job while battling DOJ and Trump mortgage fraud allegations.

Just days after Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook revealed plans to sue over Donald Trump’s order for her removal, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into alleged mortgage fraud tied to her.

On Sept. 4, an anonymous source disclosed information on the subpoenas investigators issued in a probe into Cook, following a criminal referral from the nation’s top housing regulator, AP reports. The inquiry comes amid Cook’s legal battle over Trump’s move to oust her last month, an action she argues is his attempt to exert political control over the traditionally independent central bank that sets interest rate policy.

“Predictably and recognizing the flaws in challenging their illegal firing of Governor Cook, the administration is scrambling to invent new justifications for its overreach,” Cook’s lawyer, Abbe David Lowell, said in a statement. “This Justice Department — perhaps the most politicized in American history — will do whatever President Trump demands.”

Appointed by President Joe Biden, Cook made history in 2023 as the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve’s board of governors, with a term lasting until 2038. The probe into her stems from allegations made by Trump appointee Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, who accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud tied to two properties she purchased in 2021, prior to her appointment to the Fed. Pulte alleges that Cook claimed both an Ann Arbor, Michigan, home and an Atlanta, Georgia, home as primary residences to secure more favorable loan terms, since second homes or rental properties typically face higher mortgage rates.

The inquiry is being led by Ed Martin, head of the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group, in coordination with U.S. Attorney offices. Martin is also overseeing mortgage fraud probes into two of Trump’s Democratic critics, Sen. Adam Schiff of California and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom deny wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Pulte has avoided questions about whether he’s applying the same scrutiny to Trump ally Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Senate candidate, who took out mortgages on three properties, all listed as his primary residence.

The day the probe was announced, the Justice Department asked a Washington federal judge to permit Cook’s immediate removal, rejecting her claim that Trump is trying to seize control of the Federal Reserve as “baseless.” Cook’s attorneys countered that her firing was unlawful, noting that Fed governors can only be dismissed “for cause,” typically defined as inefficiency, neglect of duty, or misconduct while in office. They argued she was denied a hearing and a chance to respond, and maintain that she never engaged in mortgage fraud.

Economists, meanwhile, warn that allowing the White House to exert control over the Federal Reserve could politicize interest rate decisions, potentially keeping borrowing costs lower to suit Trump’s agenda. The case could mark a pivotal moment in the Fed’s 112-year history, which was built on independence from political pressure to safeguard its ability to make tough economic calls, such as raising rates to curb inflation.

by Mary Spiller

September 6, 2025

Damon Dash Files For Bankruptcy Amid $25M Debt

Dash, cofounder of Roc-A-Fella Records, says he has just $4,000 in assets.

Roc-A-Fella Records Co-Founder Damon Dash has declared bankruptcy, revealing he has little more than $4,000 in assets while facing over $25 million in debts.

Dash, who launched the influential label with Jay-Z and Kareem “Biggs” Burke in 1994, submitted a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in Florida on Sept. 4. The filing comes nearly one year after his one-third ownership stake in Roc-A-Fella was auctioned off by the state of New York in an attempt to cover his mounting obligations.

Court documents show Dash has only $100 in cash, with personal property valued at $4,250. That includes $2,500 in jewelry, along with a cellphone, clothing, and two firearms. Meanwhile, his liabilities amount to a staggering $25.3 million. Of that total, nearly $19 million stems from unpaid taxes owed to New York, New Jersey, and California.

The former record executive also lists more than $600,000 in overdue child support payments to his ex-partners, Rachel Roy and Cindy Morales. Additionally, Dash owes nearly $5 million to film producer Josh Webber. The two have been locked in legal disputes since 2019 over a failed collaboration on the movie Dear Frank. Webber secured a $823,000 judgment against Dash in 2022, followed by another $4 million defamation lawsuit that resulted in a default judgment this past March.

Last summer, the state of New York placed the winning $1 million bid to acquire Dash’s Roc-A-Fella shares, aiming to reduce his outstanding balance.

Roc-A-Fella, which dissolved in 2013, continues to earn royalties from Jay-Z’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt. That revenue is expected to flow into the company until 2031, when the copyright termination rights will revert full control to Jay-Z.

Speaking on behalf of Dash, attorney Brian Zinn framed the bankruptcy filing as a tactical move. “Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a strategic decision that allows individuals to reorganize their finances and get a fresh start,” Zinn told Billboard.

He added: “Bankruptcy is a legal tool that many successful people have used to restructure their obligations.”

Joseph McNeil, One Of The Greensboro Four, Dies Of Parkinson’s At 83

by Daniel Johnson

September 6, 2025

Joseph McNeil, One Of The Greensboro Four, Dies Of Parkinson’s At 83

The Greensboro Four collectively helped to change the course of American history when they conducted a sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter.

Joseph McNeil, one of the Greensboro Four, a group of students enrolled at North Carolina A&T University who engaged in what is recognized as one of the seminal nonviolent protests that marked the beginning of student involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, died on Sept. 4 in a New York hospice care facility. McNeil was 83 years old.

According to The New York Times, his widow, Ina McNeil, indicated that the cause of his death was Parkinson’s Disease.

McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (who would later be known as Jibreel Khazan), and David Richmond collectively helped to change the course of American history on Feb. 1, 1960, when they approached the counter to order coffee at a downtown Woolworth’s in what was initially a local protest regarding the chain’s policy barring Black patrons from being waited on at the lunch counter.

As he told Newsday, Long Island’s newspaper, “What we did, we thought was the right thing to do to clear up a wrong. This was not in the days of the water hoses or dogs. If there was violence, it was the pushy style; things being thrown, cigarettes being thrown onto clothes, attempts at physical intimidation, verbal harassment. We stayed because we did not just want to win the battle. We wanted to win the war.”

What initially began as a somewhat unpopular protest locally quickly morphed into a full-fledged movement for justice. The initial protest was soon joined in solidarity by a group of white women students from what is now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Only a few months after their protest, students across the South began using the Greensboro Four’s protest as a model.

By the end of April, over 50,000 students in 54 cities across eight Southern states had engaged in their own protests. Six months after the initial protest, Woolworth’s desegregated its lunch counters, offering equal service to all who patronized their stores.

According to David Garrow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the Civil Rights Movement, the work of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and others who built a national movement during that decade is owed to the Greensboro Four for kicking off the Black freedom struggle of the 1960s.

It was “those four guys on Feb. 1 who really do set the Southern Black freedom struggle of the 1960s,” Garrow noted.

He continued, “It kicked off a phenomenal, regionwide movement of Black college students against segregated public lunch counters, and it led, very directly, very quickly, to the phenomenal meeting in Raleigh that created (the) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.” (SNCC)

As the New York Times noted, it was the brief time that McNeil spent in the North, where the oppressive system of Jim Crow, rooted, of course, in the Southern system of enslavement, was absent, that made living under that system incompatible with his desire for freedom.

Instead of staying with his family, who moved to New York when his father got a job with an electrical company in Queens, McNeil chose the South, electing to live with an aunt in Wilmington, North Carolina.

On the 30th anniversary of the sit-in, McNeil was asked by a Greensboro reporter about the courage it took for their group to stand up to Jim Crow. He responded that it took a great deal of courage.

“In hindsight, a heck of a lot,” he told the reporter. “I don’t think we were as naïve as some folks have suggested. There were uncertainties. I think we had a sense of resolve, and I think it took a lot of courage.”

After graduating from North Carolina A&T in 1963 with a degree in engineering physics, McNeil served six years in the Air Force, which included a stint aboard the KC-135, a refueling plane, during the unpopular Vietnam War.

While stationed in South Dakota, he married Ina Brown, a quilt maker of Lakota heritage. Following his service, the two settled in Hempstead, New York, on Long Island.

Eventually, he retired from the Air Force in 2000 with the rank of major general. Notably, he also worked for the Federal Aviation Administration, where he was placed in charge of the flight standards for several of the department’s regions.

Among the Greensboro Four, McNeil was preceded in death by Richmond and McCain, the former in 1990 and the latter in 2014. He was also preceded in death by his son, Ron. In addition to his widow, McNeil is survived by his sons Alan, Joseph, and Frank; a daughter, Jacqueline Jackson; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.