• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 24, 2022

Black Wall Street Legacy Festival Announces Series of Events to Commemorate 101st Anniversary of Tulsa Race Massacre

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Today, Black Wall Street Legacy Festival (Legacy Fest) announced the full schedule for its upcoming commemoration of the 101st anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. This series of community-led events, which include discussion panels, performances and guest appearances from artists, advocates and political leaders, will take place in Tulsa’s historic Greenwood district; it will center the hundreds of local residents who lost their lives during the massacre, as well as the survivors and descendants who continue the fight for reparatory justice and accountability more than a century later.

Amid a historic lawsuit and recent acts of hate toward Black communities, the last known Tulsa Race Massacre survivors—107-year-old Lessie Benningfield “Mother” Randle, 108-year-old Viola “Mother” Fletcher, and 101-year-old Hughes Van Ellis will lead a national call for justice, accountability and reparations at a commemoration of one of the worst occurrences of violence against Black people in U.S. history.

Other special guests include Senator Cory Booker, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, Nikole Hannah-Jones, journalist Wes Lowery, nationally-recognized trial attorney Jeffrey Robinson, and rapper David Banner.

The full list of events can be found below.

“We are here in the face of hate and waning support for Black lives but we are still here—and we still bring hope,” said Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, a massacre descendant, Legacy Fest organizer and founder of the Terence Crutcher Foundation.

“This may be the living survivors’ last anniversary—we should honor their legacy now with reparations and the platform to remember this horrific chapter in America’s history.”

Programming throughout the weekend will explore urgent issues ranging from the needs of those still living with the everyday consequences of the massacre, to the erasure of essential U.S. history, to the state and future of Black Wall Street. Livestreams of each event will be available on the Black Wall Street Times Facebook page.

Earlier this month, an Oklahoma judge ruled that a historic lawsuit seeking reparations for the survivors can proceed, bringing new hope for some measure of justice. Currently a national coalition of civil and human rights and faith leaders are calling President Biden to issue an executive order to establish a taskforce to study reparations, similar to H.R. 40 which has advanced but stalled in Congress.

The event schedule is as follows:

Friday, May 27, 2022 | Festival Times: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Location: Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N Greenwood Ave.

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Black Wall Street Legacy Summit | Greenwood Cultural Center

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Black Towns Roundtable

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Generational Trauma and Community Healing

2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: From Black Wall Street to Black Tech Street

4 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Rebuilding Greenwood

Saturday, May 28, 2022 | Festival Times: 9:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Justice for Greenwood #WeAreGreenwood | Greenwood Cultural Center

9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Justice for Greenwood  #WeAreGreenwood Survivors and Descendants Homecoming Town Hall [Open to the public]

2 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Justice for Greenwood #WeAreGreenwood Survivors and Descendants Homecoming Social Hour [Open to the public]

10 a.m. – 10 p.m.: African Street Festival | Festival Grounds [Greenwood Ave, North of 1-244]

12 p.m. – 2 p.m.: Honoring Descendants and Survivors Luncheon with virtual remarks from Wes Lowry, Cory Booker, and Reverend William Barber | COX Business Center [Invite Only]

4 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Black Wall Street Memorial March | Starting Point: OSU-Tulsa West Parking Lot [Elgin Street]

3 p.m. – 10 p.m.: Legacy Fest Main Event | OSU-Tulsa Lawn

3 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.: Solid Foundation Kids

3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: D.A.R.E. Dance Company

3:40 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.: VickyB’s Dance Company

4 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.: Quentin Marcellus

5:40 p.m. – 6:20 p.m.: Amber Owens and Company

6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Fire in Little Africa

7 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.: Block Party featuring Dr. View and DJ J. Soule

8 p.m. – 9 p.m.: David Banner

9 p.m. – 10 p.m.: NEXT

Post-Festival: Tuesday, May 31, 2021

7 p.m. – 9 p.m.: An Evening with Pulitzer Prize Winner Nikole Hannah-Jones  | Booker T. Washington High School

• News

by Kia Morgan Smith

May 24, 2022

Texas Governor Says 15 Killed in Elementary School Shooting

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(Reuters) – A gunman shot and killed 14 students and one teacher on Tuesday at an elementary school in South Texas, Governor Gregg Abbott said.

ABC News, citing police, reported that a suspect was taken into custody.

No official details were immediately available on the circumstances of the midday shooting, which unfolded at Robb Elementary School in the town of Uvalde, Texas, about 80 miles west of San Antonio.

But Uvalde Memorial Hospital said on its Facebook page that it received 13 children as patients via ambulance or buses for treatment, and that two of those “were deceased.”

A second hospital, University Health in San Antonio, said it received two patients from the shooting – one child and one adult.

The Uvalde Independent School District posted a message on its Twitter feed saying, “There is an active shooter at Robb Elementary. Law enforcement is on site. Your cooperation is needed at this time by not visiting the campus.”

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los AngelesEditing by Grant McCool)

• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 24, 2022

Public Welfare Foundation Awards $3.5 Million in True Reformer Grants

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Public Welfare Foundation, the country’s only endowment fund dedicated to catalyzing new transformative approaches to youth and adult criminal justice, today announced seven True Reformer grant awards totaling a $3.5 million investment in restorative, community-led and racially just approaches to justice to honor the Foundation’s 75th anniversary.

The $500,000 institutional grants were awarded to:

– Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition: Denver, Colo.

– Michigan Center for Youth Justice: Ann Arbor, Mich.

– Operation Restoration: New Orleans, La.

– People’s Advocacy Institute: Jackson, Miss.

– The African American Roundtable: Milwaukee, Wisc.

– Voices for a Second Chance: Washington, D.C.

– Women on The Rise: Atlanta, Ga.

The True Reformer grants—named after the historic True Reformer Building in Washington, D.C. that Public Welfare Foundation calls home—recognize seven of the Foundation’s key partners through investments that will advance progress and position them for long-term impact. These organizations serve as anchors of the justice reform movement in communities where Public Welfare Foundation works.

“Public Welfare Foundation’s 75th anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect and look forward in anticipation,” said Public Welfare Foundation President and CEO Candice C. Jones.

“Each of Public Welfare’s True Reformer grant recipients demonstrates courageous leadership in advancing justice that’s just. They are paving the way for a new, transformative approach to justice that is community-led, restorative and racially just. They deserve not just our praise, but our investment to ensure that they can continue to advance this work in the years to come.”

Institutional grants are one-time infusions of capital intended to strengthen an organization’s operating and programmatic infrastructure so that it can continue its work well into the future. Each organization’s leadership has identified specific and tailored ways that they will use the funding, including, but not limited to, strategic planning, staffing increases, technology enhancements and operating reserves.

“The Michigan Center for Youth Justice has an ambitious agenda for the coming years that will help to reimagine our state’s juvenile justice system by shifting to a model that is transparent, data-driven and prioritizes healing over punishment and incarceration,” said Jason Smith, executive director of Michigan Center for Youth Justice and True Reformer grant recipient.

“This gift from Public Welfare Foundation will help MCYJ build and strengthen our organizational capacities to achieve our policy reform goals and support us as we move toward intentionally centering the voices of youth and families who have been directly impacted by the justice system in all aspects of our work.”

The grant recipients were nominated by members of the Public Welfare Foundation team and were approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Each organization was selected based on strong leadership, opportunities for growth and increased impact and are aligned with Public Welfare Foundation’s values of community-led, restorative and racially just solutions.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 24, 2022

Man Arrested After Threatening to Blow Up Tyler Perry Studios, Says Director Stole His TV Show Idea

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A man was arrested after making calls and leaving voicemails threatening to blow up Tyler Perry’s massive production studio in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Police Department arrested Coles Arrasheed for making terroristic threats to Perry’s studio, TMZ reports. The arrest came after Arrasheed called Perry’s studio and demanded to speak to the filmmaker personally.

After he was denied, a receptionist hung up on Arrasheed after he started speaking gibberish. The receptionist soon realized that he left a voicemail threatening to blow up the Georgia-based studio.

Police tracked down Arrasheed and charged him with a felony. He was released from Fulton County jail on a $5,000 bond. Arrasheed has accused the filmmaker of stealing an idea for a television series about Black Wall Street, Yahoo News reports.

An Instagram account for a Rasheed Coles has been posting about the arrest claiming that there is more to the story.

 

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A post shared by Rasheed Coles (@mr._aquarius23)

Perry’s studio is located southwest of downtown Atlanta at the former Fort McPherson military base. The billionaire producer and director turned the former Confederate Army base into a massive production studio that includes 40 buildings, 12 sound stages, and 220 acres of green space.

Perry launched the studio in 2020 with a star-studded event that gave guests a tour of the studios named after renowned Black actors like Oprah Winfrey, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, and more.

“I think it’s pivotal in everything that we’ve done, everything that we’re doing still, that we continue to try to motivate and inspire people,” Perry said at the launch.

“He didn’t wait for other people to validate or to say you should go this way, or that way. He said: ‘I’m going to create my own way,’ and as we can see here, become a force for himself,” Oprah said.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 24, 2022

Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Dwayne Haskins Reportedly Legally Drunk When Fatally Struck by Truck

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Last month, Dwayne Haskins, a Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, died after being hit by a dump truck on Interstate 595 in Florida. On Monday, an autopsy report revealed that the 24-year-old was legally drunk and was on drugs.

• Business

by Derek Major

May 24, 2022

The Business & Democracy Initiative Will Empower Business Leaders To Stand Up For American Democracy

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A group of business leaders and organizations have announced the Business & Democracy Initiative, a partnership dedicated to protecting the integrity of U.S. elections and rebuilding trust in democratic institutions.

According to a release, the Business & Democracy Initiative’s founding partners include top business leaders and advocates as well as the Black Economic Alliance, the Leadership Now Project, and Public Private Strategies. 

Part of the initiative’s work will be engaging business leaders to shift the conversation around our democracy, driving corporate change, and securing the next generation of American democracy.

The announcement coincides with the release of a Morning Consult Poll showing business leaders believe their roles are critical to ensuring a functional democracy.

The poll results also show:

• 96% of business leaders say the existence of a well-functioning democracy is “important” to a strong economy.
• 80% of business leaders think that businesses should act to protect democracy and act to ensure safe and fair elections.
• 51% of business leaders say their business is more likely than they were five years ago to encourage employees to take a stance or speak out in support of democracy, or to take a public stance as a business.
• 64% of consumers say that a business with a public commitment to democracy shows the business cares about its customers, and its employees, and has the right values.

“With our nation’s democratic system under more stress than ever, the business community is a critical voice in the fight to preserve our free, open, and democratic system,” Rhett Buttle, founder of Public-Private Strategies, said in a statement.

“We believe that a strong democracy is the cornerstone of a dynamic and inclusive American economy, and we will be engaging with stakeholders across all levels of business to advocate for reforms that strengthen our democracy.”

The institution of Democracy was once the backbone of the United States. Cracks have started to show between former President Donald Trump‘s election lawsuits and insistence that he won the 2020 presidential election, the Jan. 6th Capitol Riot, and reports that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife, Virginia Thomas, pushed the Speaker of the Arizona House and another state lawmaker twice to reverse Joe Biden’s win in the state.

A white baseball player has been suspended for one game after referencing the late Jackie Robinson when antagonizing a Black player.

Major League Baseball suspended Josh Donaldson for one game after the Yankees third baseman was accused of making “disrespectful” comments to Tim Anderson, a Black shortstop for the Chicago White Sox, the New York Times reported.

In the fifth inning of Saturday’s game, Donaldson and White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal had a verbal confrontation at home plate. Donaldson appeared to point to Anderson, who was in the field. Both benches cleared. Anderson had to be restrained by teammates. Both teams were issued warnings; no one was ejected.

After the game, Donaldson was called out by members of the White Sox team for repeatedly referring to Anderson as “Jackie.” Players and team personnel felt Donaldson was being racist when using the term but he claimed he only was referencing Anderson describing himself as “today’s Jackie Robinson” in a magazine interview.

“He was trying to call me Jackie Robinson, like ‘What’s up, Jackie?'” Anderson said after Saturday’s game, as noted by CNN.

“I don’t play like that. I wasn’t really bothering nobody today, but he made the comment and it was disrespectful. I don’t think it was called for. It was unnecessary.”

White Sox manager Tony La Russa accused Donaldson of making a “racist”  comment. Anderson agreed. The team’s pitching coach blasted Donaldson’s one-game suspension in a since-deleted tweet.

“Just one game,” Ethan Katz tweeted. “We all saw his malice at third a week ago, then this comment with the ridiculous excuse that followed.”

“What’s the point or message behind a 1 game suspension? This is incredibly disappointing and plain frustrating.”

After the game, Donaldson attempted to defend himself. “We are not trying to start any brawls or anything like that,” he told reporters. “Obviously, he deemed it was disrespectful and look, if he did, I apologize because that’s not what I was trying to do by any matter.”

MLB senior vice president for on-field operations, Michael Hill, said Donaldson’s was disciplined for his “inappropriate comments.”

“Regardless of Mr. Donaldson’s intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions,” Hill said. “In addition, Mr. Donaldson’s remark was a contributing factor in a bench-clearing incident between the teams, and warrants discipline.”

• Education

by Julaiza Alvarez

May 24, 2022

Target Announces Enhancements to Target Scholars Program for HBCU Students

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Target will make major changes to the Target Scholars Program in its continued effort to invest in Black talent from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Founded in 2021, in partnership with United Negro College Fund, this program currently serves nearly 1,000 scholars and supports students who are focused on pursuing careers in technology, design, and leadership. The program is part of Target’s continued Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) commitments and sustainability strategy, Target Forward.  

Now, Target is adding scholarship extensions and resources to its initiative, offering all students, who are now completing their freshman years, an additional $10,000 over the next three years–representing a total investment of $10 million.

 In addition to financial support, students receive coaching and career advice from college success coaches, access to mentorship and workshops, and support from dedicated Target staff.

“Target is continuing our longstanding work to invest in and accelerate the next generation of Black talent,” says Damu McCoy, vice president of talent acquisition. “The Target Scholars program is one example of that overall commitment, providing both financial support and the mentorship and networking resources to further strengthen students’ experiences and help them reach their career destination.”

Aside from the scholar’s program,​​ Target is a founding supporter of the PENSOLE Lewis College of Business & Design, the first reinstated HBCU in the country, and offers free tuition to aspiring Black designers, engineers, and business leaders. The retail conglomerate also launched an annual HBCU Design, Technology, and Leadership challenge to help students build their professional and technical experience while showcasing their expertise.

“Just knowing that there are people out there who want to see you succeed and are constantly making an effort to prove that is what keeps me going in college,” said Gideon Boadu, a student at Howard University.

• Women

by Derek Major

May 24, 2022

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy Doubles Down On Statements About Black Maternal Health Amid Backlash

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Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy is defending his statements on Black maternal health in the Bayou State amid backlash from Black reproductive justice advocates.

In an interview with Politico last week, Cassidy, a Republican, said that although Black people make up one-third of the state’s population and experience higher rates of pregnancy-related deaths, “if you correct our population for race, we’re not as much of an outlier as it’d otherwise appear.”

“Now, I say that not to minimize the issue, but to focus the issue as to where it would be. For whatever reason, people of color have a higher incidence of maternal mortality,” Cassidy added.

Cassidy, a medical doctor, also suggested the disproportionate rates of pregnancy-related deaths could be skewed due to domestic violence.

“Sometimes maternal mortality includes up to a year after birth and would include someone being killed by her boyfriend,” Cassidy said. “In my mind, it’s better to restrict your definition to that which is the perinatal, if you will—the time just before and in the subsequent period after she has delivered.”

The senator later said on Twitter people were misquoting and manipulating his statements. However, they largely define a state that has some of the highest Black maternal death rates in the country. According to U.S. News & World Report, Black women were 4.1 times as likely as white women to die while pregnant or within 42 days of childbirth from complications like blood loss, cardiomyopathy, and heart disease.

Black reproductive justice advocates have spent days pushing back against the senator’s words. Marcela Howell, president and CEO of the National Black Women’s Reproductive Agenda, told NBC News Cassidy’s comments prove Louisiana is not taking the issue seriously.

“That may be why the numbers are so poor,” Howell said. “Because he, like other elected officials in his state, don’t really care to address those factors that are causing Black maternal mortality.”

Howell added Cassidy’s remarks underscore the fact that Black Americans are still facing widespread discrimination and racism in the healthcare industry. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep divisions in the healthcare industry as Black Americans were infected and died at higher rates than all demographics except Native Americans.

For some time, Bronny James Jr‘s choices in women have sparked frenzied debates across social media. But now Twitter users are either expressing disgrace or respect after pictures were revealed of him and his white high school prom date.

LeBron Raymone ‘Bronny’ James Jr., the eldest son of the basketball legend LeBron James,  attended his high school prom this past weekend at Sierra Canyon school in Los Angeles with classmate Peyton Gelfuso, the Daily Mail reported. After posting pictures on Instagram, critics came trolling with their vile concerns about James going to prom with a white woman.

Bronny at Prom 👀

(via Bronny/IG, @goodlooksfamily) pic.twitter.com/z8O1oecVup

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 18, 2022

“Look like daddy but couldn’t find someone that looks like mommy I see,” one person wrote via Instagram. “How you grow up in a household of black love and date a white girl?” another sounded off, while a third cryptically commented, “He startin off young.”

“Lost another black king to a money hungry white girl,” a different Twitter user tweeted. “‘Bron gotta do better SMH.'”

While the appalling Twitter commentary continued, others jumped in to defend James and his date, saying people should just let them be and enjoy the school dance.

Former NFL quarterback-turned ESPN personality, Robert Griffin III was one of those to take a stand for the rising basketball star, according to The New York Post.

“He could take an avatar to prom for all I care,” Griffin said in a video monologue. “Who he choses, is who he choses. And secondly, it’s giving weird energy that a bunch of grown men and women, 40-year-old men and women, are trying to tell a 17-year-old who they think he should bring to prom.

LEAVE THESE KIDS ALONE!
People clowning Bronny for his prom date are just miserable. Let them enjoy their day. pic.twitter.com/ji3CG1dW0E

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 19, 2022

Bronny just going to prom like a regular kid and grown ass folks on here calling him “lost” LMAO

— Dre🐍 (@WaveyForever) May 18, 2022

Grown ass men and women being pressed about who Bronny James, a 17 year old, goes to his high school prom with is by far the strangest behavior that I’ve seen from people on here.
pic.twitter.com/zdazijTmm9

— I’m a Master of None, anymore question? (@english_shamar) May 19, 2022

Some folks (black folks), will swear they’re not racist and post the most racist shit about Bronny and his prom date. Make it make sense 😂. Racism also has no color. It’s a mind set. If color triggers you, you are racist. Prove me wrong🤷🏾‍♂️✌🏿

— Not your average Stan (@StanleyFleuris3) May 19, 2022

On another note, James’ mother, Savannah, posted a heartfelt message alongside a series of photos of her son and his date.

“Sooooo @bronny went to prom this past weekend….. Tons of emotions and realizations,” the proud mother wrote. “Time really flies. 🥲 So proud of you young man!! I will always have your front and your back!!”

 

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