Second Chances: 50 Cent Casts Mo’Nique In Recurring ‘BMF’ Role
You can say that industry executive and rap great 50 Cent is a man of action! The man behind the Power franchise has hired Mo’Nique for a recurring role in his popular action series, BMF.
In March, 50 Cent posted on his Instagram account that he saw the comedian and actress perform during Super Bowl Weekend and gave her high praise. He suggested to his followers that they need to check Mo’Nique out and advocated for Hollywood to re-open the door they had closed behind her years ago.
This week, the former Curtis Jackson took to his Instagram profile to officially announce that Mo’Nique will play a vital role in the series.
“Guess who i got in BMF this season 🔥GOLDIE ! GLG🚦GreenLightGang 🎯I don’t miss,THE UNDER DOG’s BACK ON TOP.@therealmoworldwide“
Starz announced that the actress, late of Precious and The Parkers, will join the lineup of strong female characters in the upcoming second season of the hit drama BMF in a recurring role. She will be joining Leslie Jones,La La Anthony, Kelly Hu, and Christine Horn. The first season of BMF debuted as the #1 premiere on the STARZ app last year and ranked as one of the most highly engaged series premieres ever. The show tells the story of two brothers who created the clique,“Black Mafia Family.”
The Oscar-winning actress will play Goldie, the owner of an Atlanta strip club who possesses swagger and street smarts. She begins an association with the main characters, the Flenory brothers, and helps with their migration from Detroit to Atlanta.
The comedian joins returning cast members Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr., Da’Vinchi,Russell Hornsby, and Steve Harris. Snoop Dogg, Arkeisha “Kash Doll” Knight, and Serayah also appear on the series in recurring roles.
Flavor Flav’s Lawsuit Against Public Enemy Producer Dismissed Because he ‘Failed to Timely File’ Necessary Documents
For a man known for wearing oversized clocks in public, his failure to timely file documents in a court case has caused a lawsuit he filed against a music producer to be dismissed.
According to Law & Crime, reality star and former hip-hop hypeman Flavor Flav has had a lawsuit dismissed because the former rapper “failed to timely file the required pretrial documents before the scheduled final pretrial conference.”
This is the second time William Drayton, better known as Flavor Flav, has failed to produce the documents requested.
The former Public Enemymember had ongoing legal battles with Gary Rinaldo, a producer of the famed hip-hop group, who uses the moniker Gary G-Wiz. The case against Gary G-Wiz was for an alleged breach of contract and copyright infringement.
The litigation started in 2017 when Flavor Flav filed a complaint against Rinaldo. The trial for that particular claim was originally scheduled for April 2019. The clock-wearing celebrity never met the court-imposed deadlines. Instead, Flavor Flav filed a motion requesting an amendment to his complaint well after the deadline for the amendment had passed—10 months prior. After the court denied the motion to amend, it issued an order to show cause as to why the former rapper’s lawsuit should not be dismissed for failure to prosecute the action.
Flavor Flav’s attorney attempted to file the missing documents with the court, but the court rejected it. In April 2019, his lawyer told the court that he had not filed the pretrial documents due to him being busy preparing for two other trials. He also stated that he expected Flavor Flav’s case to be settled. The district court proceeded to dismiss the action.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal, finding that there had been no abuse of discretion with the court’s ruling.
In its ruling, the panel upheld the district court’s dismissal of Flavor Flav’s lawsuit for breach of contract and copyright infringement. In the decision, they found the former hype man “failed to timely file the required pretrial documents.” The panel pointed to the district court’s explanation that “Drayton’s expectation that the case would settle did not warrant disregarding the pretrial deadlines,” as well as the fact that Drayton’s failure to file the necessary papers “made it ‘impossible for the Court to manage its docket.’”
Black Texas Student, Banned From Graduation For Length of Locs, Files Lawsuit For Discrimination
Treyvion Gray, a high school senior in Texas, was suspended from school for weeks due to the length of his locs.
When Gray learned he also wasn’t allowed to attend his commencement ceremony, he filed a lawsuit against Texas’ Needville Independent School District as well a number of school faculty and staff member for racial discrimination, Business Insider reported.
According to the district’s dress code, boys are prohibited to grow hair past their ears and eyebrows “or over the top of a standard collar in the back when combed down.” Gray argued that the code was both racially and sexually discriminating because his locs are an expression of his Blackness.
“I was definitely targeted because of my race,” the 18-year-old told business insider. “I did not want to cut my hair because it is a part of my identity. I’ve been growing them for too long [and] it’s how I choose to express myself in my culture.”
The lawsuit, filed on April 19, calls the Needville Independent School District—as well as its board of trustees, superintendent and high school principal and assistant principal—to federal court.
The suit claims that Gray had been disproportionately targeted and penalized by a policy that single-handedly targets not only him but other Black students who wear their natural hair, according to the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.
“The length of locs [has] no bearing on NISD Black students’ capacity to learn, yet the wholly arbitrary Dress and Hair Policy restricts the mobility of Black students in public and private spaces, deny them equal educational opportunities, and strike at the freedom and dignity of the NISD Black student population,” the lawsuit says.
Gray was suspended from school in early March after being repeatedly confronted by the assistant principal about his hair. The suit claims that white students who had long hair past their collar went unbothered. With the help of his attorney, Gray returned to class but the teen said he was isolated from his peers during in-school suspension. He was later transferred to an alternative school in April, according to Business Insider.
During this time, the chance to graduate was off the table until he agreed to cut his hair.
“As a result of being targeted, removed from the student population, and threatened with not being allowed to participate in senior year activities, including graduation ceremony, Gray’s emotional health has suffered, including stress and depression,” the lawsuit says. “(The district’s) hostile and wrongful actions individually and in the aggregate have made Gray feel unwelcome, ostracized, and inferior.”
In his lawsuit, Gray is requesting removal from disciplinary programs, the opportunity to participate in graduation, and a revised dress code that fosters inclusiveness of natural Black hair.
Tabitha Brown Celebrates Sunshine Seasoning’s Release in Retail Stores: ‘I’m So Grateful’
After Tabitha Brown’s McCormick Sunshine seasoning sold out online in less than one hour, the actress, social media star, and proud vegan foodie is back. This time she’s taking her spice to retailers.
Speaking exclusively with BLACK ENTERPRISE, Brown dished on bringing her flavorful spice to kitchens across the country by introducing McCormick Sunshine Seasoning by Tabitha Brown to retail stores across the country.
The expansion to retail comes after the limited-edition all-purpose seasoning sold out online in just 39 minutes last year.
“I am so grateful,” Brown tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I’m still mind blown. It came out twice last year, in the summer and right before the holidays, and it’s sold out both times in under an hour. It just blows my mind.”
Brown took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce that Sunshine Seasoning will be in stores starting June. 1.
“Family IT’S HAPPENING!!! My @mccormickspice Sunshine seasoning is going to retail stores!!!” she shared.
It’s been a long time coming and something that was a top priority for The Chi actress after seeing how fast her seasoning sold out online.
“This is what they’re asking for,” she says. “And look gotta give the people what they want.”
What grew out of being locked up during quarantine quickly turned into a profitable partnership for the North Carolina native.
“We started this process during like the height of the pandemic,” Brown says. “I wanted people to feel like bringing a little sunshine into their lives because it was such a dark time.”
In addition to the store launch, Brown will use her ever-growing social media following to share recipe tutorials using McCormick products as part of a long-term partnership with the brand. It’s a partnership Brown never saw in her future despite growing up engulfed in comfort cooking with McCormick spices.
“My family and I grew up with my granny and my mom using McCormick,” she says. “That was like just a part of my life and then to partner with them on this magnitude, I never could have dreamt of this happening.”
(Image courtesy of McCormick)
As part of the release, Brown’s fans will soon be able to cook side by side with the social media star in the comfort of their own kitchen through the “Bring Tabitha Home,” augmented reality (AR) experience. The new feature will allow fans to place a hologram version of Tabitha directly into their home kitchen and then share the experience through social media, text, or email.
This feature will be available through the McCormick Flavor Maker App starting June 15.
Lisa Holder White Named First Black Woman On Illinois State Supreme Court
Appellate Justice Lisa Holder White has been appointed to succeed Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman, making Holder the first Black woman to serve on the state’s high court.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Garman, 78, announced Monday that she will retire in July after 21 years on the bench and 48 years as a judge in the state. Since Garman’s retirement will come after the state primary on June 28, the Illinois Supreme Court has the constitutional authority to appoint her successor.
Holder White, 54, also a Republican, will be sworn in July 8. That will coincide with the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to be confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Holder-White will hold the position until December 2, 2024.
The Georgia native earned her bachelor’s degree from Lewis University in 1990 and a law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1993. After finishing law school, Holder White began her career as an assistant state’s attorney in Macon County, before moving into private practice.
In a statement, Holder White called the appointment a lifetime achievement.
“Being appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court is the honor of a lifetime. I am humbled by the confidence Justice Rita B. Garman and the entire Court have placed in me,” Holder White said in a news release. “My service to the judiciary for the past 21 years has helped prepare me for this historic moment. I look forward to the privilege of resolving matters my fellow citizens bring before the Court.”
In 2001, Holder White was named an associate judge to the 6th Judicial circuit, making her the first Black judge in that circuit. In 2013, she was appointed to the 4th District Court of Appeals, succeeding Justice John T. McCullough, who died earlier that year.
One of the decisions Holder White made while on the Court of Appeals was ruling that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker had the authority to set COVID-19 protocols for the transfer of inmates from county jails to state prisons during the pandemic.
Google Partners With Black Harvard Professor To Improve Skin Tone Representation In Technology
Google is taking steps toward improving skin tone representation across its products, including Real Tone for Pixel. And now, they’ve released a new skin tone scale designed to be more inclusive of the wide spectrum of skin tones we see in our society.
According to a company blog, in partnership with Harvard professor and sociologist Dr. Ellis Monk, Alphabet Inc’s Google unveiled a palette of 10 skin tones for anyone to use for research and product development.
The 10 shades of the Monk Skin Tone Scale (Courtesy of Google)
Monk has been researching and studying how skin tone and colorism affect people’s lives for more than 10 years. He especially focuses on colorism as it relates to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer vision.
An expert researcher, Monk, was tapped to curate Google’s new Monk Skin Tone (MST) Scale executed through Photoshop and other digital art tools.
According to Reuters, Monk and Google found that a significant number of people—out of around 3,000—said a 10-point scale matched their skin as well as a 40-shade palette did.
Courtesy of Google
“In our research, we found that a lot of the time, people feel they’re lumped into racial categories, but there’s all this heterogeneity with ethnic and racial categories,” Dr. Monk said, as per the blog.
“And many methods of categorization, including past skin tone scales, don’t pay attention to this diversity. That’s where a lack of representation can happen…we need to fine-tune the way we measure things, so people feel represented.”
The company said the Monk Skin Tone Scale replaces the flawed current tech industry standard of six colors, Fitzpatrick Skin Type (FST). Tech companies have often used it to test whether products like facial recognition systems or smartwatch heart-rate sensors perform equally well for various skin tones. On the other hand, the new skin scale aims to better serve those with darker skin tones.
“The MST Scale will help us and the tech industry at large build more representative datasets so we can train and evaluate AI models for fairness, resulting in features and products that work better for everyone — of all skin tones,” the company blog stated.
Google has already begun applying the new skin tone scale. There is now an option to further refine your results by skin tone for beauty and makeup injuries. Images for “everyday eyeshadow” or “bridal makeup looks” can be found more easily to serve people of color better.
HERStory Has Been Made! Texas News Station Debuts First All-Black, All-Female News Anchor Team
An NBC affiliate station out of Central Texas is making history after debuting the first all-Black and all-female team of news anchors.
On Monday, May 2, KCEN introduced the official anchor lineup for Texas Today, which serves Temple, Waco, Killeen, and the surrounding areas. Consisting of Jasmine Caldwell, Taheshah Moise, and meteorologist Ashley Carter, the three women make up the station’s — and probably the nation’s — first-ever all-Black, all-female news anchor team, My San Antonio reports.
Late last month, Caldwell took to Twitter to share the historic news.
Growing up with dreams of being a news anchor, Caldwell never expected to see an all-Black team of anchors in her lifetime.
“Growing up, I always saw all-white news anchors,” Caldwell said. “I didn’t think that there would ever be Black newscasts.”
“I knew there was always room for one, but I didn’t think that I would see three African Americans — male or female — permanently, all at one time. No way.”
Since their debut, the ladies have gained steam and made headlines for their historical TV debut. It’s a bold statement for the network, which Caldwell said had a diversity issue when she joined the team five years ago.
“When I first came to KCEN in 2017, we did not have any African American anchors. “It was completely different,” Caldwell told KCEN.
It’s a dream come true for the ladies who can recall feelings of not being represented on the news they grew up watching.
“I just think back to when I was a young girl and I used to watch the news with my parents and I never saw anyone who looked like me,” Moise said. “If I did, they were outside reporting in the cold.”
“It didn’t hit me then that nobody really looked like me, like the people I was watching growing up,” Carter added. “But then as I started to do it, people started to point it out, how there was not a lot of women who are Black and do the weather.”
“It kind of added on the responsibility of, OK, I didn’t get to see it growing up, and now little girls in this area are going to see me when they wake up, and now it can become a reality.”
Jasmine Caldwell, Taheshah Moise, and Ashley Carter take the Texas Today airwaves Monday through Friday from 4:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.
He Can Sing Too? Denzel Washington Sings Along with Kids at Boys & Girls Club National Conference
Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington has long said that he is extremely proud of his lifelong relationship with the Boys & Girls Club.
On Friday, Washington spoke to staff and members at the national conference of the organization where he gave a speech on gratitude for the clubs—specifically for how they rallied for families during the coronavirus pandemic.
He also joined in a sing-along of “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King with a young member of the B&G club.
The video of the sing-along was shared on Facebook and shows the young people and staff singing the celebrated anthem. At the end of the video, Washington says,
“I promise to always stand by you. I promise you, I’ll always be there.”
“All of you have proven that you need and deserve to be at the table when the issues facing our children must be addressed,” Washington said in his speech. “Because when essential workers needed essential services for their children, you stepped up to provide those services.”
Washington told CBS News in 2018, “I’ve been a member since I was 5. I worked there as a counselor: a day camp counselor, a sleep-away camp counselor. I’ve had every job you could have there, and now, for 25 years, I believe, I’ve been a national spokesperson. It’s made me happier because it’s something I can talk about from the heart and it’s something I mean. I can share the experiences I’ve had growing up in the club.”
Washington told Fox 32 Chicago that, “One of the great things about growing up in the club, it was the environment that was conducive for positive feedback and we thrived on that, we believed it. It was nourishing.”
Washington also went viral last month for giving some good advice to members of the NBA’s Miami Heat.
Sports Illustrated wrote that the 67-year-old actor ran into several players at his hotel room.
“Your influence, your power, your wisdom, your ability to touch people—because everybody’s watching. Everybody’s got a favorite guy…you know that they’re watching, and they’re following,” Washington said. “And especially for the young boys: Listen to your elders, lead quietly—and win.”
Common Celebrates Daughter’s Graduation From Howard University Law School
Hip-hop entertainer and actor Common is a proud dad
After watching his daughter, Omoye Lynn, and other students graduating Howard Law School, the rapper proudly posted about her accomplishment for his 3.8 million Instagram followers, complete with a video of the day’s highlights.
“There are no words to describe how proud I am! Finishing Law School at Howard University in the 3 years is pretty AMAZING! Congrats to my daughter and all the graduates of 2022. Now go out in the world and be great!”
We reported earlier this week that another celebrity graduated from the famed HBCU. Anthony Andersonreceived his bachelor of fine arts degree from the newly named Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.
“To quote Biggie, “IT WAS ALL A DREAM!” Words can’t begin to describe the emotional roller coaster I’m on right now. It’s literally been 30 years in the making. This spring I was finally able to complete the work to graduate from Howard University with a BFA degree from the Chadwick A Boseman College of Fine Arts!”
The actor, who has returned to his old stomping grounds on NBC with Law & Order, after the eight-year run of black-ish ended, spoke about obtaining his degree in 2018 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
According to People, Anderson revealed that he never finished college because he “ran out of money after my junior year.” He spoke to officials at Howard University about taking classes online, at home, and taking “some practical classes on campus” so he would be able to get his degree and “walk with my son in 2022.”
Earlier this year in February, while speaking on The Real, Anderson revealed he was just 15 credits away from graduating. Although his son Nathan didn’t graduate this year as planned, he mentioned that when Nathan got accepted to Howard, he “inspired me to go back and get my degree.”
Founder of Black Math Genius Program Reveals How Black People Are Broke By Design
The Black Math Genius program was created by Assata Moore in collaboration with Freddie Taylor of Urban Intellectuals. The program is intentional about putting Black children at the center of their learning, teaching the true origins of mathematics and making sure that the lessons are meaningful.
Assata has the following to say about why Black students are performing at the bottom of every mathematical metric:
She comments, “Black people have been broke for a very long time, and we’re getting broker! This is not by accident, it’s by design. And please believe that the designers have no desire to help dismantle this fortress of despair and disenfranchisement they have built. We need only to review history and look at our present conditions to know there will be no help in saving our future from outsiders. Look at the drug industry. To criminalize Black people, cannabis was made illegal even though the government was encouraging farmers to grow more. After WWII, white veterans were given the GI bill and homeownership; Black veterans were given denials and the projects.”
“Lenders and insurance providers redlined our communities to deny the biggest wealth driver for families — homeownership. Today, after spending decades demonizing Black people for selling cannabis, white establishments own over 98 percent of all cannabis businesses. Of course, our governors helped to orchestrate both the criminalization of Black people and then turned around and wrote legislation to make sure the wealth landed in white hands. Since the 1960s, the Black homeownership rate has been stagnant, and the wealth gap is growing.”
“There will be no one coming to save us. We had a Black president; we’ve had Democrats; we’ve had Republicans; we’ve broken records with voting. In many areas, Black people outvote others. Politicians aren’t going to save us. It’s not because we don’t vote and it’s certainly not that we don’t care. It’s because money is power and power commands respect, and we don’t have either. The solution is simple — prepare our children to build wealth that will in turn give them the tools they need to control politics and politicians. This is not a problem that we can fix tomorrow, but it is a problem that we can fix over the next decade in smaller pieces — one family at a time. So, how do you prepare your children to be free from the shackles of perpetual poverty?”
“More than 20 percent of Black students choose majors that will keep them impoverished for the rest of their lives. Black people make up close to 15 percent of the population, yet we only represent about 6 percent of the STEM careers — the highest paid careers and the careers in most demand now and in the future. Blockchain technology, Bitcoin, Ethereum, smart contracts, NFTs, etc. are our children’s future like how email, the internet and social media were our future. Will our children be a part of building that future or simply consumers as we are? Are we putting them in a position to break generational poverty or to continue to enrich others?”
“The best thing you can do for your children is to make sure they know who they are and that they understand math. It’s as precise and simple as that. If you look at the data, our inability to create wealth is directly tied to our inability to do math. Mathematics is the gateway to the careers most in demand. Across the country, Black students are performing at the bottom of every mathematical metric. It’s been over two decades since the No Child Left Behind legislation and our children are still behind. Billions have been spent on teacher training, curriculum, test prep and remediation programs without any significant impact on student performance or quality of life for Black people. Is it because our children are stupid or is it because the programs aren’t working? We know the answer — the programs aren’t working because they aren’t designed to work. Our educational system does not respect our families and they don’t expect our children to be great. We don’t have an “achievement gap,” we have a Belief Gap. People do not believe in the genius of Black Children. This is where the Black Math Genius program is different from all other programs.”
“With this program, students from Kindergarten through high school will benefit. There’s a focus on “deep conceptual understanding,” not just repeating and remembering facts and procedures. Students learn patterns in multiplication so that they’re able to multiply large numbers in their heads. They learn that math started in Africa over 40,000 years ago and that Pythagoras did not create that theorem, Black people out of Egypt were using it over two thousand years before he was born. Students learn how to code calculators, drawings, art, etc. with Python. These are the skills they will need to have careers that will allow them to build wealth and contribute to building the future.”
“We must take control of our circumstances even though we didn’t create them. We can do it by making sure our children are prepared, that they have the confidence to accept academic challenges and that they believe in the intelligence and strength of their people.”
To learn more about how you can bring out the genius in your children, visit BlackMathGenius.com.
Also, be sure to follow the brand at @BlackMathGenius on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
