• Career

by Derek Major

May 9, 2022

Dwayne Maddox Joins Old National Bank As Vice President, DEI Program Manager

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Dwayne Maddox has joined Old National Bank as vice president and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), splitting his time between Old National Bank’s Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin, offices.

Maddox arrives after spending two years with the National Guardian Life Insurance company in various marketing roles. He previously held positions at Allstate Insurance and American Family Insurance.

“I’ll be taking over some of the strategy work in collaboration with the coalition as well as some of the execution around the core competencies for our organization for DEI. That can include everything from what we call impact groups, which some people call employee resource groups, to how we think about our business practices by product line and also around our philanthropy, community investment, community involvement, and so forth,” Maddox said in an interview Friday, according to Madison365.

The bank is developing its executive team after a merger with First Midwest Bank last year. Maddox said he was impressed with the bank’s commitment to equity and diversity.

‘“I found them to have a tremendous amount of commitment,” Maddox added. “I found a commitment to the work and also a recognition that the work is an ongoing journey that has both personal impact for them as individuals, for all of us as we do this work, and also professional impact in terms of how we serve our organizations and community.”

Late last year, Old National Bank settled a $27 million housing discrimination lawsuit that alleged the bank only gave 37 mortgage loans to Black borrowers in the Indianapolis area out of a total of 2,260 loans in 2019 and 2020.

After it was found that the bank violated the Fair Housing Act, Old National agreed to issue $27 million in loans to qualified Black applicants. The bank also agreed to make $3 million in contributions to programs that aid Black home seekers with securing mortgages and to invest resources into majority-Black neighborhoods.

• Business

by Derek Major

May 9, 2022

Meet the Former Nike Designer Helping Other Women Of Color In Design

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Design has kept Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson’s interest since high school. It’s also what led her to study industrial design at the College for Creative Studies in Michigan.

While at CCS, Thornhill-Goldson landed an internship at Nike, which gave her a full-time job after graduating in 2007. At Nike, she met two of her mentors, Duane Lawrence and D’Wayne Edwards. Thornhill-Goldson credits the two men with taking her under their wing and preparing her for success in the industry.

“I’m such an advocate for mentorship because I knew that it made all the difference for me being a Black woman in the space,” Thornhill-Goldson told AfroTech. “There’s no other way I would’ve gotten through had I not had mentors already in the industry. I wouldn’t have been in the spaces, nor would my portfolio have been what it needed to be for me to get into the internship and then subsequently a full-time role.”

Thornhill-Goldson spent nine years at Nike as a footwear designer for Nike’s women’s training, Jordan Brand, and emerging markets divisions. However, after a decade at the apparel giant, she wanted to expand on her purpose and help others the way she was helped.

That led her back to school at Full Sail University where she received her master’s degree and began teaching design at the high school and college levels. Now she’s teaching at another athletic apparel giant, Adidas.

Thornhill-Goldson is now the design director at the Adidas School for Experiential Education in Design  (S.E.E.D.) Program. The program, developed in partnership with the Pensole Design Academy, is a strategic pipeline to welcome new talent into the brand and the industry.

The SEED program’s inaugural class in 2020 was an all-female class of creators, and today, Thornhill-Goldson works with Jessica Smith and Liz Connelly. Today, the three women are committed to providing access, awareness, and a pathway for more women to get in and build a footing in the shoewear industry.

Students in the program are paid throughout its duration and receive a housing stipend each month so they can focus on their work.

“It’s really about creating equity,” she said. “We try to remove as many barriers as possible. So, our students just have to be at least 18 years of age and able to work in the U.S. Those are the only requirements. And to be a woman of color because that’s who we’re focusing on.”

Thornhill-Goldson added that those who apply do not need the information art programs typically ask for, including a résumé and a portfolio. Instead, the program creates opportunities for the students and then evaluates them on their ability to collaborate, take feedback, and implement it.

The SEED program is currently taking applications for its third class and the two-year program and has extended beyond footwear to apparel, accessories, and backpacks.

It took 30 years, but black-ish star Anthony Anderson is a college graduate!

Weeks after black-ish‘s eight-season run ended, so did Anderson’s pursuit of a college degree. The Compton, California, native celebrated his graduation from Howard University on his Instagram account over the weekend.

He received 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! Yesterday was a full circle moment. It’s never too late! Things happen when they’re supposed to happen! I’d like to thank Dr. Wayne Fredrick, Dean Phylicia Rashad, Dean Denise Saunders Thomas and Courtney Bless Long for helping to make this happen for me! It takes a village. Thank you to my son @hotboynato for inspiring me to return to school to finish my degree after he was accepted into Howard University. This is just the beginning! HU!…
#justakidfromcompton #huskyandhandsome #bigzaddy #collegegraduate #howard #howarduniversity #howardgrad #HU #bison“

The actor, who will return to his old stomping grounds on NBC with Law & Order,  spoke about obtaining his degree in 2018 when he appeared 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.”

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 9, 2022

Wendy Williams Says She Only Has $2 ‘And Nothing Else’ Amid Her Bank Accounts Being Frozen

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Wendy Williams revealed a lot during her recent chat with rapper Fat Joe. In addition to snubbing Sherri Shepherd‘s new show, the former talk show host claims to only have $2 to her name after having her bank accounts frozen.

Over the weekend, Williams spoke with Fat Joe on Instagram Live about the possible return to her daytime talk show and shared an update on her financial problems.

“I know what kind of money I have. Unfortunately, I only have two dollars and nothing else,” Wendy said.

“Everything is frozen; some people are involved with this, and so that’s what I’m doing right now.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZzaK_XXC04

In February, Williams filed a legal letter saying Wells Fargo has “several million dollars” of hers in its possession,” as noted by People. The bank claimed the assets were frozen because “[Williams] is the victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.”

When providing an update on her financial standing, Williams claimed that her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., also had his money frozen, and she is unable to provide for her family, ET reports. She says “some people” were involved in seizing her funds.

In her February filing, she claimed Wells Fargo “denied [her] any access, whether online or otherwise, to her financial accounts, assets, and statements.” The filing accused her former financial adviser, Lori Schiller, of advising the bank to freeze the assets claiming that Williams “was of unsound mind.”

But while speaking with Fat Joe, Williams claimed to have a team helping resolve the issue and regain access to her money.

“I got people that will get that done; they will get it done,” she said. “That’s why I don’t feel as though I will go away.”

“I will get even bigger and bigger and bigger. Maybe I’ll talk about it while I’m doing my show. Maybe I’ll talk about it while I’m having dessert.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Williams said she has no plans to watch Sherri Shepherd’s new talk show that was seemingly added to replace hers.

“I like her, but I won’t be watching her because I know what she’s going to be doing, and that’s really not my thing,” Williams said. “Anyway, but I love being on my own show and I love that people love to watch it all the time.”

• News

by Atiya Jordan

May 9, 2022

Tuskegee Airman Requests Birthday Cards As He Approaches 100

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Retired Sgt. Victor W. Butler isn’t asking for too much ahead of his 100th birthday. He wants birthday cards and to celebrate this momentous milestone by reading inspiring and celebratory messages.

The Rhode Island native, who served as one of the Tuskegee Airmen from 1941 to 1946, turns 100 on May 21. According to CBS 42, Butler is believed to be one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen in Rhode Island.

“I’ll tell you one thing: It’s great to get to 100 years old, but when you’re 100, there’s not much you want,” said Butler, who worked as a mechanic in the war. “There aren’t too many things that will make you happy than hearing from people and talking for people.”

Although his dream to become a pilot didn’t pan out, Butler was among the brave Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the “The Red Tails,” who served between 1940 and 1948. During his appointment as aircraft mechanic, Butler worked on some of the legendary planes used by Black fighter pilots soaring the skies on missions.

Butler loved being a part of history, but segregation posed an issue for Black soldiers in Tuskegee, Alabama, at the time.

“Being in Tuskegee, Alabama, it wasn’t very acceptable to white people for Black soldiers to be walking around,” he told WJAR.

Since then, his service with the famed-flying airmen garnered him many hours and awards, including coins.

Ahead of his 100th birthday, Butler’s request has circulated, having already received over 500 cards, CBS 42 reported. The cards, sent from people all across the country, have brought Butler so much enjoyment.

“Oh, I’ll read every one of them,” he claimed.

“What’s special about it? It’s special just sitting and reading them,” Butler added. “They all have nice letters with them. Some of them have been very inspiring. It makes me feel great.”

The veteran was recently recognized by the Rhode Island House of Representatives for his trailblazing contributions as a family man and businessman.

“Mr. Butler has always been a hard-working man who always strived tirelessly to provide for his family and loved ones,” a resolution from the Rhode Island House of Representatives read. “Mr. Butler was the first African-American to work for Brown and Sharpe and worked for the company for 34 years. Mr. Butler was also a successful businessman who owned and operated the Victor Butler Automatic Screw Machine Repair company for 18 years.”

Butler is married and serves as the elder of five children, eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren.

“Just enjoy life as it is. Be thankful,” he advised. “I’m thankful that I have a nice wife, and a nice home to live in.”

Butler requests that birthday cards be mailed to the following address:

Victor W. Butler

C/O Gary Butler

P.O. Box. 3523

Cranston, RI 02910

T-Pain is expanding his professional portfolio to include a restaurant and is inspiring other prospective business owners to break past their fears.

The “Rappa Ternt Sanga”  took to Twitter on Mother’s Day to share the big news.

“I DID IT BOIS!!!! I’m officially a restaurant owner,” T-Pain tweeted.

“Got my keys today and I’m scared as sh*t. BUT! I can no longer ignore the paths God has set for me just because I don’t understand or I’m scared.”

I DID IT BOIS!!!! Im officially a restaurant owner. Got my keys today and I’m scared as shit. BUT! I can no longer ignore the paths God has set for me just because I don’t understand or I’m scared. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/wQQCNTpfbe

— T-Pain (@TPAIN) May 8, 2022

The Grammy Award-winning singer touched on the importance of being uncomfortable when taking big risks in life and business.

“I’ve learned that if I’m not afraid, that means I’m in my comfort zone, that may be what some ppl want but as comfortable as it is in there, it also gets fuggen BORING!!!” T-Pain said.

The singer has brought new energy into 2022 and says he’s no longer living in fear of acting out on his dreams and being confident in what he has to offer.

“In this new chapter of my life I’m taking the leap on anything I truly love and believe in,” T-Pain wrote.

“I’m fully in control and don’t have to ask for permission to believe in myself anymore.”

He ended the big reveal by encouraging other hopeful business owners to embrace the unknown when launching and running a business.

“Let this be a sign to GO DO THE THING!! If you’re not afraid, you’re too comfortable,” T-Pain shared.

Many of his followers shared their support for T-Pain’s new venture.

“I love this so much and needed to hear it! Congratulations on your new restaurant! Hope to try it one day,” one fan tweeted in response.

“Sh*t where at. You looking for bartenders 👀👀,” one user asked.

Another had a suggestion for a drink title.

“You should have a beverage called “Buy U a drank,” they said.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by T-Pain (@tpain)

T-Pain will likely earn funds toward his new eatery while on his latest tour, “The Road To Wiscansin Tour,” kicking off on Tuesday.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 9, 2022

Welfare Algorithm That Screens for Child Neglect Could Disproportionately Impact Black Families

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A recently released Associated Press review identified a number of concerns about the technology welfare agencies use, including that it could harden racial disparities in the child welfare system.

Attorney Robin Frank is challenging the algorithm that decides which families should be investigated for alleged child neglect, AP reports. The algorithm is similar to the one in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, which was found to have a pattern of flagging more Black children for a “mandatory” neglect investigation compared with white children.

“A lot of people don’t know that it’s even being used,” Frank said. “Families should have the right to have all of the information in their file.”

Researchers also found that social workers in Allegheny also disagreed with the risk scores the algorithm produced about one-third of the time.

“Workers, whoever they are, shouldn’t be asked to make, in a given year, 14, 15, 16,000 of these kinds of decisions with incredibly imperfect information,” said Erin Dalton, director of the county’s Department of Human Services, and a pioneer in applying the predictive child welfare algorithm.

Typically, incidents of potential neglect are reported to Allegheny County’s child protection hotline before the algorithm calculates the child’s potential risk and assigns a score through an automatic screening process. Social workers are then able to decide whether to investigate.

Critics of the artificial intelligence-run algorithm say it gives the data-driven program mostly collected using the information on poor people an unfair disadvantage in deciding the fate of families in poverty-stricken areas.

Researchers found that when the algorithm determined which families should be screened, it would have recommended two-thirds of Black children to be investigated, compared with about half of all other children reported.

“It’s not decreasing the impact among Black families,” said Logan Stapleton, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University. “On the point of accuracy and disparity, (the county is) making strong statements that I think are misleading.”

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 9, 2022

Dallas Police Officers Indicted for Attacking Protestors at George Floyd Demonstration

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Last week, a grand jury indicted three law enforcement officers for assaulting several protestors in Dallas during a march for George Floyd in summer 2020.

According to The Dallas Morning News, the police officers indicted were: Dallas Police Senior Corporal Ryan Mabry, former Dallas Police Senior Corporal Melvin Williams, and Garland Police Officer Joe Privitt.

Mabry, 36, was indicted on eight felony charges, including six counts of aggravated assault by a public servant and two counts of deadly conduct. He is also facing three misdemeanor counts of official oppression.

The 41-year-old Williams was indicted on six felony charges, four counts of aggravated assault by a public servant, and two counts of deadly conduct. He is also looking at four misdemeanor counts of official oppression, one of which was from an incident unrelated to the protest.

Privitt, 57, was indicted on one count of aggravated assault by a public servant. He is also accused in a separate case that involves Mabry and Williams.

Mabry and Williams are being accused of injuring protestors, some severely. One of the victims, Brandon Saenz, lost an eye, seven teeth, and had the left side of his face fractured. Saenz was peacefully protesting when he was hit in the face with less-lethal ammunition from Mabry, who struck Saenz after another man threw a water bottle at police..

Williams was fired from the police department earlier this year for an excessive-force accusation unrelated to the protest. Mabry is on administrative leave.

Daryl Washington, an attorney representing several of the injured protestors, said the police response to the indictments “pushed the city of Dallas 10 steps backwards.”

“I want [Dallas Police Chief Eddie] García, I want [Dallas Police Association President] Mike Mata, I want the attorneys for the officers—I want any one of them to show me just one officer who lost an eye,” Washington said.

“Show me one officer who had to have surgery on one of his testicles and can no longer have kids. Show me that.”

All the officers are charged with aggravated assault after striking a man with less-lethal ammunition on Elm Street May 30. Body camera footage showed the man conceding to the police officers’ orders and backing away before they opened fire.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 9, 2022

Patrisse Cullors Calls Out Candace Owens for Stalking, Making ‘Unacceptable And Dangerous’ Visit to Her Home

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Patrisse Khan-Cullors, former Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation leader, is back in the spotlight as questions mount about how millions of dollars donated to the organization were spent.

Amid growing suspicions, conservative political pundit Candace Owens visited Cullors’ Los Angeles home on Saturday to ask her questions for a documentary she’s filming about BLM’s finances.

Cullors took to Instagram to post a tearful video calling out Owens for the unwarranted visit and accused the right-wing media of “attacking and harassing me and my family.”

“She was demanding that I come outside,” Cullors said in the video. “The constant harassment, online and offline, that I’ve experienced is unacceptable and dangerous.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Patrisse Cullors (@osopepatrisse)

“Today Candace Owens showed up to my personal property demanding I come outside,” Cullors wrote in the post’s caption. “While she is Black she is advancing a right-wing agenda. She is dangerous and her followers are dangerous.”

But Owens posted a response video, shutting down Cullors’s “crocodile tears” and accusing the former BLM leader of avoiding the hard-hitting questions.

“Patrice Cullors of Black Lives Matter is about to be exposed as a fraud and she knows it,” Owens captioned her post.

The proud Donald Trump supporter denied being aggressive in her unwarranted visit to the activist’s home.

“I am 8 months pregnant and I showed up by myself — (with my small film crew) and politely asked if there was anyone available I could speak to,” Owens claimed.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Candace Owens (@realcandaceowens)

Owens doubled down on her questions about how the millions donated to BLM were spent.

“So…Where did the millions of dollars go that were raised by BLM?” Owens asked,  “

“I’m investigating and you are going to be shocked. Crocodile tears and blocked comments are not going to stop the truth from coming out, Patrisse.”

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 9, 2022

Dr. Dre Lost $200M and Billionaire Status After Tyrese Drunkenly Leaked Apple-Beats Deal

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It was initially believed that N.W.A. co-founder and producer Dr. Dre had reached billionaire status when he and former Interscope executive Jimmy Iovine sold Beats By Dre to Apple.

An announcement made by R&B singer Tyrese on social media at the time reportedly thwarted the distinction of making Andre Young the first hip-hop billionaire.

According to iMore, Tyrese’s little “announcement” on Facebook, was the reported reason that cost Dre and Iovine $200,000,000 from the Beats By Dre sale. The incident that took place in 2014, shortly before the Apple acquisition was official, was memorialized in a new book by Tripp Mickle titled, After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul. The writer states in the book that Apple CEO Tim Cook directed all parties to keep the deal secret, or it would jeopardize the deal.

In chapter 10 of the book, Mickle explains Cook’s entry into music streaming, with Beats By Dre catching his attention. It wasn’t because of the actual headphones; it was the curated playlists developed by real people that interested him. At the time, he felt that acquiring the company would be “a solution to the company’s failure to enter the streaming music business.”

Iovine insisted that Apple purchase both Beats Music and Beats Electronics. Cook finally relented to a price of $3.2 billion for the acquisition.

“It was a sum that Iovine and Dre could barely fathom. As the lawyers worked through final details, Iovine summoned the leadership team of Beats to his home near Beverly Hills. He told everyone that they were on the cusp of finalizing a massive deal. The only thing that could spoil it would be for word of the deal to leak.”

After the Interscope boss informed his team not to leak the news, at 2:00 a.m. the following morning, Iovine got a phone call from Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. Puff told Iovine about the Facebook video that went viral.

“At 2:00 a.m., Iovine got a call from Puff Daddy, who was screaming that Dre and Tyrese, a rapper, were talking about the deal in a Facebook video. Iovine pulled up the video and cringed as he saw Tyrese bragging about being drunk on Heineken in a recording studio.”

In the video, Dr. Dre brags about being “the first billionaire in hip-hop.”

Of course, Cook found out about the clip.

“When word of the video reached Cook, he summoned Iovine and Dre to Cupertino. He invited them into a conference room for a private conversation. Iovine was anxious and afraid that Cook was going to kill the deal. Instead of the anger and cursing that would have poured out of [Steve] Jobs in a moment like that, Cook exuded calm. He told the music executives that he was disappointed and wished that Dre’s social media outburst hadn’t happened but said that the video hadn’t shaken his conviction that buying Beats was right for Apple.”

Cook insisted the price go down just enough where it wouldn’t make Dre a billionaire, which was the $200,000,000 price reduction. This move opened the door for Brooklyn, New York’s Jay-Z two years later in 2019 to obtain the title from Forbes as hip-hop’s first billionaire.