• Lifestyle

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 5, 2022

Pepsi Announces Programming Around Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit

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This Friday, Pepsi Stronger Together — the brand’s series of grassroots initiatives bringing tailored programming support to communities across the country — is supporting the city of Atlanta once again.

As part of its footprint in the Mary J. Blige and Pepsi “Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit,” Pepsi Stronger Together is empowering women in the community starting with City of Refuge, an organization that provides services to families and individuals in crisis including housing for women and single mothers, youth development and job training. Along with a clothing donation to restock the City of Refuge’s closet for new residents, Pepsi Stronger Together is also providing a $20,000 donation to further support the important work the organization does in helping women in need.

“The closet provides more than just clothing to these women, it’s one of their first touchpoints when they arrive and a source of confidence and self-respect. We find that when women love the clothes they are wearing they respect themselves more and therefore demand respect from the people in their lives,” said Kelsi Franco, director of Women’s Housing at City of Refuge.

“This generous support from Pepsi Stronger Together allows us to continue assisting the women who reside here with new clothes as well as resources to empower them, which in turn helps them in building confidence and preparedness for the workforce and beyond.”

 As part of the Pepsi Stronger Together donation to City of Refuge, the brand will be providing:

– A selection of brand new clothes to help reinstate the donation-based women’s closet that provides free clothes monthly to over 100 women in need. Providing a range of harder to source inclusive sizing, the brand’s donation covers business professional attire, athletic wear and more to assist women that come to City of Refuge with only the clothes on their backs.

– A $20,000 grant to support the organization’s ongoing work in the Atlanta community.

– Products from local Black female-owned businesses like The Village Market and CURLBOX, who will speaking at the Pepsi Stronger Together panel on female empowerment during the “Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit.”

“For Pepsi Stronger Together, our goal has always been to uplift the Atlanta community and our role in the ‘Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit’ is no different. We are honored to be working with the City of Refuge, an organization that echoes what the festival represents, to kick-start the return of this donation-based closet and provide these deserving women the tools they need to succeed,” said Elisa Baker, senior director, Brand Communications and Community Engagement, PepsiCo Multicultural Business and Equity Development (MBED).

The on-site donation by Pepsi Stronger Together will kick-off the brand’s arrival in Atlanta ahead of this weekend’s “Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit.” Pepsi is co-presenting the weekend’s programming along with Mary J. Blige and her team, with events and activations aimed at elevating, entertaining and educating women in the Atlanta area and beyond.

The donation to City of Refuge is the latest in Pepsi Stronger Together’s continued support of the Atlanta community following its work last year which included renovations of youth crisis and domestic violence shelters A Friend’s House and Haven House, funding de-escalation training with Henry County and Fulton County Sheriff’s Offices, and more.

– What: Clothing donation + $20,000 check presentation by Pepsi Stronger Together.

– Where: City of Refuge, 1300 Joseph E. Bonne Blvd N.W., Atlanta, Ga. 30314.

– When: Friday, May 6, 12 p.m.

Notable attendees: (interviews available)

– Elisa Baker – Senior Director, Brand Communications and Community Engagement, PepsiCo Multicultural Business and Equity Development (MBED).

– Kelsi Franco – Director of Women’s Housing, City of Refuge.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 5, 2022

Guy Who Tackled Dave Chappelle Has A Song About Comedian

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It looks like the guy who tackled Dave Chappelle during a live standup set might’ve been plotting out his attack for some years.

Isaiah Lee, 23, was arrested and charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon after storming on stage at The Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night and knocking Chappelle to the ground, The New York Post reported. Chappelle was wrapping up his set when Lee took charge and attacked the 48-year-old comedian.

As more details surface about who Lee is and what his motive, a social media search finds that he is an aspiring rapper by the name of “NoName_Trapper.” Lee boasts over 6,000 subscribers to his verified Spotify account and previously dedicated a rap song to Chappelle.

A song off his 2020 album, Born & die in the trap, is called “Dave Chappell,” and eerily references the Hollywood Bowl where the attack took place.

“Walkin’ straight into da Bowl,” Lee raps in the 2-minute song.

The line seemingly referenced what the rapper would do two years later once he encountered the famed comedian at the popular amphitheater. At the time the song was recorded, Chappelle had a show scheduled at the Hollywood Bowl that was canceled due to the pandemic.

Lee charged at Chappelle during the comedian’s set at the “Netflix Is A Joke” event. Chappelle had just finished sharing how he beefed up his security after all the backlash he faced over his jokes about the trans community.

Reporters contacted Lee’s family to determine his motive behind the attack. But a woman who identified as his sister declined to comment.

“At this point, we’re trying to find a lawyer for my brother,” she said.

Lee posted a photo prior to the attack that showed him wearing the same shirt that was seen in photos being carried out in a stretcher after attacking Chappelle.

Following the attack, Lee was badly roughed up by security and taken into custody. Chris Rock made a joke in reference to him being slapped by Will Smith at the Academy Awards last month.

“Was that Will Smith?” Rock joked.

• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion

by Derek Major

May 5, 2022

Howard University Alumni, Students Increase Calls For A Black Female President

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Howard University’s commencement convocation on Saturday could be the last for President Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, and many want his replacement to be a Black woman.

The commencement ceremony will mark the end of a contentious academic year for Howard students, faculty, and Frederick, as his leadership has been criticized. The academic year saw a well-publicized protest of the school’s outdated and unsafe student housing, a strike by the university’s hospital nurses and an agreement between Howard administrators and the union that represents faculty members after a three-year fight that nearly resulted in a strike.

Since Federick announced his retirement in April, beginning a two-year transition in presidential leadership, an increasing number of alumni have called for a more streamlined selection process and for the university’s next president to be a Black woman.

According to the Washington Informer, Fred Outten, a Howard alum, is currently engaging other graduates concerning the issue, pointing out that many Black women with various professional and academic backgrounds fit the qualifications. However, he stopped short of naming any women.

“We want to galvanize alumni to see to it that a Black woman becomes the 18th president of our beloved mecca,” Outten, a 1999 HU graduate, told the Informer. “We’ve seen a lot of activities on campus that weren’t in the best interest of students, faculty, and staff,” he said. “It’s been going on for 25 years. We wanted to put in a different perspective and see some new energy.”

The only female to serve as president at Howard was Joyce Ladner, a civil rights activist and sociologist who served as interim president in 1994 but was replaced in1995 by H. Patrick Swygert. Over the last decade, several HBCU schools have named Black women as presidents.

Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette became the first Black female president of Huston-Tillotson University in 2015. Two years later, Dr. Cynthia Warwick became the first female president of Stillman College, and Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis was named the first Black female president of Benedict College the same year.

Outten said since launching his campaign, dozens of Howard alumni have gotten on board with the idea of a Black female president. Howard Alumni United member Fahima Seck has suggested Dr. Julianne Malveaux, the former president of Bennett College for Women and the current dean of Cal State’s School of Ethnic Studies.

The member of a legendary hip-hop group is going to prison.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced that Nathaniel Glover, known to the hip-hop world as Kidd Creole with Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, was sentenced to 16 years for fatally stabbing 55-year-old John Jolly in midtown Manhattan five years ago.

On April 6, a New York State Supreme Court jury found Kidd Creole guilty of first-degree manslaughter but acquitted him of second-degree murder. The New York Daily News reported that the jury deliberated for three hours.

“Mr. Jolly’s death was devastating to his family and those who knew him,” Bragg Jr. said in a statement, where he thanked his colleagues for their help. “Every life we lose to violent crime ripples throughout our entire city, and we will continue to ensure everyone in our borough can live their lives with the sense of safety and security they deserve. This case makes clear that if you commit violent crime, we will hold you accountable.”

John Jolly was stabbed twice in the chest with a steak knife in midtown Manhattan in August 2017.

Prosecutors said Kidd Creole, now 61, stabbed Jolly twice because he thought that the homeless man was gay and making a pass at him. Glover’s attorney claimed self-defense.

Glover has been in prison for five years and was facing up to 25 years in prison when he was sentenced. Kidd Creole initially rejected an offer to plead guilty to manslaughter for a 10-year sentence before the trial started.

Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five was formed in the late 1970s in the Bronx, earning worldwide success after recording one of the most well-known songs in hip-hop history, “The Message,” in 1982. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, the first hip-hop group to receive that honor.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 5, 2022

TV Judge Glenda Hatchett’s Son Sues Cedars-Sinai Medical Center For Wrongful Death of His Wife After Cesarean, Family Cites Racism

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In 2016, a young mother died hours after childbirth at a Los Angeles hospital. Now, the woman’s husband is suing the hospital, citing racism as a factor in her death.

According to The Associated Press, Charles Johnson IV is suing Cedars-Sinai Medical Center because he believes that his wife bled to death in 2016 due to a culture of racism at the renowned Los Angeles hospital.

Johnson is the son of TV judge Glenda Hatchett. The two have been outspoken about the nightmare they experienced after Johnson’s wife, Kira Dixon Johnson, died about 12 hours after having her son, Langston, via a scheduled cesarean section performed in 17 minutes.

The lawsuit Johnson filed on Wednesday cites the disparity in care women of color receive at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center compared to what white women receive. The wrongful death lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in Los Angeles Superior Court next week.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that my wife would be here today and be here Sunday celebrating Mother’s Day with her boys if she was a Caucasian woman,” Johnson said Wednesday outside the hospital.

“The reality is that on April 12, 2016, when we walked into Cedars-Sinai hospital for what we expected to be the happiest day of our lives, the greatest risk factor that Kira Dixon Johnson faced was racism.”

Despite indications that Kira was bleeding internally and grave concern from her husband, the mother languished for hours. She was finally readmitted to the operating room, but the lawsuit contends it was too late by then.

According to the lawsuit, at one point, a nurse told Charles that his wife wasn’t a priority. She died from internal bleeding, with nearly 90% of her blood later found in her stomach. Her bladder had been lacerated, and she hadn’t been sutured properly.

“This is sloppy. It was butchery,” Johnson’s attorney, Nicholas Rowley, said. “It shocked everybody that we deposed, all the healthcare providers, even the head of (obstetrics) here, the head of labor and delivery, looked at it and said, ‘No, I’ve never seen one done that fast.’”

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which has fought the malpractice lawsuit, said in a written statement that the hospital was founded on principles of diversity and healthcare for all, and it rejected “any mischaracterization of our culture and values.”

“We are actively working to eradicate unconscious bias in healthcare and advance equity in healthcare more broadly,” the statement said. “We commend Mr. Johnson for the attention he has brought to the important issue of racial disparities in maternal outcomes.”

• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 5, 2022

Black Women’s Health Imperative Statement on Leaked SCOTUS Opinion Overturning Roe v. Wade

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Byllye Avery, founder of the National Black Women’s Health Project and its successor the Black Women’s Health Imperative, and Linda Goler Blount, president and chief executive officer of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, issued the following statement in response to the leaked Supreme Court majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a press release:

“We at the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the first and only national non-profit solely dedicated to achieving health equity for Black women in America, are dismayed to learn that the U.S. Supreme Court majority has drafted an opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. If affirmed, this decision will have life-altering ramifications for all Americans, but especially Black women.”

“Roe has given Black women the bodily autonomy we’ve historically been denied. In so doing, the landmark decision has contributed to the physical, emotional and financial health of millions of Black women. If issued, the Court’s opinion will jeopardize that autonomy and the advancement of Black women in this country.”

“Overturning Roe v. Wade will mean that there will be a small patchwork of states that provide abortion services. This will significantly limit access to women who are financially challenged and can’t afford to travel across state lines to obtain reproductive health care. The decision will also negatively impact the lives of the most vulnerable of us — our young Black girls who are victims of incest, rape and sex trafficking and are not yet ready for parenting.”

“This outcome would be particularly devastating for Black women, who already face massive hurdles to receiving abortion services and are more than three times as likely to die during childbirth as white women. We know that the single most cited reason Black women give for seeking abortion care is the inability to afford a child.  If Roe is indeed overturned, they and their children would likely be condemned to a lifetime of poverty and poor health outcomes.”

“Today, we must remind ourselves that while abortion is still legal in all 50 states, we must fight to protect Black women’s right to bodily autonomy and their physical and economic wellbeing.”

“The decision seems likely — but it is not final.”

“Thus, the Black Women’s Health Imperative urges the Supreme Court to uphold Roe v. Wade — and the decades of progress made by Black women.”

“We encourage every person who is concerned about women losing the ability to make the most basic health and wellness decisions for themselves and their families to raise their voices. Join our movement to advocate, call their representatives and support our partners at Liberate Abortion in peaceful protests at the Supreme Court steps. We must uphold Roe.”

For more information on what you can do before that final decision, visit https://www.liberateabortion.org and https://bwhi.org/take-action.

• Women

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 5, 2022

2022 ‘Defend Black Women’ March Announced for July 29-July 31 in Washington, D.C.

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I Support Black Women campaign Creative Director Trinice McNally, and Black Women Radicals Executive Director Jaimee Swift have announced that the 2022 “Defend Black Women March” will take place Friday, July 29 through Sunday, July 31, 2022 in Washington, D.C.

The goal of the march is to celebrate, center and highlight the life, leadership and legacy of Afro-Brazilian bisexual feminist, politician, activist and human rights defender, Marielle Franco, as well as the power of Black feminisms in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.

Globally, Black women face unprecedented amounts of violence: More than 20 percent of Black women in the United States are raped during their lifetimes — a higher share than among women overall. In Brazil, 61 percent of the women murdered by police between 2005 and 2015 were Black women, despite representing 24.5 percent of the population,. In Nigeria, 30 percent of girls and women between the ages of 15 and 49 are victims of sexual abuse. This violence against Black women and gender expansive people is a global epidemic, one that has only been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is an urgent imperative that our solidarity and movement building in the U.S. are connected with and to Black women and gender expansive people in Latin America, the Caribbean, on the African continent and other parts of the African Diaspora,” Swift said.

“Multiform violence against Black women and gender expansive people is pervasive. As a Black woman born and raised in the United States, and whose research centers on Black feminisms in Brazil, it is my duty to build community with other Black women and gender expansive folks across space and place so that we can not only learn together, but so we can also get free together.”

“As a Black queer migrant and survivor, I believe it is critical that we are interrogating the varying systems of violence that oppress Black women and gender-expansive people across borders,” said McNally.

“As a British-Jamaican woman growing up in the United States, it was often challenging to be in classrooms and movements that didn’t teach about the leadership and resilience of Black women like Nanny of the Maroons, Carlota Lukumi or Mama Tingo. For me, this march is personal because defending Black women is about Black women, everywhere, not just in the United States. There are so many lessons, and experiences we can pull on and learn from to expand our ideas around movement building to transnational solidarity.”

The Defend Black Women March weekend will begin on K St. N.W., with the march and rally kicking at Malcolm X Park (Meridian Hill Park), and ending at Black Lives Matter Plaza, a two-block-long pedestrian section of 16 St. N.W.

• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion

by Derek Major

May 5, 2022

Settlement Reached! Majority Black Town Avoids Finances Being Taken Over By Tennessee

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On Wednesday, the small, majority-Black town of Mason, Tennessee, announced that it reached a deal that would stop a state takeover of its finances.

The Johnson City Press reports the agreement, described as a settlement by the NAACP, is a win for the town, which alleged the state was unfairly scrutinizing the town’s finances.

“This settlement agreement is a good thing for the citizens of the town and it’s a good thing for African Americans across the country,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson told the Press.

In February, Comptroller Jason Mumpower asked leaders in Mason to surrender its charter due to years of financial mismanagement. After Mason voters refused, Mumpower said the state would take over the town’s financial supervision.

The situation became national news after many pointed out the town is located near the site of a new $5.6 billion Ford electric vehicle factory expected to create more than 7,000 jobs for the area between the construction and running of the plant. The town, which had less than 1,500 people according to the 2020 Census has since fallen under 800 due to the closing of a private prison.

Town leaders quickly filed a lawsuit against the takeover and received the help of the NAACP challenging a state edict that Mason receive state approval to spend more than $100, which town leaders said would set them up for failure.

Under the settlement, Mason officials will alert the state of any non-payroll expenditures over $1,000 and will have to file monthly reports to the state. Additionally, the settlement will cut the town’s monthly payment on what is owed to its water and sewer funds from $10,000 to $5,100.

The settlement still needs to be approved by Davidson County Chancery Court Judge Anne Martin. In a statement, Mumpower agreed with the settlement.

“Mason’s agreement to a new corrective action plan is a significant step in restoring the town’s financial health,” Mumpower said in a statement. “Most importantly, if Mason follows this plan, taxpayers can know their leaders are being good stewards of their money.”

A radio personality at the country’s first Black radio station in Memphis has recently passed away.

According to The Memphis Commercial Appeal, radio personality Bobby O’Jay, who was on Memphis’ WDIA, died at 68. His cause of death was not mentioned.

The station confirmed his passing on its Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness we share the passing of the Legendary Bobby O’Jay. Bobby was a trailblazer in the industry as well as a legacy in the community for multiple decades. We offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loyal listeners during this extremely difficult time. He was such an important part of WDIA and the City of Memphis, words cannot express how truly missed he will be.”

His death surprised many as he was on the air on Tuesday morning. He was inducted into The Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame and was also the program director at WDIA.

“Bobby was steady; he was steadfast,” said one of his friends, Fred Jones, the founder of the Southern Heritage Classic. “The people in this community respected Bobby. No matter where you’d go, you’d hear people ask: ‘Did you hear what Bobby O’Jay said this morning?’ His reach was strong across the whole breadth of the community. Few can maintain that kind of impact in the radio world, which is always changing and evolving.”

The mayor of Memphis, Jim Strickland, also acknowledged O’Jay on his Twitter account.

I’m very sorry to learn about the passing of Bobby O’Jay. I know for many Memphians, including my wife, the day was not complete unless they tuned in to hear what Bobby had to say. I always enjoyed being with Bobby on his show or otherwise. pic.twitter.com/DoZ0sl9QNg

— Mayor Jim Strickland (@MayorMemphis) May 3, 2022

O’Jay stated that when he was 14, he received a visit from his first cousin, Melvin Jones, who arrived at his home in Batesville in a brand-new burgundy 1967 Mustang and a sharp set of clothes. Jones was a developing radio DJ and future radio executive. At this point, O’Jay knew he wanted to be involved in radio.

The legendary broadcaster went on to get his formal radio training from the Institute of Broadcast Arts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He started his successful career in 1972, where he worked at radio stations in Montgomery, Alabama; Milwaukee; Flint, Michigan; Chicago; Houston; and Dallas.

In 1974, he moved to Memphis and started working at WLOK-AM 134, and in 1983, O’Jay went to work for the first Black radio station in the country, WDIA. In 1949, WDIA became the first radio station in the U.S. geared toward Black audiences.

In 2018, he was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.

“I leave a legacy behind for my family,” O’Jay stated at that time. “Here’s a guy who came from the cotton fields of Mississippi, but I’ve managed to work at some of the biggest stations in America. I have met some of the biggest stars in America. Even though there was some ups and downs, it’s been more fun than anything.”

After taking it off the table for so many years and avoiding the issue, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) finally relented and allowed student-athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

Now, with boosters involved in negotiating these NIL deals, the NCAA will be cracking down on those who should not be offering pay for play by the standards of the league.

According to CBS Sports, the NCAA is making plans to crack down on boosters funding the name, image, and likeness payments, which were traditionally violations of NCAA rules before the changes took place.

NCAA Council chairman Shane Lyons spoke to CBS Sports about why the association’s ruling body is motivated to make sure boosters aren’t paying the players. They feel it can become a burgeoning scandal of “pay for play” disguised as NIL payments.

“How are they having conversations [with athletes]? They’re boosters,” Lyons said during the Fiesta Summit, a series of conference spring meetings, on Tuesday. “We’ve never let boosters be involved in the recruiting process. Where did it go off the tracks? … The collectives are boosters.”

There are now collectives of boosters, estimated to be more than 100. Some of the people heading the collectives are well known to both coaches and administrators.

One of them, John Ruiz Jr., is a University of Miami alumnus and billionaire who leads a University of Miami collective and has become the face of the NIL-collective issue.

Per the rules of the NCAA, boosters are not allowed to pay players or be included as part of a university’s recruiting process. The NCAA’s definition says that boosters act as “representatives of a school’s athletic interests.” That means that this extends to supporters who have made financial contributions to a school’s athletic department, arranged for employment of athletes, and/or assisted in providing benefits to athletes or their families.

Although he states he hasn’t heard directly from the NCAA about any violations, he told CBS Sports, “My platform is very consistent with all the rules with NCAA and state law. We probably have a more robust compliance system than the schools or the NCAA itself. I’m extremely comfortable. This is totally kosher. We have legitimate companies.”

There have been reports of boosters from various schools offering NIL deals to potential students instead of companies offering the deals. A rules subcommittee of the NCAA Transformation Committee is presently analyzing some of these agreements.

Since the change to allow students to be compensated debuted on July 1, 2021, the nine months after the official change have lived up to predictions of the recruiting terrain becoming the wild, wild West.