Atlanta, Mayor
by Sharelle Burt

April 24, 2024

Black Mayors Of The U.S. Head To Atlanta For the 10th Annual African American Mayors Association Conference 

Hope they find some solutions to cities' issues.....

A number of the Black mayors of America will be flooding the streets of Atlanta for the 10th Annual Conference of the African American Mayors Association (AAMA). 

The conference will take place between Apr. 24 and Apr. 27 at the luxurious Omni Hotel at Centennial Park. Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens will host a slew of attendees, including New York City’s Eric Adams, Los Angeles’ Karen Bass, as well as special guest and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. 

The goal of the conference is to touch on key topics facing different cities and for the leaders to share policies that will shape the future of their cities.

During the festivities, Montgomery’s Steven Reed will be named the president of the National African American Mayors Association (AAMA) — the only organization that exclusively represents African American mayors in the country. Reed’s chief of staff, Chip Hill, celebrated the move on Twitter.

“A HUGE development for our region and the entire state of Alabama. Montgomery, Alabama Mayor Steven Reed to be named National President of the African American Mayors Association this week,” he wrote. 

Reed previously served in numerous positions in the organization, including secretary and vice president. Hill also pointed out the significance of the appointment as Reed is the only mayor in Alabama to serve on the board of trustees for the U.S. Council of Mayors. According to the Alabama Political Reporter, the mayor’s new position could potentially add important connections, bringing in federal funds to the birthplace of the civil rights movement and surrounding areas to tackle issues. 

The organization, recognized by the White House regardless of the leader’s political affiliation, works with members by providing training and leadership development programs. Extended offerings include networking opportunities for mayors to exchange information and engage with each other for advice. There may be some new faces in attendance as cities in North Carolina made history by electing three Black women as their leaders.

In February 2024, Henderson’s mayor, Melissa Elliot, won after an intense race, followed by Dr. Linda Jordon of Butner, and Barbara Foushee of Carrboro. 

Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated the group’s anniversary in April 2023 by hosting a reception for 80 mayors. Following the reception, President Biden met with an AAMA leadership group to discuss the specifics surrounding his “Investing in America” agenda and how the campaign could serve their cities.

Miri, chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A, Shake SHack
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

April 24, 2024

TikToker MiriTheSiren Switches To Shake Shack Sponsorship After Chick-Fil-A Dubs Her

The TikToker, Miri, is now sponsored by Shake Shack after Chick-Fil-A dismissed the idea of collaborating.

TikToker MiriTheSiren is moving on to new chicken sandwiches. Despite gaining popularity for her Chick-fil-A food reviews, the restaurant’s refusal to collaborate prompted Shake Shack to offer a sponsorship.

The Tiktoker, whose real name is Miri, explained the switch-up to her account on April 16. She originally tried new meals while using her free employee meal, encouraging her growing fanbase to try certain menu items through her content. However, she later revealed that Chick-fil-A’s corporate office asked her to cease making videos. The company also refused any potential collaborations.

@mirithesiren Chick-fil-A Corporate has asked me to stop making content. I’m sorry you guys :/ Thank you for all the support and love but an era has ended. “The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TC&Js Enterprises, Chick-fil-A Whittwood, nor Chick-fil-A, Inc.” #fyp #chickfila #chickfilaemployee #chickfilasauce #chickfilahacks #curlyhair #blackgirl ♬ original sound – mirithesiren

“Since I started in January, I have garnered tens of millions of views,” Miri explained. And it’s been a beautiful experience. I’ve inspired people to try new things at Chick-fil-A. I’ve been able to connect more with my community and the people that I serve because they see my videos. I mean, it has just been a whirlwind.”

She continued, “I was reached out to by Chick-fil-A upper management and PR to let me know that my videos actually break a rule in our employee handbook. I do want to make clear that this rule was in place before I ever started making [videos], and unfortunately, Chick-fil-A is not willing to make an exception for me or collab with me in this case.”

While Chick-fil-A noted that they “loved” her videos and enthusiasm, this positive engagement could not foster a sponsorship with them.

However, Shake Shack offered Miri a partnership to discuss their chicken sandwiches. The rival fast food chain partnered with the young Black influencer to keep up her food review content. In the new video, it appears that Miri has a new go-to chicken spot.

@mirithesiren Went to @SHAKE SHACK and tried their CHICKEN SHACK – and you can too! Every Sunday in April you can get a free Chicken Shack with $10 minimum purchase using code CHICKENSUNDAY. #shakeshack #shakeshackpartner #chickenshack #fyp ♬ original sound – mirithesiren

“No exaggeration, this might be the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had,” the content creator said.

All’s fair in food and brand sponsorships, and it looks as though Shake Shack won this round.

Title IX, Biden Administration
by Sharelle Burt

April 24, 2024

LGBTQ And Pregnant Sexual Assault Victims Get Title IX Protections From Biden Administration

Way to go, Biden Administration!

The Biden administration finalized new Title IX regulations that add protections for transgender people and increase protections for victims of sexual assault or harassment and pregnant people.

For the first time, as of Apr. 19, new regulations add “gender identity” officially to the list of protections from sex-based discrimination — though the administration claims they had already been applying this standard. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona celebrated the move as building on Title IX’s legacy, a law established in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded school programs. “For more than 50 years, Title IX has promised an equal opportunity to learn and thrive in our nation’s schools free from sex discrimination,” Cardona said. 

“These final regulations build on the legacy of Title IX by clarifying that all our nation’s students can access safe, welcoming schools that respect their rights.”

Going into effect Aug. 1, 2024, new updates provide a clearer definition than those established by former President Donald Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Now, “sex-based harassment” includes “sexual violence and unwelcome sex-based conduct that creates a hostile environment by limiting or denying a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from a school’s education program or activity.”

“Our nation’s educational institutions should be places where we not only accept differences but celebrate them,” Cardona said. 

“Places that root out hate and promote inclusion, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because our systems and institutions are richer for it.” 

Under the new interpretation, schools could violate Title IX if they refuse to use the pronouns that correspond with a student’s gender identity.

In-person, court-like proceedings for allegations of sexual assault, including cross-examination of alleged victims, are no longer a requirement under the new rules. The move pushes aside rules made by the Trump administration that victim advocates say added a level of trauma to survivors and discouraged reporting, according to NPR. Now, schools will have the flexibility to question witnesses in live hearings or separate meetings. 

If a school chooses to hold a live hearing, alleged victims have the option to attend remotely.

The definition of what counts as sexual harassment is also broadened so more cases can qualify as serious enough to require a school investigation, as Trump’s regulations narrowed harassment to what is “objectively offensive.” Lastly, updates expand on protections for students, employees, and applicants against discrimination “based on pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, or recovery from these conditions.”

Some officials like Catherine Lhamon, Education Department assistant secretary for civil rights, praised the updates, saying, “Title IX requires more, and these final regulations provide it.” 

But others immediately rejected them. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, opposed the updates, claiming “it dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats’ contemptuous culture war that aims to racially redefine sex and gender.”

The only decision not identified on the administration’s proposal was a ban on transgender athletes from participating on teams corresponding with their gender identity. The controversial move is still pending.

Jeweler Ben Baller, Jesus Piece, Ye
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 24, 2024

Jeweler Ben Baller’s ‘Biggest Failure’ Was Not Capitalizing On Jesus Piece Made For Ye

'This right here could have made Pastelle, me, Kanye a 100 million. I’m still sick about this....'

Jeweler Ben Baller recently expressed regret for not capitalizing on a piece of jewelry he created for Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West. He made a polycarbonate Jesus piece in collaboration with the clothing line he once had, Pastelle. He claimed that he and Ye would have made $100 million if he didn’t fumble the bag, according to Complex.

Baller took to X, formerly known as Twitter, with a video clip and photos of Ye and his girlfriend at the time, Amber Rose, wearing the Jesus pieces. He mentioned that the pieces were made 15 years ago and that they would have “crushed the game” if they had made the right moves, even stating that there were plans “to make porcelain and jade ones.”

In the clip, he shows the red Jesus piece and says, “You know, there ain’t a lot of things that I’ve been upset about in my life, in my career as a jeweler. This is probably one of the biggest failures of a $100 million bag, straight up. This right here could have made Pastelle, me, Kanye a hundred million. I’m still sick about this sh**. And I’m sure if somebody would f**kin’ offer me, I don’t know, $10,000, $20,000 for this thing, I would never f**kin’ sell it. This is just disappointing.”

Baller includes a picture of Ye standing with Rose while sporting the Jesus piece. In another photograph, Rose walks with the red Jesus piece dangling from her neck.

Complex recalled the media outlet’s conversation with Baller in 2018 about the Jesus piece.

“Ye had some really super-dope ideas,” Baller said. “He wanted to make a [Jesus piece] in porcelain and in jade. He wanted to make some really cool sh**. If a jeweler now were to make Jesus pieces in jade it would change the game. And remember, this was almost ten years ago.”

O.J. Simpson, death, children
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 24, 2024

O.J. Simpson Was Not Surrounded By Family When He Died

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson's long-time attorney, stated that only one person, whom he described as “a close family member” was with the NFL Hall of Famer when he died.

When O.J. Simpson’s family announced that he died from cancer on his X account on April 10, they stated that “He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren,” yet, according to his attorney, that was not the case and only one person was with the former football player when he passed.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s long-time attorney, stated that only one person, whom he described as “a close family member,” was with the NFL Hall of Famer when he died. He did not disclose who that was but disputed what Simpson’s family said. He said the children, Arnelle Simpson, 55, Jason Simpson, 53, Sydney Simpson, 38, and Justin Simpson, 35, shared their father with the world their “entire lives.”

“You have to remember that they’ve shared O.J. with the world their entire lives,” LaVergne said. “At first, they shared good O.J., but still, he was famous. And then, in 1994 on, they kind of had to share bad boy O.J. with the world. But at the end of the day, these children just lost a father. And they have the added burden that he is one of the most famous people on the planet, and who is polarizing and who is surrounded by controversy.”

Simpson was cremated on April 17, according to Reuters. The ceremony was a private gathering attended by friends and family at the Palm Downtown Mortuary & Cemetery in downtown Las Vegas.

LaVergne already confirmed that Simpson’s brain will not be studied for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He did state that there were inquiries about whether that would take place. “That’s a hard no,” he said at the time. “His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated.”

According to the National Health Service, CTE is a degenerative brain disease often caused by repeated blows to the head and can lead to behavioral issues. It can only be discovered after the person has died. In past years, CTE has been linked to several former football players.

Simpson was an NFL player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. He also commentated on the popular sports show “It Is What It Is,” hosted by rappers Cam’ron and Ma$e.

Jay-Z, Michelle Obama, Keke Palmer, Webby Awards
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 23, 2024

Jay-Z, Michelle Obama, Keke Palmer, And More To Be Celebrated At 2024 Webby Awards

Jay-Z, Michelle Obama, and Keke Palmer are among the list of honorees at the 2024 Webby Awards.

Jay-Z, Michelle Obama, and Keke Palmer are among the collection of A-Listers set to be honored at the 2024 Webby Awards.

On Wednesday, April 23, The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) announced the list of winners for the 28th Annual Webby Awards, which celebrates innovative cultural trailblazers, corporations, and groups molding today’s evolving digital landscape. Among the winners include Jay-Z, Jon Batiste, Laverne Cox, Michelle Obama, Megan Thee Stallion, and Snoop Dogg.

Four individuals will also receive special achievement awards including Shannon Sharpe, who will receive the Webby Advocate of the Year Award for his impact on sports commentary and success of his Club Shay Shay podcast, and Keke Palmer who will receive the coveted Webby Special Achievement Award for her work as an actress and businesswoman and innovation with Baby, This Is Keke Palmer and KeyTV.

“This year’s Webby Winners represent work at the cutting edge of creativity and innovation,” Claire Graves, President of the Webby Awards said.

“They are best-in-class creators, entrepreneurs and companies who are taking giant strides to make something entirely new to entertain, help or inform people through the Internet. We can’t wait to celebrate them at the Internet’s biggest night on Monday, May 13th.”

A slew of companies and brands will be celebrated at the annual award show including Apple, Barbie, GLAAD, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NASA, Netflix, Reddit, Shopify, Spotify, and many more. Others who will receive special achievement awards include Kara Swisher, who will receive the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for her work as a veteran tech journalist and digital entrepreneur, and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus who will receive the Webby Podcast of the Year Award for Wiser Than Me.

Winners of the 2024 Webbys were selected by IADAS members including musician and actor Tobe Nwigwe, image architect Law Roach, host of The Roxane Gay Agenda Roxane Gay, writer/director/actress Quinta Brunson, DJ and producer Questlove, as well as execs and leaders across the tech and content creation industry.

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Johnny Gill, Bootsy Collins, And Hezekiah
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 23, 2024

Johnny Gill, Bootsy Collins, And Hezekiah Walker To Be Honored At 2024 Black Music Honors

Johnny Gill, Patrice Rushen, Bootsy Collins, and Hezekiah Walker to be celebrated at 2024 Black Music Honors.

The 9th annual Black Music Honors is continuing its legacy of celebrating urban music by honoring Johnny Gill, Patrice Rushen, Bootsy Collins, and Hezekiah Walker at this year’s ceremony.

Taking place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta on Saturday, May 18th, the 2024 Black Music Honors will include televised performances, speeches, and moments that highlight the finest of Black culture. Actress/singer LeToya Luckett and comedian DeRay Davis had so much fun co-hosting together last year that they’ll return to their mistress and master of ceremonies roles.

“For the past 9 years, Black Music Honors has surrounded and supported the amazing artists who have entertained millions,” founder and executive producer Don Jackson said.

“This year’s celebrants are trailblazers and deserve to be honored.”

Black Music Honors is known for giving flowers to Black entertainers who have paved lanes that may or may not have been recognized by major award shows. While Walker has received two Grammy awards for his work in gospel music and Collins won a Grammy in 2002 for Best Music Video, Gill and Rushen have been nominated multiple times but never won.

The televised special will film in May but won’t premiere until the following month in honor of Black Music Month. Viewers can catch the award show on the Stellar Network on Saturday, June 1 at 8 pm EST with a rebroadcast at 10 pm EST and national broadcast syndication June 8 – June 30 in tribute. Bounce TV will also air the show on Wednesday, June 19th (Juneteenth) at 9 pm EST.

“We are extremely proud to bring more visibility to these tremendous icons who have stayed the course from humble beginnings to careers that span decades,” Jackson added.

“Their lives and stories are part of the beautiful tapestry of Black music…which has impacted the globe.”

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Wole Coaxum, MoCaFi
by Sharelle Burt

April 23, 2024

Why This Former JPMorgan Exec Left The Corporate World To Provide Basic Income Payments To The Less Fortunate

We need more of this!

Wole Coaxum saw a need for change while working for one of the largest financial institutions in the world and wanted to add economic justice to the social justice agenda. 

The former banking executive left the corporate world behind to start Mobility Capital Finance (MoCaFi), a New York-based fintech with a goal of serving customers with no or limited access to banks. Its program allows individuals receiving a universal basic income (UBI) or guaranteed basic income (GBI) to receive financial coaching and resources. Without having to operate in cash or cash checks, customers can create a MoCaFi bank account that’s FDIC-insured. 

Coaxum was inspired by the social justice movements in the Black community and decided to create a pathway for economic equality in marginalized populations.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about universal basic income and guaranteed basic income just before he passed away,” the CEO said. “And I feel that we as a company are very fortunate to be standing on the shoulders of others to bring these powerful ideas into the marketplace.”

MoCaFi opened in 2014 after the killing of Michael Brown, a teenager, by police in Ferguson, Missouri. To date, the company has launched both UBIs and GBIs in saturated cities, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, and more. Many are supported through MGI or Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a network of advocating mayors who support guaranteed income for all Americans, according to their website.

“We’re finding that what we’re doing resonates with cities and counties,” he said. “They see the value of it.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is one mayor who understands the need for organizations like MoCaFi. The city partnered with them in February 2024 for a pilot program to provide asylum seekers with prepaid debit cards. While some New Yorkers like rapper 50 Cent were against the plan, according to CBS News, MoCaFi will distribute to 500 families with children to use exclusively at bodegas, supermarkets, grocery, and convenience stores. 

In a statement, Coaxum called the partnership “an honor” as he feels for those who are beginning to plant roots in the U.S.

City Hall officials described the program as a “more cost-effective technology pilot program to distribute prepaid immediate response cards to asylum seekers” compared to the current system, which saves the city $7.2 million a year.

While some leaders in red-leaning states oppose the financial support that MoCaFi provides, Coaxum says his company isn’t about political affiliation but finding a solution for all.

“We are facilitating payments in a way that reduces all the friction. We have a disbursement platform, and then we have a demand deposit account,” he says. “We can open up accounts for undocumented people. We can open up accounts for people regardless of their credit score. Now, they’ve got a pathway to economic stability.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Nike, Adidas, NBA, Basketball
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 23, 2024

Giannis Antetokounmpo Explains Why He Passed Adidas For Nike

After the sneaker company refused to sign his brother, Thanasis, Nike did.

Brotherly love kept Giannis Antetokounmpo from signing a sneaker deal with Adidas.

In a recent podcast, the “Greek Freak” admitted that due to Adidas not having a contract for his brother, Thanasis, he declined to sign and headed to Nike, which was glad to include his brother in a deal.

According to Bleacher Report, on a recent episode of The Thanalysis Show, older brother Giannis explained it all.

“He brought the contract and put it in front of me, and I’m like, ‘OK, great, where is my brother’s?'” Antetokounmpo said. “And he was like, ‘We’re not going to sign your brother’s today. You’re going to sign yours, and then we’re going to bring your brother in a week to sign his.’ And I was like, ‘Uh uh, no thank you.'”

When he met with the rep, knowing that his family needed money, he would have been willing to sign anything, but his brother needed to be included, and that was the only way that signature would have been attached to that contract.

Yet, when he took the same proposal to Nike, insisting that he and his brother were a package deal, the rep was on board with that plan.

“It was my turn to speak and I said that it’s important for me for it to be a family thing,” Antetokounmpo insisted. “When you take me, you take my family, my brother, my mom. And she was like, ‘Yeah, sure, whatever.’ After that, we’ve been with Nike, and she’s been by our side ever since.”

Giannis signed with Nike in 2013, when he was far from being a sure thing. Adidas’ loss has been Nike’s gain, as “The Greek Freak” has won an NBA championship, two NBA most valuable player awards, and has been the subject of best-selling book as well as a movie.

Ncuti Gatwa, International, Global
by Daniel Johnson

April 23, 2024

Ncuti Gatwa Discusses White Mediocrity, Expectations, Black Excellence

Gatwa, who has faced some backlash from “fans” of "Doctor Who" for just being a Black, queer man, pushed back against the idea that he is required to subscribe to Black Excellence in order to be appreciated.

Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black male doctor in the history of Doctor Who, the long-running British sci-fi television program, recently discussed his thoughts on the expectations that Black entertainers must be at least twice as good as mediocre white entertainers to receive acclaim.

Spoiler alert: Gatwa is not a fan of this arrangement. 

Gatwa, who has faced some backlash from “fans” of Doctor Who for just being a Black, queer man, pushed back against the idea that he is required to subscribe to the concept of Black Excellence in order to be appreciated in an interview with Attitude Magazine. 

“We’re trained to be like, ‘If I’m not exceptional, I won’t be loved.’ Certainly, I think that was my thing,” Gatwa told the outlet. “So, yeah, I think I’m just learning now like, ‘Oh, you are allowed to be loved.’ You don’t have to be excellent or aspire to that term, ‘Black excellence’. What the hell?”

Gatwa continued, “There’s so much white mediocrity that gets celebrated and Black people, we have to be absolutely flawless to get half of [that] anyway. So, I’m slowly training myself out of that and being like, ‘No sh*t. You deserve love just for existing.’ And that has taught me to be a lot more loving as well, in a weird way.”

Gatwa also discussed the connection of backlash directed at diverse castings of characters that used to be white and the “meltdown” that accompanies the backlash.

“The hate? It is kind of fascinating to me because there’s so much energy they’re putting into it. You are so angry over something so inconsequential that you can’t be an interesting person. You can’t have much in your life. I don’t have the time to do that. And so, I think they need to go find a hobby is one thing. But another thing is that we do see a shift happening in casting, in positions of power and in the status quo. I mean, not a fast shift; things could tip over the other way a little bit quicker, but you see people kind of malfunctioning because things are changing.”

In 2023, Gatwa told the Hollywood Reporter that his experience working on Sex Education prepared him to step out of that role and into the role of The Doctor. “Being on it (Sex Education) fast-tracked me into the downsides of this industry,” Gatwa said. “I remember being told by an executive producer that white people wouldn’t understand my character, Eric, which incensed me. There’s an entire show there for white people to understand.”

Gatwa also discussed his intersecting identities with Attitude. “I feel like I’ve kind of reached a place in my personal journey where I just am who I am, and that doesn’t have to change wherever I go. I just have to exist. And it’s a privilege to do so in my position because there’s many people that are in my intersections that don’t get a chance to just exist.

“Just because I’ve now been cast as Doctor Who, all problems of inequality are now fixed? Things don’t work like that. But yeah, now personally, I don’t feel like they’re in conflict with each other, but they can do for people and have done for me in the past. But I’m now just learning not to care what other people think. “

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