Detroit Grandmother, Victim of ‘Fake Landlord’ Scam, Gets Chance To Buy Her Home
by Atiya Jordan

May 2, 2022

Detroit Grandmother, Victim of ‘Fake Landlord’ Scam, Gets Chance To Buy Her Home

June Walker, 65, a Detroit grandmother, faced eviction last year after falling victim to a fake landlord scam. Now, she gets to buy her home thanks to an agreement that was filed with her local housing court and an anonymous donation.

“I’m elated,” Walker told NBC News. “Hopefully this will open doors or help other people who are going through this or keep them from going through something like this.”

BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported that Walker signed a “land contract” in February 2019 with an option to buy the property after the contract period ended. Before signing, the person who reportedly claimed to work for her landlord presented her with an odd-looking copy of the deed. The $15,000 three-bedroom bungalow, at the time, was in poor condition.

Once the deal was sealed, Walker spent the next two years investing thousands of dollars from her savings and disability check into renovations and improvements in the home. She made her last $550 payment in April 2021 with the belief that she would have full ownership of the house just like the fake agreement indicated.

However, Walker realized she was caught in a scam after she received an eviction notice by the actual owner, a Florida-based real estate company called Boccafe LLC.

Since then, investigations were conducted by news stations and a GoFundMe was set up for her with a $25,000 goal, but donations tallied a meager $1751. Walker was terrified that she would become homeless.

According to NBC Miami, Walker’s fears subsided this week when an agreement filed in Detroit’s 36th District housing court. Boccafe promised to sell Walker the house for $45,000, which will be paid for with the money she received from a donor who learned about her case on NBC News.

“Hopefully this will open doors or help other people who are going through this or keep them from going through something like this,” she said.

Botched BBL? Black Woman Undergoes Plastic Surgery in Dominican Republic That Turns Deadly
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 2, 2022

Botched BBL? Black Woman Undergoes Plastic Surgery in Dominican Republic That Turns Deadly

A family is grieving after a 31-year-old mother of a two-year-old and Indianapolis daycare owner died following a “botched” BBL surgery in the Dominican Republic.

According to WRTV, Shacare Terry did what many women are doing these days and traveled outside the country to get a tummy tuck and a popular Brazilian Butt Lift, known as a bbl, a type of plastic surgery and liposuction procedure that aims to round out and lift buttocks for a better, defined physique and to correct deformities.

However, Terry’s twin sister Sharae Terry reported that a few days post-surgery she talked with her sister on Facetime and “something wasn’t right.” Sharae said ominously she knew, “something wasn’t right. I knew it in my heart.”

Shacare traveled out of the country with her childhood friend, Carlesha Williams, who reportedly also got the procedure done, according to the outlet.

Williams reports that Dr. Jose Desena at Instituto Medico San Lucas was behind performing the surgeries on the women. Williams said she and Shacare experienced a lot of pain and more complications post-surgery but Shacare was suffering a lot more intense pain by the second day.

“I was moving around a lot more and Shacare wasn’t really moving around; she wasn’t doing anything,” Williams said. “She would lay in bed. I would try to get her to go downstairs and eat with me, and she just wasn’t responding well.”

Williams recalls that Desena sedated Shacare on the second day following complications. She said when she asked why her friend looked so “sedated” and was told by the staff that Shacare was simply resting.

“When we go in there and see her, I almost fell out. She was on all these machines…unresponsive; she wasn’t talking, eyes closed.”

Williams recalls that as Shacare’s condition deteriorated, the medical staff continued to tell her that Shacare’s body needed rest following the BBL procedure and tummy tuck. One thing led to another and Williams says her friend was put on dialysis as doctors insisted that Shacare had trouble breathing on her own.

Williams contacted Shacare’s family to alert them of the grim prognosis.

“I’m reaching out to the mother to get down here,” Williams said. “I’m telling them what’s going on, but I’m trying not to scare them, but I want to scream ‘get down here!’”

And ultimately the family learned of Shacare’s fate on April 21 when she was confirmed dead in a statement to WRTV.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Dominican Republic. We are providing all appropriate assistance to the family. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.”

“[Shacare’s] mom said ‘Carlesha, I went back to my room for an hour, and they called me and told me that her heart stopped that quick,’” Williams said. “She hurries up and goes right back to the clinic and they said her daughter was already in a body bag.”

This also wasn’t the first time Shacare had traveled outside the country for a plastic surgery procedure.

In February she reportedly went to Mexico to get a gastric sleeve to help for weight loss.

(WRTV)

Shacare’s family plans to keep fighting to seek answers about Shacare’s untimely death.

“We are going to keep fighting,” Sharae said. “Will not stop at all, Shacare was a very important person.”

 

Meet the Woman Helping Black-Owned Businesses Get Funding, Corporate Contracts, and More
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 2, 2022

Meet the Woman Helping Black-Owned Businesses Get Funding, Corporate Contracts, and More

Felicia Jeffries, founder and CEO of Moore Financial Services, is an accomplished paralegal with over ten years of experience dealing with leading business lawyers and companies across the United States.

Based in Dallas, Texas, her company specializes in helping businesses nationwide grow. They establish business credit and ensure that companies are credible so that they can obtain funding, corporate contracts, and buyers when the owners are ready to sell.

Felicia’s experience extends beyond the paralegal element of her job, as she is well-versed in what it takes to run a business and the required triggers that can cause a business to spiral out of an entrepreneur’s control. She understands how crucial the role of money maybe to a firm if it is to survive and prosper in the national and worldwide markets.

Felicia has authored a limited edition book entitled Get Grants For Your Business: How To Apply and Win that includes a list of over 50 grants to apply for your small business. Only 200 copies have been printed, and the book teaches business owners how to acquire free money for their company. It is one of the few books written that teaches how to get free money for for-profit organizations.

Every small business owner sees the silver lining when a funding alternative they can rely on to sustain their company emerges. Some of the things they should look at include how much assistance the avenue gives them in addition to financing.

The unemployment rate is rising, and many new business ideas are being generated at various levels of the American economy. There is an innate drive to generate effective answers to the difficulties that society and small enterprises face. Small companies provide a less expensive and more accessible answer to many problems, and there is a need to capitalize on it. However, the problem of insufficient financial backing those young enterprises face has an impact on the integrity of their ideas and goods.

Get Grants For Your Business: How To Apply and Win was written to help young, new, and existing businesses secure grants in order for their business to grow. The book is intended to raise the hopes of small company owners by demonstrating and explaining how to obtain capital for small firms. It has a one-of-a-kind idea that acknowledges the need for startups with a hands-on approach that embraces company owners from all walks of life—touching everyone and leaving none out.

A grant is a sum of money given by an end entity grant – typically a public body, charitable foundation, or specialized grant-making institution – to an individual or another entity (usually a non-profit organization, but sometimes a business or a local government body) for a specific purpose related to public benefit. Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Grants in the United States are typically made by a wide range of government departments or an even broader range of public and private trusts and foundations. According to the Foundation Center, there are over 88,000 trusts and foundations that distribute over $40 billion each year.

Who doesn’t appreciate free money? Isn’t that what small business grants are? It could assist in paying salaries, purchasing stock, or reaching out to new customers.

While grants are “free” in the sense that they do not require repayment, they are not handouts. In all cases, a business owner must apply for a grant, which can take some time and effort, and also have to compete with other small businesses for the grant. Even small grants frequently attract hundreds of applicants.

Anyone interested in purchasing the book should get on the waitlist at FeliciaJeffries.club

The book is being released upon announcement to those who are on the waitlist and the time to purchase will be limited. Hundreds of millions of dollars are set aside for businesses each year and a grant writer is not required for business owners to obtain the grants listed in this book.
This is a limited-edition book as only 200 copies will be published.

This story first appeared on Blacknews.com.

 

Experience Language-Learning Software Babbel At A 60% Discount
by Black Enterprise Shop

May 2, 2022

Experience Language-Learning Software Babbel At A 60% Discount

The benefits of learning a new language are virtually limitless. While the ability to communicate with others in new places and locales is the most obvious benefit, it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gaining the skill.

Learning a new language has been proven to equip people with better memory skills and enhance their ability to solve problems and improve their creative thinking functions. It’s a great way to get your brain up and moving.

The beauty of learning a language these days is you no longer have to trudge to a classroom to do so. The creation of apps and software has made it possible to learn from the comfort of your home.

Babbel Language Learning is one of the most comprehensive language-learning programs on the market, and for a limited time, a lifetime subscription to this language titan is available for just $199. That’s a savings of 60% from its MSRP ($499).

Developed by more than 100 linguists, Babbel offers access to 14 languages, including Spanish, French, German, and Italian, among many others. It’s helped millions of people master a new language whether for business, travel, or the simple sake of just doing so.

Lessons are divided into bite-sized 10- to 15-minute segments, allowing you to fit them into your schedule. They cover a wide range of real-world scenarios from travel to family to business to food and more.

This product has received glowing reviews both from everyday users to leading publications. “Babbel exceeds expectations, delivering high-quality, self-paced courses in 13 languages,” PC Mag writes in its review.

Meanwhile, 5-star verified purchaser Paula H. says, “Fun to use! I am increasing my vocabulary every day and Babbel is a great help with helping my pronunciation which I didn’t do very well with in high school! I am enjoying Babbel daily!”

Babbel can be installed on a desktop computer or on most smartphones and tablets. Founded in 2007, Babbel has thrived in the language-learning space. Purchase this deal today to gain access to all the benefits that accompany learning a new language.

Prices subject to change.

‘Groveland Four’ Town Awarded Nearly $500K For Black Cemetery Restoration
by Wendy Medina

May 1, 2022

‘Groveland Four’ Town Awarded Nearly $500K For Black Cemetery Restoration

Groveland, Florida, a town 30 miles west of Orlando, has allocated almost half a million dollars in state funds to restore an abandoned Black cemetery, reports Spectrum News 13.

The state decided it would reserve $30 million from the American Rescue Plan to create the “Abandoned African American Cemeteries” task force. 

The unit was created last year after community outrage was spurred by the discovery of a lost Black cemetery under a downtown office building in the city of Clearwater, west of Tampa. They aim to properly pay respects and provide dignity to those forgotten and mishandled after their deaths. 

Because many local figures are continuously unearthing lost Black cemeteries, the state of Florida is addressing the public’s outcry with the $30 million in refurbishing funds. 

The abandoned Lake County burial ground set to be reinstituted was found right underneath someone’s backyard and was called the Oak Tree Union Colored Cemetery of Taylorville. Groveland used to be known as Taylorville until 1922.

“The best to our knowledge, we know it started around 1895 and the 1900 area,” said Groveland Fire Chief Kevin Carroll. “As legend goes, Mr. [Elliott] Edge donated a 1.25-acre piece of land to the African American workers here to go ahead and bury their loved ones.” 

Edge was allegedly one of the first settlers of Taylorville.

“Mr. Edge had all of these files of who was buried in this cemetery in a box in a barn,” Carroll said. “But it was being eaten by the rats… So a lot of what we’re trying to find and uncover… you almost have to be a detective.” 

There were about 70 souls laid to rest in the cemetery, including a headstone inscribed with: “Henry Spellman, a World War I veteran.”

Even with the nearly $500,000 the town received, this single project will take years and countless hours to remove invasive species and trees that have covered the land over the century. 

The town may sound familiar because of the Groveland Four; four innocent Black men by the names of Charles Greenlee, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, and Ernest Thomas, who were accused of rape by a white woman in 1949 and subsequently lynched. They were exonerated last November, 72 years after their deaths. 

by Wendy Medina

May 1, 2022

Travis Scott To Headline Festival 1 Year, 1 Day After Astroworld Tragedy That Killed 10

Travis Scott has reportedly landed his first headlining deal since the Astroworld tragedy last year that claimed the lives of 10 people and injured hundreds others.

The Primavera Sound’s upcoming festival in São Paulo, Brazil, has announced Scott as its headlining act, scheduled for Nov. 6, 2022; one year and one day since the Astroworld Festival on Nov. 5, 2021, according to Rolling Stone. Primavera Sound São Paulo reps refused to comment. Other artists performing at the 2-day festival include JPEGMAFIA, Arctic Monkeys, and Lorde.

The mass casualty incident at Astroworld occured when a crowd surge flared during Scott’s act at the close of the festival. More than 50,000 bodies filled the audience, many of whom were seen stampeding their way into the event after failed security measures around the perimeter. Ten people were killed as a result of compression asphyxia, including 9-year-old Ezra Blount, and over 300 were treated at a local hospital. 

Scott was hit with nearly 500 lawsuits, which were consolidated into one massive civil case totaling over $2 billion in damages. The current status of the lawsuit is at a standstill, following standard procedure.

“Right now, they are going to fight over the evidence. That’s normal. That is going to go on for a while,” said an ABC13 legal analyst.

The 30-year-old rapper had since remained out of the public eye, until March when he was seen performing at a private pre-Oscars party in Bel Air, California, and the announcement of his Project HEAL, an effort to focus on community philanthropy and investment. 

Primavera Sound São Paulo revealed the official festival lineup a few days after Scott’s latest single and music video drop of Hold That Heat on April 21, his first release in collaboration with rapper Future and producer Southside, since Astroworld. 

The Cactus Jack rapper is set to headline additional summer festivals yet to be announced, according to the outlet. His first major public appearance is scheduled for next weekend on May 7 at Miami nightclub E11even, for an upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix event. 

Black-Owned Atlanta Ranch Offers Therapy Through Horseback Riding
by Wendy Medina

May 1, 2022

Black-Owned Atlanta Ranch Offers Therapy Through Horseback Riding

Black-owned ranches are becoming more and more prevalent in America’s farmland, and one Atlanta ranch is standing out from the crowd by utilizing horseback riding as a form of meditation. 

Daryl Fletcher, proud owner of Stretch Out On Faith Again, or SOOFA for short, has created a space for youths as a means of therapy by riding horses along the trails on his nearly 100-acre land in Fairburn, Georgia.

For over 20 years of his life, Fletcher dreamt of curating an area that would uplift the mental health of his community, knowing first-hand the effect that caring for a horse can have on young people. The Black-owned nonprofit was launched in August 2020 with the aim to equip people of color with the proper tools for emotional growth while also exposing them to a different form of therapy.

Through multiple entrepreneurial ventures, some ending in success and some not, he was ultimately inspired to teach mediation techniques to quell anxiety, fear, and anger issues.  

“The name simply is to inspire people,” Fletcher told Travel Noire. “Maybe you tried something before and you need a little bit of encouragement to stretch on faith and try it again.”

SOOFA offers equine-assisted therapy to encourage self-reflection, confidence, and learn how to handle communication around taxing mental health issues. 

“We make sure that a person has a connection with the horse they’re riding. We make sure they are comfortable riding that horse, and once we get them saddled, we’re building their confidence because a horse is very in tune with a person’s emotions,” says the founder. “When you’re excited or sad, the horse can feel it. Our experience gives you a glimpse of what we call ‘Equine Assisted Learning Therapy’ to help you be mindful of your emotions.”

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SOOFA’s mission not only encompasses the development of mental wellness, but teaching the skill of horseback riding. The Chattahoochee River is used as a guide for the riders to reset their mindsets and take in nature while learning how to meditate so they would then be able to apply the exercises in their day to day lives. 

“The newer generation has become very impatient because of technology. It has given them everything instantly… If you give them seeds and show them how seeds germinate, you now begin to understand what it takes to accomplish a goal. It’s not something that you just wish for. It’s something that you actually have to strategize and be disciplined for,” said Fletcher.

Chicago Designer Joe Freshgoods Releases His New Sneaker Collection In Collaboration With New Balance
by Yolanda Baruch

May 1, 2022

Chicago Designer Joe Freshgoods Releases His New Sneaker Collection In Collaboration With New Balance

Chicago-based designer Joe Freshgoods teamed up with New Balance for his “Conversations Among Us” sneaker collection, which he oversaw as creative director and worked with a team of Black creatives, according to Input Magazine.

NBA player Kawhi Leonard also joins the campaign by appearing in a promotional short film titled NOD with Freshgood, and the two men sit across from one another in the waiting room. Both Leonard and Freshgoods communicate non-verbally by paying respects to each other over their New Balance sneaker game, according to Hypebeast. 

Freshgoods is seen donning a pair of cream canvas 550s released in early April 15, and Leonard sports the  KAWHI 2 in a similar hue.

 

 

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The collection is available for purchase at newbalance.com and includes graphic tees, fleece hoodies, crewnecks, and pants.

When consumers purchase a pair, the shoebox will read, “Designed and curated by Joseph Robinson and a team of Black associates at New Balance.” 

The shoes have an aged aesthetic using canvas and suede materials to create the upper, yet the New Balance “N” logo is outlined in black. The insoles have the words printed “Conversations Amongst Us,” and the design is also seen on the cream outsoles, giving the sneaker a throw-back appeal.

Freshgoods came up with the concept for the video and posted in a Tweet, “I’ve always been fascinated with how black men use the “head nod” to communicate with each other without talking. I wanted to touch on that, it’s always been funny to me. hope people understand the video but if you don’t- who cares lol, it’s for my people anyway.”

 

 

Report: Netflix’s Sister Site Tudum Recruits Women of Color Only To Terminate Them As Stock Plunges
by Wendy Medina

May 1, 2022

Report: Netflix’s Sister Site Tudum Recruits Women of Color Only To Terminate Them As Stock Plunges

Making headline after headline for their raise of subscription fee, cracking down of shared passwords, Netflix recently tanked in the stock market, losing $54 billion in Q1 of 2022, the biggest one-day stock drop ever.

And it doesn’t stop there. They’re in the hot seat once again, this time for a team layoff of newly hired writers and editors for their website Tudum, composed of mostly women of color, after being poached from major publications and promised sunshine and rainbows.

Tudum, named for the sound of the Netflix logo, was launched in December 2021 and expected to bring fans “behind the streams,” with articles featuring inside scoops surrounding Netflix original shows and films.

The team of mostly Black, Latino, or Asian women was reportedly enticed by the streaming giant with the chance of working a secure job with good pay in a progressive environment, editorial independence, and exclusive interviews with Netflix talent. Ultimately, they were hired to expand the diversity of the team.

“They went very out of their way to hire high-level journalists of color who have quite a bit of name recognition and a lot of experience and talent,” one anonymous staffer told NPR.

“In some ways, they were just buying clout to lend credibility to their gambit.” Due to a signed non-disclosure agreement when hired, the team member opted to not have their name published.

“We were courted pretty aggressively. They sold us on the most amazing thing that you could want as a culture journalist or entertainment journalist. They just sold something that seemed impossible anywhere else,” they said. “But the biggest selling point was the pay.”

According to reports, 25 writers and editors lost their jobs without warning on Thursday, and simply offered two weeks of severance pay.

“People upended their lives for this,” a former worker said, adding that many were just given promotions last month.

Now, the editorial team is struggling to find employment after their abrupt termination. 

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https://twitter.com/afrosypaella/status/1519838002360500225?s=20&t=VTgo8qF_Dq5tYO4U72WevQ

A spokesperson for Netflix said they don’t plan to shutter the site, but it remains “an important priority for the company,” despite the layoffs.

This news comes on the heels of CNN+’s mass layoffs after shutting down the new streaming service April 30.

Oprah Winfrey’s Documentary, ‘The Color of Care,’ Explores The Racial Inequalities In The Healthcare System
by Yolanda Baruch

May 1, 2022

Oprah Winfrey’s Documentary, ‘The Color of Care,’ Explores The Racial Inequalities In The Healthcare System

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, television icon Oprah Winfrey tenaciously absorbed the stories of people affected by COVID-19. The story of Gary Fowler, who tried to receive care from many hospitals in Detroit but was unsuccessful, went home and wrote that he could not breathe before he died. His death shook the media mogul. Fowler’s story led Winfrey to executive-produce her documentary The Color of Care to take a deep dive into the structural racism embedded within the U.S. healthcare system, Today reports.

In collaboration with the Smithsonian Channel and Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, the film tapped award-winning filmmaker Yance Ford to direct the project. The documentary assembles interviews from families of color who lost family members and friends to the disease and the agonizing measures they took to obtain medical care before they passed, The Los Angeles Times reports. 

The Color of Care will premiere Sunday on Smithsonian Channel; it will also be free to view on the Smithsonian’s Facebook page and YouTube channel until May 31, according to Times. 

Winfrey also spoke about how she encountered the failings of the health industry in 2007 when doctors misdiagnosed her and did not test her blood to find the cause of her heart palpitations. When she visited a Cleveland Clinic, they discovered it was a thyroid issue generating her heart palpitations.  

“So in that moment, being a celebrity worked against me. I remember going back to one doctor who had actually given me an angiogram and I said, it wasn’t a heart problem, it was a thyroid problem,” recalled the former talk show host. “And she said, ‘What was I gonna do? You’re Oprah Winfrey, and I wasn’t going to have you die on me without having done everything I thought I could do.'”

The experience taught Winfrey to always seek out multiple opinions from healthcare providers and to have someone accompany her to the hospital to serve as her advocate.

“I don’t care who you are. I would never go into a hospital by myself. Even as a person of note, with a name, I would never go into a hospital by myself. I would always have somebody go with me who’s advocating for me. That’s a hard, hard road to navigate by yourself, especially if you’re ill.”

The documentary airs  May 1, 2022, at 8:00 PM EST/7:00 PM CST on the Smithsonian Channel.

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