Megan Thee Stallion Is Developing A Netflix Comedy Series, Loosely Based On Her Life
by Yolanda Baruch

April 30, 2022

Megan Thee Stallion Is Developing A Netflix Comedy Series, Loosely Based On Her Life

Netflix announced last December that Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion landed a first-look deal with the streamer to develop and executive produce content. Now the Plan B artist is currently planning a comedy series loosely based on her life, Hybebeast reports. 

“It’s very early stages. She came in and she pitched something loosely based on her life growing up, and we got very excited about it. We think she’s special,” said Netflix’s head of comedy Tracey Pakosta to Deadline.

Pakosta considers Megan as a trailblazer, “Megan is a multi-talented creative force who has consistently made her mark on culture. She’s always growing and evolving as an artist, and we’re thrilled that she’s making a home at Netflix for this next chapter in her journey,” said Pakosta, according to Complex. 

Most of Megan’s fans, or Hotties as she affectionately calls them, have a working knowledge of the rapper’s backstory and how her career flourished. However, Megan went through some low moments in her life, like her mother’s loss just as she broke into the hip-hop spotlight. Presently, she is the subject of online harassment and ridicule regarding her assault case against rapper Tory Lanez, who allegedly shot her in Hollywood Hills in July 2020. 

“The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted,” wrote Megan in an op-ed for The New York Times.

A comedy series might be the necessary medicine that Megan and her supporters need, mainly since Netflix recently laid off some of its staff, according to NPR. 

Despite her current personal hurdles and Netflix’s employee drama, Megan is optimistic about the future with the streaming platform. 

“I’ve always had a passion for telling creative and entertaining stories, so I’m thrilled about this partnership with Netflix,” she said. “Venturing into production is the next step in my journey as an entrepreneur and I can’t wait to bring all my ideas to life and for my Hotties to watch.”

How Beyoncé Helped This Business In The Bronx During The Pandemic
by Yolanda Baruch

April 30, 2022

How Beyoncé Helped This Business In The Bronx During The Pandemic

Majora Carter is spearheading a silent movement to revitalize derelict Black neighborhoods to increase employment opportunities for local residents, Finurah reports.

Carter is a real estate developer and owner of Majora Carter Group. She seeks out real estate projects through her company in the South Bronx and throughout the nation that require rehabilitation.

“My consulting practice in corporate settings as well as economic development across the U.S. illuminated some big gaps in the orthodox social justice strategy that many well-meaning activists, philanthropists, and government agency officials subscribe to,” Carter said to NewsBreak.

“Successful companies practice talent retention. People familiar with your in-house culture, training, and ethos are people you can add to and build with. The more successful individuals get incentives to stay and earn leadership positions.”

She continued, “But in low-status communities such as urban ghettos, former factory or mining towns, or Native American reservations, people there most often measure their success by how far they get away from the communities that raised them.”

Putting her creed into action, in 2017, she founded the Boogie Down Grind in the Bronx, a coffee shop and craft beer venue where local celebrities such as hip-hop icons DJ Kool Herc and Fab Five Freedy have patronized. The decor is reminiscent of the genesis of hip-hop and indicative of New York culture, like graffiti, subway car seats and hip-hop memorabilia. The menu also reveres the genre’s pioneers with such items as the Grand Master Frappe, according to NewsBreak.

The Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop, had the highest recorded crime in 2021. However, Carter is determined to see other businesses open their doors in the economically disadvantaged South Bronx, Finurah reports.

“Commercial corridors in places like the South Bronx are peppered with health clinics, pharmacies, liquor stores, and so-called community centers,” she said. “Striving, creative, successful, hardworking people from our communities as well as those commuting in look elsewhere to spend their money and are deprived of opportunities to meet each other locally. Education and medical professionals who commute in see the same things, and that’s one reason we have such a high turnover in those positions.”

She added, “It’s what urbanists would call a ‘3rd-space desert’ where positive daily socializing is hard to come by. That’s why we created the Boogie Down Grind. It’s a place where people can express themselves and learn about others so that the community can grow.”

In 2021, Carter received $10,000 from Beyoncé‘s Beygood grant during the pandemic and added outdoor seating resembling a subway car. She also pursued other funding sources as Covid-19 ravaged the country.

“Like many small businesses, we were smacked pretty hard by COVID-19. We were able to use a crowd-sourcing investment platform called Mainvest.com to assemble $50,000 from 125 local investors during the spring of 2020. We pay them back as a percentage of revenue, so, unlike a bank loan, we don’t have a fixed monthly payment to make when things are slow — and we pay out more when business is strong. We also took advantage of Federal loan programs,” she said.

Talk Show Host Tamron Hall Tests Positive For Covid-19: ‘I Know We Will Get Through This.’
by Yolanda Baruch

April 30, 2022

Talk Show Host Tamron Hall Tests Positive For Covid-19: ‘I Know We Will Get Through This.’

Television talk show host Tamron Hall, who was vaccinated a year ago, is the latest public figure to fall victim to testing positive for COVID-19 despite being asymptomatic, according to MSN.

Hall sent out an email to her staff informing them of her diagnosis, “I wanted to share the news with you that I have tested positive for COVID-19,” read her email message acquired by Page Six.

“I am following CDC guidelines, staying home and taking every precaution to ensure everyone’s safety,” she added.

“Thankfully, [my son] Moses and my entire family have all tested negative. I am devastated to say the least, but I know we will get through this.”

On Tuesday, Hall pulled out of her co-hosting duties with Benjamin Bratt for the City Harvest’s 2022 gala, MSN reports. The 51-year-old is quarantined at her Harlem home, where she is taping her show. 

“The staff has been rushing wardrobe and equipment from the studio at ABC to her home,” a source told Page Six.  

“They’re scrambling to save their big Mother’s Day show. Tamron’s showing no symptoms, and they hope she’ll be back in person for the Mother’s Day show,” informed the insider. “They are moving mountains to make it happen.”

On Monday, the show broadcasted Hall’s last in-studio interview with Gia Casey and DJ Envy, but she aims to have her Mother’s Day show shot in the studio, according to MSN. 

Hall will conduct her interview with Full House actor Dave Coulier over Skype. Her show also booked a sit-down with Cheryl Burke, the newly divorced Dancing With the Stars entertainer that will likely follow suit, MSN reports. 

While in the middle of contending with her health condition, Hall will be honored with a trophy for her on-air talent at the 47th annual Gracie Awards on May 24th at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

“Thank you @allwomeninmedia for this incredible honor,” wrote  Hall on April 13th.

“What a blessing to receive a Gracie from a group committed to uplifting women in the media as Ep/Host of @tamronhallshow. #Tamfam. Congrats to all the amazing women honored this year.”

 

Melissa McCarthy, Kelly Clarkson, Melanie Lynskey, Elle Fanning, Kaitlyn Dever, Savannah Guthrie, and Hoda Kotb will receive Gracies, MSN reports. 

The network renewed Hall’s eponymous syndicated daytime talk show for a fourth and fifth season through 2024.

 

Marlon Wayans Reveals What He Talked About With Will Smith After Oscars Slap
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 30, 2022

Marlon Wayans Reveals What He Talked About With Will Smith After Oscars Slap

Native New Yorker Marlon Wayans, who is currently promoting his upcoming HBO special, The Headliners, got a chance to talk about a conversation he had with “Bad Boy” actor Will Smith.

In a revealing conversation with Los Angeles personality Big Boy, the actor told him he did call and checked on his Hollywood friend, Smith after the incident in which he slapped comedian Chris Rock after a non-scripted joke aimed at his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

He stated that the incident didn’t exactly do comedians any favors but he did suggest that people in their “right mind” won’t feel encouraged to assault comedians simply because of what happened at the Oscars.

“If somebody’s walking up on my stage, I know that you that ain’t coming up to give me five,” Wayans joked.

“Like, at a point, you gotta go, ‘Oh yeah he’s trying to come harm me.’ … You gotta protect yourself. If that was me, I got an elbow for you. I’m not waiting for you. It’s a fight, you come on my stage we fighting. … We do jokes, that’s what we do. You don’t go to a comedy show and be mad when they tell you jokes, that’s what you there for. I think people in they right mind know better, I don’t think people gonna go, ‘I’m gonna get up and slap you.’”

Wayans believes the pressure of being such a visible and strong Hollywood presence for 30 years finally got to Smith and he snapped. He did say that people need to check on their strong friends and that is what he did after the incident took place.

“I was like, ‘Hey brother you may want to go get you about three hours of therapy,’” Wayans recalled.

“’You need to sit down with a therapist and have a long talk. Something is going on with you.’ And that wasn’t him. See, I don’t have that kind of pressure. He’s been Black excellence for 30 years, I’ve been Black alrightness, ain’t that much pressure. People expect me to do dumb stuff, but him? Nah, not Will.”

Dr. Jessica Watkins Makes History As the First Black Woman To Have Extended Stay in Outer Space
by Wendy Medina

April 30, 2022

Dr. Jessica Watkins Makes History As the First Black Woman To Have Extended Stay in Outer Space

According to NASA, astronaut Dr. Jessica Watkins, 33, serves as a mission specialist on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission, making history as the first Black woman to journey into space for an extended mission.

This is the fourth crew rotation flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Watkins has been training for the mission for 5 years, where she will live and work for an extended stay, per NPR. She was taken to ISS on Wednesday by way of a SpaceX capsule sent out as part of NASA’s multi-billion-dollar Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the moon in 2025, as previously reported.

She, alongside astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, and Samantha Cristoforetti traveled over 15 hours to the ISS from the Kennedy Space Center in Dallas, Texas. The team will stay in outer space for the upcoming six months. 

“We have reached this milestone, this point in time, and the reason we’re able to arrive at this time is because of the legacy of those who have come before to allow for this moment,” said Watkins in an interview with NBC News. “Also, recognizing this is a step in the direction of a very exciting future. So to be a part of this is certainly an honor.”

She explained that the mission entails multiple scientific procedures, including physical science – material and combustion – Earth and space science, cell tissue and plant growth, technology demonstrations, as well as human research, as in the effects of long duration in space flight. 

During the six-month historic mission, the Stanford University alumnus will also provide maintenance for the ISS. The mission comes five years after Watkins was selected to join NASA’s astronaut program in 2017.

“I think it really is just a tribute to the legacy of the Black women astronauts that have come before me, as well as to the exciting future ahead,” she told NPR right before her mission.

Born in Maryland, Watkins earned her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a doctorate degree from UCLA. She interned at NASA before serving on multiple research facilities in California. Additionally, Watkins was a postdoctoral fellow for the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity team in 2017.

Following the footsteps of the legendary Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space, Watkins is hopeful that the future of space exploration lies in the hands of Black women and other women of color.

https://twitter.com/jd_durkin/status/1519275141762633729?s=20&t=QoI7GfqEY1Z8rIVW2HChig

Transform Your Text Into Speech with Texttalky
by Black Enterprise Shop

April 30, 2022

Transform Your Text Into Speech with Texttalky

Text-to-speech platforms have grown in popularity. For starters, it’s made material far more accessible for those with learning disabilities or those who aren’t proficient in a particular language.

Furthermore, it’s helped an older segment of the population be able to consume the information they access on the internet. Additionally, it’s made the consumption of information from books and PDFs far easier to access.

As text-to-speech has boomed, so have the platforms from which to use it. TexTalky AI Text-to-Speech is a leader in its space, and for a limited time, a lifetime subscription to the service is available for just $37. That’s a savings of 93% from its MSRP ($540).

With this program, you’re able to turn any text or script into a lifelike female or male voice in just three easy steps. It uses the latest cloud-based AI technology offered by Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon, and it covers more than 120 international languages and accents. Share files quickly and easily by exporting MP3, OOG, or WAV files.

Watch this video.

“I’m really impressed with TexTalky! It’s so easy to use and I love the wide range of voices to choose from. The app makes it so easy to turn any text into a lifelike human voice. I would definitely recommend this app to anyone looking for an easy way to create text-to-speech synthesis,” Great Tools writes in its 5-star review.

With TexTalky, all it takes is mere seconds to convert your text to speech. Regular updates to the program are provided with your purchase, and TexTalky is supported by all browsers. There’s no limit to the devices that can be used with this product.

There are many uses for text-to-speech programs, as they’ve been implemented in all aspects of daily life. TexTalky is one of the most trusted in its space, as many have found it beneficial. Purchase it today.

Prices subject to change.

COVID-19’s Racial Disparities Loom as US Mask Mandates Are Lifted
by Wendy Medina

April 29, 2022

COVID-19’s Racial Disparities Loom as US Mask Mandates Are Lifted

Black and Latino populations continue to move with caution regarding COVID-19 compared to their white counterparts, the Associated Press reports.

As federal, state, and local mandates serve no united correlation, it’s quite obvious minorities are more severely impacted by the pandemic, as seen by those who are still wearing masks and social distancing.

According to an April poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 63% of Black Americans and 68% of Latino Americans remain worried that they or a family member could still contract the deadly virus, while 55% of whites are apathetic about the pandemic.

More than two years into COVID-19, Black and Latino Americans have seen a much larger disparity in illness and death, said Amelia Burke-Garcia, public health program area director at NORC. Because of that, communities of color have experienced higher levels of stress and anxiety at the thought of becoming exposed, and thus have taken mask mandates more seriously. 

“We’ve seen these trends endure throughout the entire pandemic,” Burke-Garcia said. “What we’re seeing now as mitigation measures are being rolled back is there’s still great concern amongst Black Americans and Hispanic Americans around the risk of getting sick.”

Effective April 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted the mask mandate in air travel, a requirement since February 2021. Prior to the ruling, AP had found that 71% of Black Americans supported requiring face masks for airplanes, trains, and other modes of travel. Fifty-nine percent of Latinos agreed, while 20% opposed the masks; 52% of white Americans supported the mandate, while 29% were opposed. 

While vaccines and medications have made treating the deadly virus easier, minorities still face systematic hurdles, such as accessible healthcare, risking their livelihoods if falling ill, and having to rely on public transportation, where one can easily be exposed. 

A 2021 study found that while white people were dying from the disease at higher rates, mask usage amongst white people increased; while Black and Latino people were dying, mask usage decreased.

“Masking is something that is relatively cheap, it’s effective, and it’s something that can be easily done,” said Michael Niño, a sociology professor at the University of Arkansas. “It doesn’t require any sort of governmental response. These broader histories of racism and sexism in the United States are most certainly shaping some of the patterns we’re seeing.”

The 30 Black Men of Kioba Business Ventures Want More Affordable Housing For Baltimore’s Black Families
by Atiya Jordan

April 29, 2022

The 30 Black Men of Kioba Business Ventures Want More Affordable Housing For Baltimore’s Black Families

Since 2018, this Black-owned real estate developer has been working in the Baltimore metropolitan area to increase the rate of affordable housing opportunities for Black families.

Kioba Business Ventures (Kioba), exclusively consisting of 30 men, began as a self-funded business with a mission to discover the needs of the urban communities, according to AFRO News. In its early stages, members obtained realtor, contractor, and insurance licenses in order to develop the highest quality residential homes for first-time homebuyers in low- to middle-income communities.

They successfully completed a renovation on one house in District 9, which is riddled with vacant houses. As a result of the home improvements, the homebuyer gained over $10,000 in positive equity after moving in. Kioba is currently developing three homes in the Druid Hill neighborhood in District 7.

These efforts are in response to the troubling homeownership rates in Baltimore City. From 2007 to 2017, the rates fell from 51% to 47%, while the Black homeownership rate plummeted to 42%, according to the Abell Foundation.

“The vision is to leverage real estate as an asset to empower Black men to create generational wealth, and the mission was to develop a sustainable system to support Black and urban communities in an effort to build Black families through cultural enrichment, wealth creation, asset sharing and the raising of public health awareness for the preservation of Black lives,” Kevin Daniels, a member of Kioba’s logistics committee, told AFRO News.

From redlining to obtaining bank loans, Black families face significant barriers. Kioba, which stands for “Keep it 100 Black Men Association,” combines the skills of contractors, developers, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, activists, and professors. With the combined knowledge, the brotherhood strives to empower Black families with financial literacy and home buying tools.

Kioba has collaborated with Smalltimore Homes, a Baltimore-based affordable housing initiative, to educate city residents about financial literacy and the construction trade. Kioba envisions that the increase of homeownership rates in Baltimore will help reduce the violence and crime in the neighborhoods.

“Our goal is to have millions of Kioba brothers across the country, across the world. This is not just limited to Baltimore or the United States,” said Renny Bass, a member of Kioba’s financing committee. “The future is bright for Kioba.”

Community Leaders Still Preaching Unity And Peace On 30th Anniversary Of LA Riots
by Derek Major

April 29, 2022

Community Leaders Still Preaching Unity And Peace On 30th Anniversary Of LA Riots

Political and religious leaders representing Black and Korean communities joined family members of Rodney King and Latasha Harlins today to urge unity and peace on the 30th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots.

Thirty years ago today, the four white police officers caught on video beating King with batons in one of the most blatant examples of police brutality were acquitted. That led to six days of rioting, looting, violence, and fires across Los Angeles. Harlins was 15 when she was fatally shot in 1991 by a Korean-born shopkeeper who owned a South LA liquor store.

More than 2,000 people sustained injuries and more than 12,000 were arrested. Estimates of the damage caused during the riots were between $800 million and $1.4 billion, according to Axios.

The even was held at the intersection of Florence and Normandie avenues, the epicenter of the unrest.

Scheduled to appear were King’s daughter Lora; family members of Harlins; LAPD South Bureau Deputy Chief Gerald Woodyard; activist and CEO of Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE), Hyepin Im; activist and director of Project Islamic Hope, Najee Ali; and Operation HOPE Founder and CEO John Hope Bryant.

“Thirty years ago, the world changed, and so did I. The LA uprising crystallized my vision for what would later become Operation HOPE—a vessel dedicated to economic empowerment to all, especially those impacted by the destruction of that day,” Bryant said.

Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles told reporters the anniversary “is a reminder of how racial injustice and anti-Blackness, particularly within our criminal justice and law enforcement systems, has persisted for decades in this country.”

The violent nature of King’s arrest followed by the acquittals of the four officers directly led to the ritos.

On March 3, 1992, King was driving with two passengers when the California Highway Patrol tried to stop him. King led them on a high-speed pursuit. The pursuit continued through residential neighborhoods of Lake View Terrace in San Fernando Valley before King stopped in front of the Hansen Dam recreation center.

After placing the passengers into a patrol car, the four officers, Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Rolando Solano, surrounded King before tasering him and beating him with batons dozens of times while kicking him before handcuffing him and hogtying his legs.

Unbeknownst to King and the officers, the incident was being recorded by George Holliday, a local resident. The four officers were charged with assault and excessive force, but due to the media attention the recording of King’s beating received, the trial was moved from Los Angeles County to Ventura County.

The four officers were eventually acquitted of all charges by the jury, which did not have a single African-American on it. That led many to believe the trial was set up, increasing anger as dozens of residents walked to the courthouse to protest the decision.

Approximately 3,600 fires were set during the riots, destroying more than 1,000 buildings.

White South African Arrested for Shooting Black Woman He ‘Mistook for Hippo’
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 29, 2022

White South African Arrested for Shooting Black Woman He ‘Mistook for Hippo’

An elderly white man in South Africa was taken into custody after shooting a Black woman he claims he mistook for a hippo.

Paul Hendrik van Zyl, 77, was arrested Tuesday after shooting Ramokone Linah, 38, who was fishing with her partner in a river, The Guardian reported. Hendrik is facing murder charges after “firing shots in the direction of the woman,” the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said.

The shooter told police that he aimed at what he thought were “hippos and monkeys.” Authorities seized two rifles, one revolver, one pistol, and two airguns during the arrest.

“The arrested suspect alleged that he was shooting at the animals” police spokesperson, Mamphaswa Seabi said.

Linah was left with gunshot wounds in her arm while her spouse “managed to hide” from the attack. The couple was fishing on a farm owned by Hendrik.

A group of men and women had been fishing in a river near Mamojela Park, an informal settlement outside the mining town of Lephalale, northern Limpopo province, since mid-morning. Hendrick fired the shots from the riverbank in the early afternoon.

Hendrik was freed on 1,000 rands ($62) bail and had the case postponed to May 18. The shooting sparked outrage in the country, known for its heightened racial tension since the end of white-minority apartheid rule in 1994.

A group of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters staged a protest outside the court against Hendrik being granted bail, according to Citizen. Gun violence is prevalent in South Africa, with about 250 killed in 2018 and over 7,000 killed from 2019 to 2020, as reported by Eyewitness News.

A similar incident happened in Limpopo five years ago when a white South African farmer was accused of injuring a farm worker with a pellet gun after “mistaking him for a monkey.”

The latest shooting seemingly highlights the ongoing racial tension in South Africa.

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