A new Tennessee bill passed in the House Thursday that would require social studies curriculum for students in fifth to eighth grade to include Black history.

House Bill 2106 passed with an 80-2 vote after a two-year uphill battle by its creator state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, reported the Chattanooga Times Free Press. 

The approved legislation now heads to the state Senate, led by Senate Democratic Caucus Chairwoman Raumesh Akbari of Memphis, who is sponsoring the bill.

According to HB 2106, instruction of Black history and culture would be mandatory in grades 5-8 curricula, as well as the contributions to the development of the county made by Black people. The Tennessee Department of Education would also include “multicultural diversity when developing frameworks” to be taught to students in each respective grade.

The bill would not come into effect until the 2025-2026 school year and thus not increase the cost of this year’s budget.

“The intentions of this legislation [are] to be narrow, focused, and specific. These are crucial times in transitional years for our students,” said Rep. Hakeem to the chamber when presenting the bill on the floor on Thursday. “So it is crucial that they learn about and explore Black history at an age where they can digest the information.”

Last year, the bill was killed due to GOP-majority lawmakers. However, that urged Rep. Hakeem, one of two Black legislators in East Tennessee, to work with his counterparts to make the passage of the bill possible. 

HB 2106 would not include the instruction of pop culture figures, but would include the likes of Sampson Keeble, the first Black legislator in Tennessee; the Tuskegee Airmen from Alabama; and Judge Bernice Donald, the first Black female judge from Tennessee and the first Black woman U.S. Bankruptcy judge.

“Members on the Education Committee had an excellent discussion about our American values and shared history,” Rep. Akbari said in a statement. “I’m optimistic my colleagues will all find worth in clarifying which grade levels engage more prominently with Black history.”

Rep. Hakeem is also hopeful the bill will make it to President Biden’s desk. 

“I think it says something about our legislature that they look, I guess, at the manner in which I put forth the bill,” he said. “I sought and received input from both sides of the aisle on this bill. And with God’s help, the grace of God, they saw fit to move this bill forward.”

Janice Pettyjohn is the first woman hired for a full-time football position at Howard University.

The almost 23-year-old South Jersey native is applying her lifelong experience managing sports teams to lead the football team at one of the country’s most popular HBCUs. Her role comes one year after Pettyjohn graduated from Howard’s Sports Medicine Residency program with a minor in sociology.

“I’m super grateful for this position,” she told Burlington County Times. “Being 22 years old and getting a full-time position at Howard fresh out of college—it’s rare. Coach (Larry) Scott really saw the potential in me.”

According to the newspaper, Peettyjohn is the assistant director of football operations in addition to taking on the responsibilities of director of on-campus recruiting. This position was developed specifically for her.

Pettyjohn has been managing teams since middle school. It was something she picked up as an extracurricular activity despite being a painter and art enthusiast.

“I started managing the basketball team in seventh grade then I did it in eighth grade and it ended up just becoming something that I loved without realizing that I love because it just became second nature,” she said.

By the time she attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School, Pettyjohn became the football team manager. RVRHS former head coach Dan Haussman praised Pettyjohn.

“She was always organized, she took on a ton of tasks, and we never had to worry about game set up,” Haussman said.

At Howard University, Pettyjohn wasted no time securing a spot with the Bisons. While an undergrad, former head coach Mike London offered her a position as a graphic designer and equipment manager.

“And then from there, my name just kind of started floating around. And next thing I know, I’m working with operations, I’m working with the color commentating people on the radio, I’m working with the (sports information) department,” Pettyjohn said.

“I was always the person kind of with that mentality like that if it has to get done, I’m going to be the one that gets it done.”

Now, less than a year after walking across the aisle to accept her undergraduate degree, Pettyjohn is returning to her alma mater with a history-making start to her career.

• Entrepreneurship

by Wendy Medina

April 8, 2022

141 Years and Still Going Strong, E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co. Is the Oldest Black-Owned Business in the US

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Founded by entrepreneur John T. Ward in 1881 in Columbus, Ohio, E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co. has withstood the test of time and continues to operate as the oldest Black-owned business in the United States.

However, the Ohio-based company started as a stop on the Underground Railroad where Ward transported enslaved people to the next safe house using two horses and a wagon.

The company was passed along to his son, William Ward, and then to his grandson Edgar Earl Ward in 1899. Eldon Ward, John’s great-grandson, would be the last of the Ward family to own the business in 1945, as he didn’t have any children of his own to leave the family company. Despite that, Brian Brooks, an entrepreneur and Eldon’s godson, would take over and eventually buy the firm from Eldon in April 2001.

Today, Brooks and his wife Dominique run the business together.

E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co. flourished after slavery was abolished, and has grown into one of the country’s most highly trusted moving companies.

As previously reported, E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co. was the first Black-owned agent to receive the 2021 NorthAmerican Van Lines Agent of the Year Award.

The NorthAmerican Van Lines Agent of the Year honor is awarded to the agent that receives the best overall scores in service quality, hauling growth, sales growth, and safety performance, demonstrating the “Power of Blue” by supporting fellow agents and customers.

Having survived the Jim Crow South, the Reconstruction Era, the civil rights movement and currently a pandemic, the moving company has expanded its operations to the Carolinas with new offices in Charlotte and Raleigh.

“[E.E Ward] has been through the Civil War, the Great Depression, two world wars, the Great Recession, and 27 presidential terms, and never closed its doors,” Dominique told Finurah. “That’s an incredible story, and I think people can sit there and say, ‘Hmm, I can draw inspiration from that.’”

She continued, “We all can draw inspiration from [Ward’s] legacy of perseverance.”

• Career

by Derek Major

April 8, 2022

AME Church Facing Multiple Lawsuits, Over $90 Million Missing From AME Pension Funds

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At least three lawsuits have been filed against the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, claiming that it mishandled its retirement fund, leading to a $90 million loss.

The Post and Courier (SC) reported that a class action suit was filed in the Southern Division of the United States District Court of Maryland on behalf of more than 5,000 eligible retirees. According to the suit, the AME Church lost at least $90 million, or about 70 percent, of its retirement fund due to irresponsible investments.

The suit adds that church officials gave sole authority of the pension fund to AME’s head of retirement services with no oversight. As a result, the fund invested in the purchase of Florida land, a loan to a solar panel installer, and investment “in a now non-existent capital venture outlet.”

The class-action suit also claims church officials admitted the pension, which was valued at $126 million last year, has lost more than $90 million. Additionally,  “no one connected with the Church” knows what happened to the money except the former head of retirement services.

“As a result of the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s gross financial mishandling, nearly 5,000 pastors, church elders, and other employees find themselves contemplating a future without the retirement funds they were depending on,” William Alvarado Rivera, senior vice president of litigation at AARP Foundation said according to Religion News Service.

Defendants include Jerome Harris, the former executive director of AME’s Department of Retirement Services and South Carolina Bishop Samuel L. Green. AME’s general board and council of bishops have also been named.

Harris was sued in 2006 by Dorsey McCullough for mismanagement of annuity, but the case was dismissed due to a technicality.

AME Church officials acknowledged in an update published last month that it became aware of problems with its pension plan after a leadership change last year revealed “financial irregularities.”

“Out of an abundance of caution, we immediately engaged outside legal counsel and forensics experts to conduct an independent and comprehensive investigation,” AME Church leaders said in the update. “We continue to actively work with federal authorities who are investigating this matter and recover any misappropriated funds.”

AME leaders are also cooperating with federal officials who are also investigating what happened to the pension fund.

In an unprecedented move, a college volleyball coach cut an entire team of players.

According to KSLA, a newly hired head volleyball coach at Grambling State University made a roster change that caught everyone, especially the players, off-guard. After notifying the administration that she would make changes, she cut all 19 current players from the volleyball team.

Grambling State University’s new head volleyball coach Chelsey Lucas was hired to guide the team in February. She informed all 19 players individually earlier this week, on April 4.

“The decision, it’s her decision to make, and she’s got some quality players coming on board. I think 14 or 15 coming on board at some point, so in terms of things, I hate to say out with the old, but in with the new a little bit,” GSU Athletics Communications Director Brian Howard said.

“Obviously, we don’t want them to be cut or lose their scholarships or whatever that might be or whatever that might look like. At the end of the day, Coach Lucas has a goal, has a vision. We have a goal as an institution and a vision as well to win and that’s first and foremost.”

Sports Illustrated has reported that Lucas, a 2007 Grambling alum, spent six seasons at two other Southwestern Athletic Conference programs. The University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Alcorn State University. She coached at UAPB for three years and achieved an overall record of 37–44 while compiling a 37–17 mark in conference play. Before joining UAPB, she was the head coach for three seasons at Alcorn State from 2016 to 2018.

“Just as the transfer portal empowers student-athletes,” Grambling State athletic director Trayveon Scott said in a written statement, “our coaches are also empowered to make the decisions they deem necessary to advance their programs.”

One of the players, Maurisa Harris, a junior at Grambling, had something to say about the move.

“She said that we weren’t able to practice much, which we weren’t and she said based off of that, she was not able to renew my scholarship, so I didn’t really get any time to show what I could do. When I was in there and she told me, my heart completely broke. Of course, and I didn’t cry in there, but I did when I left, and it just hurts really bad, the fact that it was snatched away so fast,” Harris said.

• Lifestyle

by Jeffrey McKinney

April 8, 2022

Rising Mortgage Rates Causing Lower Home Asking Prices To Emerge

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Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather said, “Price drops are still rare, but the fact that they are becoming more frequent is one clear sign that the housing market is cooling. It goes to show that there’s a limit to sellers’ power.”

• Career

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 8, 2022

Breaking Down Racial Barriers in Dallas: Capital Impact Partners Expands Program for Real Estate Developers of Color

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A new program will break down the barriers for real estate developers of color in the Dallas area, helping them be more involved in the region’s booming real estate market—and, in turn, to create more affordable housing.

The first cohort in Dallas will provide approximately 20 emerging real estate developers of color with assistance to help them grow their businesses in an industry where they are severely underrepresented, according to a press release.

“Systemic barriers have prevented developers of color from accessing capital and achieving their potential in helping communities across the country,” said Ellis Carr, president and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance.

“There are so many talented developers of color who are ready to work with local neighborhoods to create housing solutions that uplift and support communities,” Carr said.

“As we are doing in Detroit, the Washington metro area, and the San Francisco Bay Area, our EDI program will begin to build a more equitable real estate development ecosystem here in Dallas.”

The Dallas Equitable Development Initiative is supported by funding from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Charles Schwab Bank.

“This is all about creating a more inclusive economy in Dallas,” said Michelle Thomas, executive director and head of philanthropy for JPMorgan Chase in Dallas/Fort Worth.

“When we think about closing the gap in financing available to developers of color, this is a huge opportunity. There is an incredible need for new and affordable housing across the country, and we’re glad to partner with Capital Impact Partners to support our local developers of color who are working to address this issue in their communities.”

The lack of equitable representation in Dallas has affected both developers of color as well as communities of color.

Historically, the real estate industry has been dominated by larger national and global firms. Developers of color face significant barriers to entering the real estate space due to the lack of access to capital, equity and experience—the result of generations of structural racism and disinvestment.

Communities of color in Dallas are suffering, pushed farther out of the city due to rapidly rising home costs, a lack of housing inventory, and gentrification. Dallas currently has a 20,000-unit shortage of affordable homes.

Capital Impact Partners’ Equitable Development Initiative prepares emerging developers of color to pursue affordable housing projects and play a larger role in shaping Dallas’ development landscape.

They will receive broad-based training—in areas such as project budgeting, real estate finance, project and contractor management, legal services and community engagement—as well as local mentorship, network building, and pathways for them to access funding.

The initiative’s expansion into the Dallas area is also an expansion of Capital Impact’s existing investments across Texas. The Lone Star State was identified as an area where there’s an opportunity for spurring community and economic development investment based on identified needs in underestimated communities. To date, Capital Impact has invested more than $88 million in affordable housing, education and more.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is providing $500,000 in grant funding for the Equitable Development Initiative’s expansion into Dallas. Capital Impact also received a grant from Charles Schwab Bank in support of the Dallas EDI expansion.

The Equitable Development Initiative is modeled after the successful program that Capital Impact launched in Detroit in 2018. It expanded into the Washington metropolitan area in 2019 and into the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021. Many of the participants have since gone on to create their own organizations, build local developments, and foster peer-to-peer networks.

EDI Applications:

The EDI application window runs from Apr. 7 to May 6, 2022. Capital Impact will select participants based on the following guidelines. Developers should:

– Identify as racial or ethnic minorities.

– Be actively working to further careers in real estate development with some real estate development experience.

– Live in or near the primary metropolitan area of the program, and have a strong connection to the city/region in which they are working.

– Demonstrate a commitment to their city/region’s revitalization.

– Be interested in responding to requests for proposals for real estate development opportunities with or without a development partner in the next one to two years.

• Health and Wellness

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 8, 2022

Experts Say More Black Americans Are Dying From Fentanyl Overdoses

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Experts say that as the opioid crisis looms on, fentanyl-related deaths are on the rise within Black communities.

The CDC found that Black drug users have started to surpass whites in deaths from drug overdoses in most U.S. states, People reports. An analysis saw Black drug-related deaths rise by 55% in 2020 while whites only saw an increase of 35%.

UCLA addiction researcher Joseph Friedman credits the increase to heroin in street drugs being transitioned into fentanyl, a form of heroin that is cheaper and easier to produce and transport.

“They are also more dangerous, and their market takeover has led to a huge increase in overdoses. As early as 2018, Black communities were more affected [by fentanyl] than white communities,” Friedman said.

The researcher and co-author of an American Journal of Psychiatry study that looked into the drug mortality rates by race and ethnicity also credits racial discrimination for the increase in Black drug-related deaths.

Citing racial disparities in access to healthcare, treatment centers, and poor access to addiction specialists, Friedman says the opioid crisis disproportionately impacts those from underrepresented minority backgrounds.

“I knew 11 people who passed last year, and five so far this year. They were all African Americans,” Desilynn Smith, clinical director at Gateway to Change, a behavioral health substance abuse treatment center in Milwaukee, said.

Smith touched on the importance of diversity among mental health specialists, considering the sensitivity of seeking addiction treatment.

“African American [drug use] looks different, so a therapist has to understand this,” Smith said.

“And we all want to see someone like us when we are dealing with something like addiction in the beginning until we build trust up. But every door that I go to knock on, no one looks like me.”

Smith, who lost her husband Hamid Abd-Al-Jabbar, 51, in February 2021 to a drug overdose, admitted the “shame” she felt opening up about the cause of his death.

“Shame and addiction go hand in hand with us. It’s not ok to be not ok,” she said.

In 2021, African Americans made up at least 45% of the drug fatalities in Milwaukee County.

“The numbers are astronomical,” Smith added. “It has hit home hard.”

• Entrepreneurship

by Atiya Jordan

April 8, 2022

The Fairy-Tale-Like Reunion Story Behind The Largest Black-Owned Wine Company, McBride Sisters Wine

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For the McBride sisters, owners of the largest Black-owned wine company, little did they know that meeting one another through their father’s dying wish would ignite the spirit of entrepreneurship and pave the way for other Black woman winemakers.

According to TODAY FOOD, Andréa McBride recalls the day she received that fateful phone call from her estranged father, who was struggling with a terminal diagnosis of stomach cancer at the time. She was just 16 years old and living in foster care in New Zealand. Before his passing, he wanted to reconnect Andréa to her half-sister Robin, whom he lost touch with after divorcing Robin’s mother. He died seven months later before he could find Robin but managed to reconnect Andréa to his family beforehand in Alabama.

“It was crazy and awful and amazing sort of all at the same time. It was all the feels,” Andréa said of attending her father’s funeral in Alabama.

“Losing our father, he was one of 12, meeting family and a lot of people that I’d never seen before but looked a lot like me. It was amazing. They were all just really focused on helping to try and find Robin.”

After some subsequent years, Robin of Monterey, California, received a letter from the ambitious family and reached out. As fate would have it, Andréa was currently in Alabama visiting.

“Andréa gets on the phone and we’re both pretty stunned and shocked because nobody thought that this was going to be happening at this moment because, according to the letter, she is in New Zealand; she’s not in Alabama,” said Robin.

One discovery would bind Andréa and Robin’s forthcoming sisterhood and partnership during the introductions. The love of wine was mutual. Though continents apart, they were both raised in small agricultural towns known as the wine regions of Monterey, California, and Marlborough, New Zealand.

The rest is history. The McBride Sisters Wine Collection was born in 2005 without any investments but $1,800 to cover licensing paperwork. To date, the flourishing company has grown into what is not only the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States but one of the most inclusive, accessible, socially aware, and sustainable.

“A lot of our experiences of us being curious about wine and how we were treated when we were in those tasting rooms and stuff is really a lot of the foundation of what our company is built on today, which is making wine accessible for everybody and helping people on their journey and making it fun,” said Andréa.

“It’s definitely an old boys’ club,” Robin added. “A large part of the industry is run by a very small group of older white wealthy men. There’s a lot of dynasties in wine. And a large part of opportunities and success has come from being associated with those people and those families.”

The McBride sisters are on a mission to bring more women of color into the winemaking industry. Among their efforts is the launch of the SHE CAN Fund in 2019, where they have invested more than $3 million in women in the food and wine industry. In March, they also launched a new initiative that funds scholarships for women in agricultural programs at Southern University, an HBCU in Louisiana.

“When we first started, (the wine world) was definitely a place where we felt like we didn’t belong,” said Robin. “And now we do.”