Meet Cxmmunity, a Black-owned nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the gaming and esports industry.

As part of the company’s new partnership with Verizon, Cxmmunity took part in the second annual HBCU Esports League Verizon Celebrity Pro-Am on Sunday, March 27. The star-studded virtual event included $10K in prizes and brought together historically Black college and university students for a Fortnite tournament that included top celebrities and fellow avid gamers like T-Pain, Brett Gray, Tarik Cohen, and more.

“Through our Career Readiness Program and HBCU Esports League, we are creating opportunities for students to learn about STEM careers through the lens of esports and video games,” CEO and Founder of Cxmmunity Ryan Johnson told BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“Our Career Readiness Program is an after-school and summer program that exposes students to multidisciplinary job opportunities that exist in the industry. We’ve partnered with organizations like Microsoft, Verizon, Comcast, and Intel to help provide access to technology and other digital literacy assets that help students further their knowledge around STEM.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wD5wJVtyE4

With Black professional gamers comprising just 2% of the industry despite the 83% of Black teens who play video games, Cxmmunity’s mission is to provide equity, avenues for exposure, and further resources and opportunities for Black people to monetize in this space.

“Major steps for diversity in this space begin with exposing students to new information and creating more opportunities for careers and competition for people of color,” Johnson said. “Through this process, minority students and minority instructors will have more opportunities to insert themselves as viable candidates as new careers and jobs become available.”

When it comes to the lack of diversity in the gaming world, Johnson speaks to the gatekeepers and encourages them to invest in making the industry more inclusive and representative of the people playing the games.

“Major companies in the esports and video game industry also have to be willing to take risks and invest in communities of color,” Johnson said. “Diversity efforts require a level of risk and discomfort that most brands are quick to avoid due to cultural differences and nuances. To ensure true growth of diversity in this space, there needs to be more trailblazers lighting the torch and raising awareness around the lack of participation of people of color in these professional gaming spaces.”

• Business

by Black Enterprise Shop

April 6, 2022

Master The World Of Cryptocurrency With This Four-Week Course

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If you’re reading this, then there’s probably a 100% chance you’ve heard of cryptocurrency. While the industry remains somewhat confusing to many, almost everyone has heard of and is vaguely familiar with Bitcoin. If you’re one of the lucky ones who purchased Bitcoin years ago, well, congratulations.

While Bitcoin is the most popular and mainstream form of cryptocurrency, the space is emerging as new coins are popping up nearly every day. With the right timing and research, investing in the correct ones today could yield substantial financial profits in the future.

With Learn the Basics of Cryptocurrency 4-Week Course, you’ll learn the important things to look for and vet when searching for the next potential gainer on the cryptocurrency market. For a limited time, it can be yours for free. Normally, this course costs $200. Eight hours of lectures spanning eight hours of lessons are offered in this four-week course.

A plethora of cryptocurrency-related information is offered, such as the history of money and basic economic principles. For those curious about blockchains, there’s a course that explains the technology and how to better understand it along with explaining how new blocks are created and validated.

Information regarding just exactly how to and where to purchase cryptocurrency is offered during the course. Learn how to read and gauge the markets by using TradingView, and explore popular trading strategies that are often used in the crypto-verse.

“The team does a great job at cramming so much information into each hourly session. It never feels like cramming though and stays in the memory easily,” writes a verified four-star reviewer.

Each course is taught through Upskillist, a global online education institution that provides interactive classes, designed to allow students to learn at their own pace.

Just because you might have missed out on the Bitcoin surge doesn’t mean there won’t be other opportunities in the cryptocurrency market. This four-week course teaches exactly what to look for when seeking potential gainers along with effective trading strategies.

Purchase it today and trade the cryptocurrency market with confidence.

Prices subject to change.

Social media can always count on Lizzo to showcase her love for herself and all her goodness. Now Lizzo will be able to promote body positivity and her new business venture at the same time.

In the expansion of Lizzo’s body positivity campaign, the Grammy award-winning singer has officially launched an inclusive shapewear line in partnership with Fabletics Inc. called YITTY. Releasing on April 12, Lizzo’s shapewear collection includes bodysuits, smoothing shorts, tanks, unitards, and more, Forbes reports.

With shapewear being a dominating niche in fashion, Lizzo is gearing up to compete with the likes of Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS. While SKIMS ranges in sizes from XXS to 5X, Lizzo’s YITTY goes all the way up to 6X, as noted by Variety.

“I have spent the entirety of my life trying to change the way that I look or reshape my body,” Lizzo said. “As if I had to inflict some sort of pain upon it to fit into an archetype or a standard of beauty.”

“I’ve been wearing shapewear–tight-pinching corsets and underwear bottoms–for a very long time; since I was in fifth or sixth grade. It was really painful and I really felt that it shouldn’t be this way; we shouldn’t be ashamed of our bodies and we shouldn’t have to wear these contraptions to feel beautiful.”

Creating a size-inclusive line was a priority for Lizzo in addition to making it fashionable loungewear.

“The hardest part of creating a size-inclusive brand was making sure that we were truly representing everyone in how we were designing and fitting the product,” Lizzo said.

“What is really different about Yitty is that we are designing collections in bold colors and prints that are meant to be exposed, styles that are technically designed to be worn as your underlayer but cute enough to wear alone.”

In a process that took over two years, Lizzo sought out a way to “reinvent” shapewear after feeling left out in the evolving space. Lizzo teamed up with Fabletics in 2019 with then-CMO Kristen Dykstra, who is now president of Yitty.

The inspiration behind the brand and its name are all centered around embracing the skin you’re in.

“Yitty is a nickname my auntie gave me when I was young,” Lizzo shared. “She was a full-figured woman and one of the coolest people ever with bold, beautiful energy. I wanted that energy in this brand.”

• Women

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 5, 2022

Saweetie Talks Her Champion ‘Get it Girl’ Campaign and Renaissance Workshop

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Platinum-selling rapper Saweetie is all about female empowerment and is using her new Culture Consultant role with Champion to unite women and girls from all walks of life.

Speaking with BLACK ENTERPRISE about her new “Get It Girl” campaign, Saweetie shares her passion for spreading girl power and how her background in sports aligned with Champion’s mission for the initiative.

As her first order of business, Saweetie chose to spotlight the “Champion Circle” of 12 diverse women collegiate athletes and players. Using her new “Get It Girl” single, Saweetie highlights the female athletes who play by their own rules and look good while doing it.

Each member of the “Champion Circle” featured in the spot was outfitted in gear that highlighted their unique flair, swagger and creativity in their respective sports. The athletes also served as models for the latest Champion collections including Soft Touch bra and leggings.

As an extra layer of girl power, Champion enlisted the help of an all-female production team spearheaded by Director Hannah Lux Davis to film the vibrant ad. Taking part in the campaign took Saweetie back to her athletic roots as a former track and field athlete in high school.

Saweetie shares how her former teammates and her current team of powerhouse women serve as inspiration for her career in music. The Oakland native also dished on her “Pretty B.I.T.C.H. Renaissance Workshop” where she taught women the importance of being a boss.

With her debut album still not having a release date, Saweetie teases what fans can expect from her first full-length release.

“Having your first album is like having your first child,” Saweetie told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “So, I’m just trying to make sure that I’m raising it well and when I put it out to the world it represents everything that I stand for.”

Press play below for the full interview and highlights of Saweetie’s new “Get It Girl” ad.

A top-seeded tennis player was caught on video giving a face slap to his opponent after the match was over, bringing the memory of the recent Will Smith/Chris Rock altercation from last week to mind.

According to Essentially Sports, after a recent tennis match between two players in Ghana, top-seeded French tennis player, Michael Kouame, in a similar fashion to Smith, slapped his opponent, Raphael Nii Ankrah after losing a match to him.

At the ITF Juniors tournament taking place in Accra, Ghana, the top-seeded French tennis player Kouame shocked his opponent, Nii Ankrah, and everyone viewing the end of the game. He lost the tennis match after game scores of 2-6, 7-6, 6-7. As the two players went to shake hands as tennis players typically do after the completion of their match, Kouame, surprisingly grabbed Ankrah’s hand and with his free one, slapped him straight in the face with no provocation.

Number 1 seeded player Michael Kouame from France 🇫🇷 slaps Raphael Nii Ankrah 🇬🇭 after losing in the ongoing TGF ITF jnrs world tour at the Accra sports stadium pic.twitter.com/pj4WjfifXZ

— KENNETH KWESI GIBSON 🎾 (@Kwesi_Gibson) April 4, 2022

Since Ankrah is a local player, it caused a brawl to take place at the stadium as several spectators partook in going to defend the tennis player.

pic.twitter.com/4B0NjVI5zv

— KENNETH KWESI GIBSON 🎾 (@Kwesi_Gibson) April 4, 2022

People are speculating that Kouame may have felt comfortable due to the recent controversy that took place at the Oscars last week.

Comedian Chris Rock, while on stage at the Oscar presentation, had jokingly referred to Jada Pinkett-Smith, who was sporting a bald head, as G.I. Jane (Demi Moore starred in the movie and wore her head bald for the role).

That resulted in Will Smith defending his wife by storming the Oscars stage and slapping Rock.

Let’s hope people don’t use that moment as an opportunity to beat up other folks because this is getting out of hand.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

April 5, 2022

AGT Finalist Victory Brinker Breaks World Records As The Youngest Opera Singer At Age 7

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The Guinness World Records recently confirmed that 10-year-old Victory Brinker became the world’s youngest opera singer at just seven years old.

The record-breaking achievement came after the star vocalist shined in eight professional performances in 2019 at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre’s Lights and Legends show. But that’s not all. Brinker impresses many with her vocal range and ability to sing in seven different languages.

In 2021, the young vocalist marked another unique feat by becoming the first-ever America’s Got Talent contestant to receive a unanimous Golden Buzzer from all four judges during her performance of “Juliet’s Waltz.” She went on to succeed as a finalist and later released her debut holiday album, The Wonder of Christmas, BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported.

Raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Victory was adopted by Christine and Eric Brinker. She grew up with six brothers and four sisters and loved being part of a big family. For Victory, her success wasn’t hers alone. Her siblings have been with her on every step of the journey. She even brought some of her siblings to be featured alongside her in her “Silent Night” music video.

“I was an early talker and started singing at age two. Between age two and three, I was memorizing entire CDs with good pitch. I was always singing,” Brinker said, according to Guinness.

Brinker remains dedicated to achieving the perfect pitch. She meets with her vocal coach once or twice a week and learns new songs and languages.

“I would like to try to break the record for highest vocal note by a child…or maybe even an adult!” Brinker continues.

In addition to her piano and singing talents, Brinker is pursuing acting and more Guinness World Record titles. She hopes that her achievements will ignite more kids to pursue their aspirations and dreams.

“You can do it! Just do it one time, and you’ll see it’s not so bad,” she said.

“I tell myself to give it my all and have fun, and I do!”

• Money

by Derek Major

April 5, 2022

Illinois Car Dealership Agrees To $10 Million Settlement For Charging Black Customers More

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An Illinois-based car dealership has agreed to a $10 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the Ilinois Attorney General’s office after charging Black customers more for financing during purchases.

According to an FTC release, Ed Napleton Automotive, located in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, agreed to the settlement Friday after a complaint was filed against nine dealerships owned by Napleton Automotive in Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Missouri.

The complaint alleged the dealership group charged thousands of customers “hundreds or thousands of dollars” for additional charges, including “payment insurance” and “paint protection,” without informed consent. According to the FTC release, the complaint adds Black customers were charged up to $190 more in interest and $99 more in similar add-ons for “similarly situated” non-Latino white customers.

The FTC release states the dealerships would add the fees after hours-long negotiations and “sneak junk fees for add-on products and services into customer contracts,” despite customers declining the add-ons.

“Working closely with the Illinois Attorney General, we are holding these dealerships accountable for discriminating against minority consumers and sneaking junk fees onto people’s bills,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in the release.

“Especially as families struggle with rising car prices, dealerships that cheat their customers can expect to hear from us.”

Ed Napleton Automotive was founded in 1951 and has 51 dealerships across eight states. Dealerships in Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were not involved in the settlement. Napleton dealerships involved in the settlements included five dealerships in Illinois, four in Florida, one in Pennsylvania, and one in Missouri.

In a statement Friday, a spokesman for the Napleton group denied all wrongdoing despite the allegations and settlement.

“The Ed Napleton Dealership Group has resolved disputed claims made by the Federal Trade Commission and the Illinois Attorney General’s office,” spokesperson Tilden Katz said. “We made this decision to avoid the disruption of an ongoing dispute with the government. As a result, we reluctantly determined that it was in our best long-term business interests to resolve these matters.”

According to the FTC, a survey showed 83% of buyers from the dealerships named were charged junk fees for add-ons without authorization.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 5, 2022

Here We Go Again: August Alsina Subtly References ‘Entanglement’ With Jada Pinkett-Smith in New Music

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Fresh on the heels of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock for joking about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, the actress is being referenced by her former “entanglement” partner.

August Alsina recently released a song called “Shake The Room,” where he seemingly makes a subtle reference to his infamous “entanglement” with Jada.

“Well, of course some s – – t is bound to go down when you tangled up with the world’s favorite,” Alsina sings in a clip posted to his Instagram page.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Yungin’ (@augustalsina)

Alsina’s vocal reference to being “tangled up with the world’s favorite” seemingly references Jada’s 2020 confession of being in an “entanglement” with August while separated from her husband, Will Smith.

“From there, you know, as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August,” Pinkett Smith said.

After Will encouraged her to clarify what she meant by “entanglement,” Pinkett Smith admitted, “It was a relationship, absolutely.”

Her confession came one month after Alsina revealed the affair during an interview with Angela Yee, saying he “gave years of his life” to Jada in a romantic relationship.

Just last week, Will and Jada made nationwide headlines after Smith slapped Chris Rock during the live broadcast of the Academy Awards. Smith was upset with the comedian for making a joke about Jada’s shaved head.

While Smith initially laughed at the “GI Jane” joke, once he saw that Jada was offended, he stepped on stage and physically assaulted Rock in front of everyone. Since the slap, Smith has had films paused as he continues to face criticism from Hollywood, Rolling Stone reports.

While Smith was defending his wife when attacking Rock, many were confused why he showed so much emotion to the comedian than he did when August Alsina admitted to sleeping with his wife. Now to add more fuel to the fire, the singer is still making records about his romantic history with Will’s wife.

Chris Rock might not be the only one Will wants to keep his wife’s name out his “muthaf**king mouth!”

The community of Black and independent filmmakers is mourning the loss of Michelle Materre, a champion of the independent film industry who passed away from cancer last month at age 67.

Materre passed away at a hospital in White Plains, New York, on March 11, a Facebook post from The Black Documentary Collective read.

The acclaimed film historian was well known and respected for her unwavering dedication to ensuring diverse stories were told through film.

Her three decades of work impacted future generations of independent filmmakers and helped award-winning films see the light of day. While running her film distribution and marketing company, ​​KJM3 Entertainment Group Inc., from 1990 to 2001, Materre directly managed the release of 23 independent films, as noted by The New School Free Press.

Some of the projects under her belt include Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed by Shola Lynch, Channel Thirteen/WNET’s national series The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, and Black Women in Medicine by Crystal Emery. Materre also curated Creatively Speaking, a film series dedicated to women filmmakers and people of color.

“During this period, filmmakers were typically producing totally on their own, without limited support and resources from institutions and grant-making agencies – indeed getting the work produced ‘one way or another,’” Materre shared in Black Camera: An International Film Journal in 2019.

“Yet, this work lives on and remains relevant today, fulfilling the mission of the Creatively Speaking Film Series to capture the often-buried voices, harsh realities, and boundless creativity of historically marginalized and underrepresented filmmakers of color.”

The New School professor leaves behind a community of students and supporters celebrating her life by remembering all she contributed to the independent film community.

“Michelle will be remembered as a tireless advocate and champion of films by and about women and people of color, a beloved teacher, an engaged university citizen, and a cherished colleague,” the New School wrote in a lengthy statement.

Emmy and Peabody award-winning director Neema Barnette, the first Black woman to direct a network sitcom (What’s Happening Now!), penned a Facebook tribute to Materre, honoring her for being a trailblazer for diversity in the field.

“After a friendship that spanned over 35 years, I said goodbye to my sista friend Michelle Materre. A force to be reckoned with, Michelle’s love for Third World cinema and her lecture series Creatively Speaking has helped hundreds of young visionaries make their films. A staple at The New School, Michelle taught and mentored hundreds more,” Barnette wrote.

“There will be celebrations of Michelle’s life and we will make sure her work continues. Michelle was a true warrior Queen who fought battles with bravery and hope. Rest in Power Michelle, because you know how much you were loved.”