A young future superstar was sharpening his interview skills many years before perfecting his craft, and a video from that encounter has been uncovered in Minneapolis.

According to CBS Minnesota, a recently found video shows an 11-year-old Prince Rogers Nelson speaking to a reporter during a teacher’s strike in 1970 in Minneapolis. The strike occurred 52 years ago this month, and WCCO restored the film to give perspective to an educators’ strike last month in the same district.

WCCO Production Manager Matt Liddy discovered that 13 minutes of an unearthed video had been restored from the film, and he decided to take a look at it.

“I grew up in Minneapolis, so all I cared about was looking at cool old buildings from the place I grew up. Did I recognize my old school? Did I recognize any landmarks?” Liddy said.

He noticed a recognizable yet young face as he looked at the video.

“I immediately just went out to the newsroom and started showing people and saying, ‘I’m not gonna tell you who I think this is, but who do you think this is?’ And every single person [said] ‘Prince,’” Liddy said.

In the video clip, which can be seen below, the reporter asks a young Prince, who may have been around 10 years old at the time, a question about the teachers’ strike. Prince shows his support to the teachers.

“I think they should get a better education too cause, um, and I think they should get some more money cause they work, they be working extra hours for us and all that stuff.”

As the reporter is trying to verify if it’s really Prince who is seen and heard on the video, he got in touch with a childhood friend who was in an early group with Prince. Terrance Jackson, who was also in the band, Graham Central, was shown the video clip and immediately confirmed that the young boy was indeed the Prince we grew to love.

“That is Prince! Standing right there with the hat on, right? That’s Skipper! Oh my God!” Jackson stated, also referring to Prince as Skipper, which was a childhood nickname of his.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 4, 2022

Black Man Who Spent 9 Years in Jail For Murder He Didn’t Commit Suing Everyone Involved

---

A Black man in Seattle who spent nine years in Kings County Jail without being convicted is suing the county, the city, and the police captain who led the botched investigation.

Emmanuel Fair, 38, was released from jail two and half years ago after being acquitted for the 2008 murder of 24-year-old Arpana Jinaga, Seattle Times reports. At one time, he was the longest-serving inmate in the jail without a conviction.

Following a deadlocked trial in 2017, Fair was tried again in 2019 and found not guilty. Now, over two years later, Fair has acquired a legal team as he prepares to sue Kings County Jail, the city of Redmond, and Redmond Police Captain Brian Coats, who led the investigation into Jinaga’s murder 13 years ago.

“I’ve never seen a worse case,” Fair’s lawyer Corinne Sebren told Rolling Stone.

“There’s very little justice left to salvage.”

Fair was the only Black attendee of a Halloween party thrown by Jinaga and other hosts in the Valley View Apartment complex in Redmond City, Washington. Fair argues that despite Jinaga’s neighbor being a lead suspect, police zeroed in on him because of his race and past criminal record.

“I always knew I was going to get out; I just didn’t think it would take as a long as it took,” Fair said.

In a 23-page complaint filed in December 2021, one of Fair’s attorneys, Ryan Dreveskracht, accused police and prosecutors of performing a botched probe that wrongly targeted him despite evidence implicating Jinaga’s then-neighbor, who is white.

The suit claimed investigators singled out certain DNA evidence while disregarding other genetic findings and suspects as part of a “gather facts that fit the theory strategy.”

The suit stated that the botched probe “caused Fair to be arrested and charged without probable cause for a murder he did not commit.”

Then, after “inexcusable delays in Fair’s trial and prolonged pretrial detention,” he “spent more than nine years in the King County Correctional Facility as an innocent man, in conditions of inhumane confinement that are well known to have a detrimental effect on mental health,” the suit argued.

Now, Fair is struggling to adjust to life in the free world after nearly a decade in jail.

“I felt like I was kidnapped,” Fair said. “I lost a lot. There was potential there that was just taken away.”

The city hasn’t responded to the suit. A spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office sent an email saying, “We look forward to addressing these allegations in a public courtroom, and we are confident in our case.”

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 4, 2022

Minnesota Professor to Repay $120,000 Raised for Philando Castile That She Kept

---

A college professor in Minnesota who raised over $200,000 in donations for police shooting victim Philando Castile in 2017 has agreed to repay the $120,000 she kept for herself.

Pamela Fergus agreed to repay the attorney general by March 2024. The funds will go to what it was initially intended, to pay off the student lunch debt for St. Paul Public Schools, the Pioneer Press reported.

Last June, the Attorney General’s Office filed an enforcement action against Fergus accusing her of keeping most of the $200,000 she raised in honor of Castile, the St. Paul school worker who was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in 2016.

While Fergus has agreed to repay the funds, she has yet to admit to any wrongdoing. Prosecutors say Fergus kept around $120,738 raised through her organization “Philando Feeds the Children”, Fox 9 reported.

Fergus claimed her organization would use “every dollar raised” to pay off students’ lunch debts in the city. However, the attorney general’s office says Fergus never registered her charity and failed to keep books and records to document how the funds were allocated.

After raising $200,000, Ellison says Fergus only paid $80,000 to St. Paul Public Schools, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said. Fergus reportedly kept the remaining $120,000 for herself. Now through the repayments, portions of student lunch debt will finally be paid off.

“This settlement helps to ensure that the money donors gave in Philando’s name will go back to where it was intended—to help Saint Paul kids who struggle to pay for school lunches,” Ellison said in a statement.

“Philando Castile cared deeply about the children he served, and the children loved him back. Failing to use every dollar raised to help those children was an insult to Philando’s legacy and all who loved him,” Ellison added.

Fergus’ attorney, MacKenzie Guptil, could not be reached for comment by the Pioneer Press.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

April 4, 2022

Ced The Entertainer and Steve Harvey Show Lots of Brotherly Love at Robert F. Smith’s Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Bus Launch

---

In the opening of National Minority Health Awareness Month, businessman and philanthropist Robert F. Smith launched the Mount Sinai Robert F. Smith Mobile Prostate Cancer Screening Bus on April 1 in Harlem.

According to a press release, the purposeful event, which signifies a commitment to enabling early detection of prostate cancer for at-risk Black men, reunited some of Smith’s high-profile Black male celebrity friends and local medical experts to mark the occasion.

The launch of the screening bus was made possible through a $3.8 million donation Smith made in February 2021 to Mount Sinai’s Milton and Caroll Petrie Department of Urology.

“As a community we have faced and still do face a fair number of disparities in resources, access and information,” Smith said in his speech at the launch on Friday, according to Essence. “It’s important that we — which is why I brought all these beautiful Black men here to support what we do — educate each other and we bring resources to bear to help our community; not just to survive but to thrive.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place near the Wagner Projects in Harlem. The stars in attendance  included Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Chris Tucker, and Charlamagne Tha God.

While the momentous occasion served a significant cause, it also brought to light the love that the Black men at the event shared for one another. Harvey uploaded a video on Instagram describing his excitement for his reunion with comedian Cedric the Entertainer.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Steve Harvey (@iamsteveharveytv)

The video shows The Neighborhood actor entering the scene while the others were posing for photographs. When Harvey caught a glimpse of him after hearing his voice, he immediately embraced his long-time friend and Johnson’s Family Vacation co-star with a big brotherly hug.

“Very important Prostate cancer mobile launch….. then I saw my Dawg!!!!! All love been too long @cedtheentertainer,” The Family Feud host wrote in the clip’s caption.

In response to the adorable video, Cedric wrote in the comment section, “My Dawg!!! Partna! Brother, Dert, lets get it!!”

Fans gushed at the sight of the video clip, also declaring how important it is to show Black brotherly love more often.

“PRICELESS. Now this should be the one viral! brotherly love!!”

“Prostate cancer awareness is so important and early detection is key, but the love between Mr. Harvey and Ced warmed my heart.”

“I watched this like 5x awww man great friendship brotherly love.”

“Man they genuinely love each other. I love them.”

• Sports

by Derek Major

April 4, 2022

Dawn Staley Leads South Carolina Women’s Basketball Team To Second National Title

---

The University of South Carolina Women’s basketball team won their second national championship in five years Sunday night, putting coach Dawn Staley in a category by herself.

Staley, a Philadelphia native, is the first Black coach, male or female, to win two D-1 basketball titles.

Staley’s Gamecocks jumped out to a 13-2 lead and never looked back, easily defeating the University of Connecticut Huskies and its 11-time national champion head coach, Geno Auriemma, 64-49. The loss was the first ever for Auriemma in a title game. He was 10-0 before Sunday’s loss.

South Carolina guard Destanni Henderson and forward Aliyah Boston were the stars. Henderson scored 26 points and had four assists. Boston tallied 11 points and 16 rebounds and won the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award.

“This journey of being a coach is truly gratifying and I have to reflect on this part of it,” Staley said at the postgame press conference.

“It comes with a great deal of pressure. Pressure because we were the number-one team in the country throughout the entire season. Pressure to come into the NCAA Tournament and be the favorites and certainly because of who we were up against today.”

“I felt a great deal of pressure to win, because I’m a Black coach, because if we don’t win, you bring in so much scrutiny,” Staley continued.

“You can’t coach, you had enough to get it done and just can’t. You feel all of that and you feel it probably 10 times more than anyone else because we’re at this platform.”

Staley won three gold medals for the U.S. Women’s Olympic basketball team as a player and a fourth as a coach. An WNBA player, Staley was named one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history by fans.

The Virginia University alum left the school as its all-time scoring leader and as the ACC’s all-time leader in assists. She was also inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Staley coached at Temple University from 2000-2008, leading the women’s basketball team to six NCAA tournament appearances, including several while she played in the WNBA.

Staley took the South Carolina position in 2008, growing the program from the ground up and winning her first national championship in 2017.. She later sent a piece of the 2017 championship net to every Black woman head coach in Division 1 women’s basketball.

• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 4, 2022

Leaders, Family, and Friends to Gather at Morgan State University to Celebrate the Life of Black Enterprise Founder Earl G. Graves Sr.

---

A loving, in-person tribute and celebration of the life of Earl G. Graves Sr., the iconic founder of BLACK ENTERPRISE, is set to take place on the campus of his beloved alma mater, Morgan State University in Baltimore, home of the Earl Graves School of Business and Management.

Family, friends, leaders, and luminaries—as well as current and former employees of BLACK ENTERPRISE—will gather at the Morgan State University Student Center to honor the life and contributions of the visionary entrepreneur, corporate board pioneer, activist, and philanthropist, on Wednesday, Apr. 6, 2022, the second anniversary of his passing in 2020 at 85, according to a press release. 

“Anticipation for this celebration of our founder and my father has been building for more than a year, and rightly so,” says BLACK ENTERPRISE CEO Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr.

“Of course, he was a personal hero to me, my brothers and his eight grandchildren, as well as a devoted husband and partner of our late matriarch, Barbara Graves. However, beyond that, our founder significantly impacted literally millions of others, including generations of Black entrepreneurs, corporate executives, leaders across all professions, and the loyal subscribers of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine.””

Open to the public, the celebration will be immediately followed by a reception at the Graves School of Business and Management.

The tribute will also be available for viewing via livestream and BLACK ENTERPRISE’s LinkedIn, Facebook.com/BlackEnterprise, YouTube, and Twitter.com/BlackEnterprise social media channels or at BlackEnterprise.com

Confirmed speakers for the event include BLACK ENTERPRISE CEO Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr.; Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church of Mount Vernon (NY), Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson; National Action Network Founder Rev. Al Sharpton; Morgan State University President Dr. David K. Wilson; BLACK ENTERPRISE Executive VP and Chief Content Officer Derek T. Dingle; 41st Grand Basileus, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Dr. David E. Marion; U.S. Congressman, Chairman of the Morgan State University Board of Regents, Kweisi Mfume; Chairman of the Board, Citizens Trust Bank, Ray M. Robinson; President, Enterprise Strategic Partnerships, American Express, Glenda McNeal; Former Macy’s Inc. Executive Chairman Terry Lundgren; RW2 Enterprises CEO and former Aetna Inc. Chairman and CEO Ron Williams; Georgia Power President, Chairman & CEO Chris Womack; and Black Executive CEO Alliance Founder Jerri DeVard.

The program will also include performances by the Morgan State University Choir and a presentation of military honors by Lt. General R. Scott Dingle, The Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, USA Medical Command. 

More than a year in the planning, due to the moratorium on live gatherings necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration of Graves’ life marks a high point of the ongoing recognition of the 50th anniversary of his publishing of the first issue of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine in August 1970.

Among other elements marking the launch of the magazine is a yearlong multimedia content hub, BE: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence, featuring exclusive video tributes from CEOs, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and others from all walks of life who were impacted by Graves. Birthed as a single-magazine publishing company, BLACK ENTERPRISE is now the nation’s No. 1 Black digital media brand, with more than 10 million monthly unique visitors, and the leading producer of live and virtual events focused on entrepreneurship and leadership, and professional development. 

• Entrepreneurship

by Jeffrey McKinney

April 4, 2022

Techstars And JPMorgan Chase Partnering To Invest $80 Million In Diverse Entrepreneurs

---

“The data and experience show founders from diverse communities and backgrounds represent an untapped market with tremendous financial upside for investors, the entrepreneurs, and the communities they operate in, Mäelle Gavet, CEO of Techstars, stated.

• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion

by Derek Major

April 4, 2022

L.A. Dodgers Re-sign Andrew Toles So He Can Have Access To Team’s Health Insurance, Mental Health Services

---

The Los Angeles Dodgers have re-signed outfielder Andrew Toles, who has not played since 2018, to give him access to the team’s health insurance and mental health services.

USA Today reports Toles, 29, has schizophrenia and has not played since 2018. The Dodgers re-signing Toles will give him access to the team’s health insurance and mental health services. Toles was placed on the restricted list before the 2019 season and had his contract extended during Spring Training but did not play.

In June 2020, Toles was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing when he was found sleeping behind a Fed Ex building at the Key West International Airport. It was revealed that Toles had been in and out of mental health facilities and homeless shelters and had multiple incidents with police.

Toles’ family tried to gain legal guardianship, but Toles wouldn’t give consent. Schizophrenia affects more than two million Americans and 1 in 300 people worldwide. The neurological brain disorder is also hard to diagnose as an estimated 40% of individuals with the disorder are left untreated in a given year.

Symptoms include delusions and hallucinations, alterations of the senses, an inability to sort and interpret incoming sensations, an inability to respond appropriately, an altered sense of self, and changes in emotions, movements, and behavior.

The Dodgers currently have the league’s highest payroll at $274,808,333, which means the Dodgers will pay $24,022,427 in luxury tax payments this season, which is almost more than the Baltimore Orioles will spend their entire roster for the 2022 season.

After a 98 day lockout by the owners, the MLB season starts Thursday when the Boston Red Sox face the New York Yankees. Eight other games will also be played Thursday.

Toles is not expected to play for the Dodgers this season, but signing with the team will allow him to continue to receive treatment, including counseling, therapy, and medication through the Dodgers organization.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 4, 2022

Director of the Chicago Film Office Beaten and Robbed Outside His Home ‘By Three Kids’

---

The director of the Chicago Film Office, an appointee of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, took to Facebook to reveal the brutal attack he suffered.

“This [morning] I was attacked, beaten, and my car stolen by three kids,” Kwame Amoaku shared in a Facebook post.

“Thanks to all who have reached out. I’m in the ICU. I’m going to be OK.”

The post included a photo showing Amoaku lying in a hospital bed wearing a neck brace, with one arm heavily bandaged. The appointed official was attacked around 7:46 a.m. Wednesday, Reel Chicago reports.

Police say Amoaku noticed three young males inside his car as he walked toward it to confront the intruders. The suspects responded by beating Amoaku with various objects before fleeing in a gray Dodge Caravan that waited nearby.

“The victim confronted the offenders, who then began battering the victim with various objects,” the Chicago Police Department said in an incident report.

According to the police, the suspects left and returned to the scene moments later to continue beating Amoaku before robbing the victim and leaving a second time.

The suspects stole Amoaku’s personal belongings and left him badly injured. Fox News reports that he was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition with a head injury and fractured arm.

On Friday, Amaoku’s daughter took to Facebook to give an update on her father’s condition.

“My dad was viciously attacked outside his home,” Amoaku’s daughter wrote on Facebook.

“He will be unable to work or cook for himself. Please donate if you are able. You never think this would happen to your family. Until it does.”

Lightfoot appointed Amoaku to The Chicago Film Office in July 2019. The office leads the city’s involvement with the production of feature films, television series, commercials, documentaries, and all forms of local screen entertainment shot in Chicago.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

April 4, 2022

Black Georgia State Professor Calls Police On Two Black Students Who Arrived To Class Late

---

A Georgia State University student took her concerns to TikTok after a Black college professor called the campus police on two Black classmates for arriving to class late at Perimeter College.

College student Bria Blake puts the professor on blast and further explains the incident in a TikTok video on Wednesday, March 30. As of Monday, April 4, the video has reached over 159,000 likes and more than 5,000 comments expressing outrage over the incident.

@briaisok please don’t scroll passed this. #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #SmellLikeIrishSpring #fypシ #fy ♬ original sound – Bria❤️

In the video, Blake identifies the professor as Carissa Gray, whom she recalls asking two of Blake’s classmates, Taylor and Kamryn, to leave after they showed up to the English class just two minutes late. According to Blake, Taylor said that they, as students, “paid to be here” and refused to leave. The professor then left the room and brought back with her two “armed” police officers, who threatened to charge the students with trespassing if they did not leave the classroom, Blake said.

Blake recalls that the police allegedly tried to forcibly remove the students by holding onto Taylor’s belongings until they agreed to leave.

In a statement, Georgia State University said it is “looking into this matter and how it was handled by the faculty member,” according to NBC News.

“Campus police arrived after being called by the faculty member and immediately de-escalated the situation between the students and faculty member, the school continued, “Clearly, no crime had been committed, so there were no arrests.”

As per Blake, when the students filed a complaint with the campus Student Life department, they were informed that police had been called on students for “something irrational” before. Both students wept in fear of not knowing what could happen to them due to the incident.

The University’s student code of conduct states that an instructor is allowed to call for campus police to remove a student whose behavior “poses an immediate threat to the safety” of themself, the instructor, or other students, as per the news outlet.

However, according to a Georgia State University representative, it is abnormal for faculty to summon the campus police over tardiness or other disrespectful behavior. In fact, the policy is meant to help de-escalate any extreme behavior.“

“Time and time again, we’ve seen the police being weaponized against Black people,” Blake said in the video. “Calling the police on two students for being two minutes late to class is extremely unreasonable and dangerous.”