Meet the Black Woman CEO Helping to Qualify Thousands of ‘Difficult to Approve’ Homebuyers
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 28, 2022

Meet the Black Woman CEO Helping to Qualify Thousands of ‘Difficult to Approve’ Homebuyers

Lisa K. Farrell, founder and CEO of Lisa Home Mortgage, specializes in matching prospective homebuyers with the right mortgage product and qualifying applicants, even when they are considered difficult to approve.

A native New Yorker and a graduate of Rosemont College, Lisa is a Federal and State licensed Mortgage Loan Originator (NMLS 946723) and is licensed and serves the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, California, Colorado, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida with other states pending.

Last month, her company introduced its VOE [Verification of Employment] Program as a specialty product to offer a pathway to homeownership to W2 professionals in commission-based sales and service-oriented fields.

Lisa comments, “Rental units were once a practical option. Now that renting is no longer affordable, homeownership is a better way to secure a primary residence.”

Non-salaried employees such as car salesmen, hairstylists, barbers, mechanics, nail technicians, restaurant wait staff, and other W2 employees have traditionally been underserved by the mortgage industry. These people may qualify for mortgage loans through the Lisa Home Mortgage VOE Program. Lisa says she has structured this loan package for these individuals who would have experienced frustrations when looking to secure a mortgage in the past.

“Nowadays, many potential homebuyers have extraordinary circumstances that fall outside of typical approval guidelines, including an unusual pay structure and income calculations involving seasonal upticks and lulls,” says Lisa. “If the homebuyer has been with their employer for more than two years, the VOE Program at Lisa Home Mortgage may be the best funding option to qualify these W2 professionals.”

In these instances, employment and salary information can simply be verified by the applicant’s employer.* Tax returns, W2s, and paystubs are not required. Plus, potential homebuyers can be prequalified if they face credit challenges.

“Difficult does not mean impossible. Our team of experienced mortgage professionals can identify the best funding program to qualify your loan application and our network of professionals can also help clients overcome credit issues,” says Lisa.

Plus, the application process is simple. Homebuyers can use their mobile device and get prequalified within hours. Thanks to Lisa Home Mortgage, homebuyers with even a lower credit score* can be pre-approved the same day. A conversation with a team member is the first step toward a financial solution. That conversation could lead to owning a dream home.

“Our goal is to get each of our clients in the home of their choice. So, if you are an employed professional and your income fluctuates from week to week or month to month, we may have solutions for you,” Lisa says. “We are here and committed to offering outstanding customer service from application to closing.”

For more details, visit LisaHomeMortgage.com or call (833) 835-6267. Also, follow the brand on social media @LisaHomeMortgage

* Some conditions apply. All programs may not be available in all states. Underwriting guidelines are subject to change.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 28, 2022

Black Twitter Lit Up With Memes After Will Smith Smacks Chris Rock During Oscars Presentation

The Oscar ceremony got a very real unscripted moment that quickly sent shockwaves and has social media talking!

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). Late last year, the actress took to Instagram to speak about having alopecia and how she is not going to let the balding condition stop her.

“Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something,” Jada wrote on the Instagram post. “Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!”

As Rock looked directly at Jada sitting at a table with her husband, Will Smith, the comedian blurts out, “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it. Alright?”

Apparently, that hit a sore spot as there were some gasps in the audience and the camera shows Jada not at all happy that Rock made that statement. Reacting to the crowd, Rock then states, “That was a nice one!” and quickly tried to get back to the presentation.

Initially, it looked as if Will was ok with the joke, but, obviously, it affected him so much that he got up from his seat and approached Rock on stage. As Will gets closer, he smacks Rock in the face, stunning the comedian.

As Will walks back to his seat, a surprised Rock says, “Wow… wow…. Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”

As a stunned Rock gained his composure, Will then yells out, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth!”

Rock tries to cop a plea to Will and Jada’s husband reiterated the words he had just expressed to the “Fargo” star. After assuring Will he was “going to,” an uncomfortable silence gripped the venue as he stated, “That was a.. greatest night in the history of television.”

The memes and pics were as immediate as Will’s slap!

Harvard Law School Grad Launches Newest Black Woman-Owned Film and Content Production Company
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 28, 2022

Harvard Law School Grad Launches Newest Black Woman-Owned Film and Content Production Company

Raye Mitchell, a Harvard Law School grad turned entertainment lawyer, has partnered with Cindy Brown, an Olympic Gold Medalist and former WNBA player, to launch Bossology 53 Entertainment, a Black-owned media company that will create film, TV projects, and publishing content.

Ultimately, their goal is to advance social justice, racial, and LGBTQ equity and celebrate everyone’s right to the dignity of being the boss of their stories and the right to be heard when telling their truth.

The newly formed company comprises Mitchell’s production projects under The Mouthology® podcast and brand merged with CindyBrown53 to create a new film and television platform, book publishing content, communications training, reputation management, the JustUsCreative™ social justice content, and a division devoted to Olympianism.

“This is a first-of-its-kind collaboration embracing our interpretation of the principles of Olympic values including excellence, respect, dignity, and mental health,” states Brown, the Chief Olympian Officer. “We share a vision to help fellow humans embrace their dignity, humanity, and the will to be well,” adds Mitchell, the company’s Chief Boss Girl Officer.

“We’ve teamed up before to enable our fans, friends, and supporters to enjoy the fruits of our experiences, and now we launch this new hyper-brand and platform that accelerates and scales our content production potential,” Mitchell adds.

“The Mouthology brand has a vibrant community of followers filled with seasoned entrepreneurs, creative content creators, and passionate visionaries focused on the mouth biz, which is anything to do with storytelling. Cindy has an international fan base and community of Olympians and their fans wanting content that speaks to their interest,” Mitchell shared. “Now there’s a new path available by partnering with Cindy Brown, OLY, to embrace a new way to catapult these brands, content, and storytelling to levels of growth.”

“This is an exciting opportunity for me as part of the Olympian movement that advocates for social justice for the LGBTQ community to work to create an innovative platform with a seasoned industry expert, apply operational expertise, and potential investment relationship backing to fuel rapid growth,” Brown added as she reflected on her lived experiences.

Brown recently filed a $53 million lawsuit alleging race, gender, LGBTQ discrimination, mortgage fraud, and identity theft after battling and losing as a self-represented litigant in the California courts for most of the last fifteen years. Brown lost all her estimated $2.5 million in net worth and her home to mortgage fraud and identity theft; she became homeless and living in her car. Brown’s journey gained national media attention after she released videos that she alleges depicted an unlawful eviction on her home in an unannounced S.W.A.T.-like raid on November 16, 2020.

“I am lucky to be alive,” Brown stated. “I then met Raye Mitchell, and she began to help me make sense of what had happened and help tell my story and be heard in court. Things changed for the better, which led to filing a housing and civil rights violations lawsuit alleging housing discrimination due to race, gender, and LGBTQ bias in the mortgage serving process, which is the basis of one of our documentary projects.” Brown states.

“I am ready to work with a seasoned veteran,” Brown says. “I look forward to working on The Cindy Brown-Raye Mitchell Story that led to the ground-breaking lawsuit,” Mitchell concludes. “We are adding operations in Inglewood because of my friend Issa Rae’s commitment to Inglewood,” said Mitchell.

“Raye is from Los Angeles and went to school at USC. I went to California State University in Long Beach,” Brown added. “We can’t wait to set up our office in our communities,” Brown added. Icon Snoop Dogg, one of Cindy’s biggest fans, is from Long Beach, “I am delighted to give back to my Long Beach community and hope to get some collaborations underway with Snoop and others that will benefit the youth in our communities,” Brown commented.

This story first appeared on Blacknews.com.

Parallels Lets You Run Windows Apps On Your Mac
by Black Enterprise Shop

March 28, 2022

Parallels Lets You Run Windows Apps On Your Mac

With any good product, there’s always going to be a debate about which one is best. Coke or Pepsi? Nike or Reebok? McDonald’s or Burger King? Chevy or Ford? The list goes on, as each product has its pros and cons.

The same can be said for computers. For years, Apple and Windows have been leaders in the PC and laptop spaces. Both companies have tried-and-true customer bases to prove it. While each computing titan has served its base well, many have found aspects from both that they like.

Unfortunately, you’d have to purchase either or to enjoy those benefits.

That is, unless you’ve used Parallels® Desktop Pro Edition, which allows users to simultaneously run both macOS and Windows on their Mac computer. For a limited time, you can purchase a one-year subscription to this program for just $79.99. That’s a savings of 20% from its MSRP ($99).

Parallels® Desktop Pro Edition is used by more than seven million people worldwide. The current version – version 17 – has been optimized for the latest Windows 10 and macOS Big Sur (11.0) update, allowing users to run thousands of Windows apps like Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer, among others.

Thanks to the improvements of version 17, users will experience up to 38% faster Windows resume time, up to 25% faster 2D graphics, Smooth Windows UI and video playback, higher frame rate in games, and more.

Experts have raved in their reviews of this product.

“It’s always been astonishing that it’s faster to start up a Parallels PC than a real one. On my MacBook Air, I’m up and running in Windows six seconds after I double-click the Parallels icon,” writes David Pogue of The New York Times.

If you’re looking for a program that allows you to run both Windows and macOS on one device with optimal speeds, then look no further. Parallels® Desktop Pro Edition is just what you’ve been searching for in a program. Purchase it today.

Prices subject to change.

Will Smith Smacks Chris Rock On Stage, Then Apologizes Upon Winning Oscar
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 28, 2022

Will Smith Smacks Chris Rock On Stage, Then Apologizes Upon Winning Oscar

By Frank McGurty and Daniel Trotta

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Best actor nominee Will Smith smacked presenter Chris Rock in the face with an open hand and shouted a vulgarity at the comedian for making a joke about his wife’s appearance at the Oscars ceremony on Sunday.

Combination picture showing Will Smith hiting Chris Rock as Rock spoke on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 27, 2022. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Minutes later, when accepting the Oscar for best actor for his role in “King Richard,” Smith apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and his fellow nominees but not to Rock.

The episode with Rock at first appeared to be a scripted joke but turned serious when Smith shouted out, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

The audio from the show, broadcast on a time-delay of a few seconds in the United States, appeared to have been cut from the live transmission for many viewers because of the language.

Rock was roasting some of the nominees and, after mentioning Smith, said of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane II, can’t wait to see it.”

Moments later, Smith walked on stage toward Rock, who had his hands behind his back when Smith threw an open hand at his face that produced an audible smack.

“Oh, wow! Wow! Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me,” Rock said as the audience laughed, thinking it was a skit. “Wow, dude. It was a G.I. Jane joke,” referencing the 1997 film “G.I. Jane” in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head.

Smith then made what may become one of the most repeated phrases of Oscar history when he said, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

Rock responded, “I’m going to. That’s the greatest night in the history of television.”

Smith then repeated his phrase, louder and more deliberately.

Jada Pinkett Smith told Billboard in December she has been battling the autoimmune disorder alopecia, which can cause hair loss and balding.

The audience initially thought Smith‘s indignation was feigned, part of the act. It was only after he returned to his seat and shouted that the audience went silent and audibly gasped. Many people in the mezzanine stood up and craned their heads to try to catch a glimpse.

Smith won the Oscar for playing Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Upon accepting his award, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees but not to Rock.

“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said. And the last thing he said before he took his seat was: “I hope the Academy invites me back.”

 

(Reporting by Frank McGurty in Los Angeles and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, Calif.; Editing by Howard Goller)

by Keka Araújo

March 28, 2022

VIDEO: Will Smith Reportedly Put Hands On Chris Rock During Live Oscars Broadcast For Inappropriate Joke About Jada Pinkett Smith

The Oscars were moving along fine until comedian Chris Rock appeared to poke fun at Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head during his monologue on Sunday night. Her husband, Will Smith, didn’t think it was funny. 

Rock’s jokes started benignly. The star-studded audience cracked up as he spoke about actress Penelope Cruz and her husband being nominated for awards. The veteran funnyman said that her husband hoped Smith would win, so there would be no contention.

The night went left after Rock took a shot at Pinkett Smith. In July, the actress shared that she has alopecia after revealing a bald head.

“I love, ya. G.I. Jane 2 can’t wait to see it. Aight?” the comedian said, pointing at the actress. Pinkett Smith was seemingly not amused at the cheap shot and rolled her eyes as the audience laughed. Initially, her husband laughed, also.

Seeing the Jason’s Lyric actress’ reaction, Rock shrugged, saying, “That was a nice one.” 

Rock proceeded with his monologue as the I Am Legend actor walked on the stage.

“Uh oh, Richard,” he says through laughter. 

At that moment, Smith reportedly smacked fire from Rock and exited the stage. Although the comedian and the audience were caught off guard, Rock didn’t miss a beat.

“Wow! Wow! Will Smith just smacked the sh*t outta me.”

From his seat, the Bad Boys actor yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out your f*cking mouth.”

“Wow, dude!”

“Yeah,” Smith continued.\

“It was G.I. Jane joke,” 

The rapper repeated the warning.

Rock responded, “I’m going to, ok?”

Still shaken, the Everybody Hates Chris actor referenced the moment as the greatest moment in television history.

 

The clip quickly went viral on Twitter. Reactions varied on the social media platform.

 

Smith did win an award for King Richard. Recognizing that the incident wasn’t his finest moment, he apologized.

“I want to apologize to the Academy, and I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees — this is a beautiful moment, and I’m not crying about winning an award… it’s about being able to shine light.”

He recognized his castmates and the team that made the film possible and spoke about protecting them. 

 

“Love makes you do crazy things… I hope The Academy invites me back,” he said.

“In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you. And you gotta smile and pretend like that’s okay.”

 

by Keka Araújo

March 27, 2022

‘Atlanta’s Donald Glover Hires Malia Obama To Write For New Amazon Series

Twenty-three-year-old Malia Obama is making her mark in Tinseltown.

The typically-lowkey daughter of former President Barack and forever First Lady Michelle Obama was tapped to be a part of Emmy-Award winner Donald Glover’s writing team for an upcoming series for Amazon Studios. Although Malia’s involvement with the project was first announced in February, Glover confirmed his newest writer joined the group.

The Atlanta writer and star secured an eight-figure deal with Amazon Prime to pen a television show about a “Beyoncé-like figure.” Playwright Janine Nabers is also a part of the project.

About Malia’s talent, Glover expressed that he was impressed by the 23-year-old woman.

“I feel like she’s just somebody who’s gonna have really good things coming soon. Her writing style is great.”

His partner and brother, Stephen Glover, also mentioned Malia’s involvement with the Amazon project.

“Donald always says perspective is important, and people with different perspectives are important for a writers’ room. And for sure, [Malia] definitely has a unique perspective on everything. So we wanted to hear her stories and have her work with us. Listening to her stories and having her involved really gave us a lot of good ideas.”

In 2014, Malia’s first break into Hollywood came when she was 15-years-old. She served as Halle Berry’s production assistant on CBS’ Extant. Steven Spielberg produced the series. The Harvard graduate also worked as a summer intern on Lena Dunham’s HBO series Girls.

We can’t wait to see Malia’s work. 

by Wendy Medina

March 27, 2022

Pregnant Rihanna Doppelgänger Sends Streets of Brazil Into Frenzy

Since announcing her pregnancy at the beginning of February, fans have been ecstatic to see the Barbados bad gal Rihanna’s every move, after giving us serve after serve of maternity fits.

Over the weekend in Brazil, a Fenty impersonator shook social media, as video spread of her taking pictures with swarms of adoring fans while walking the streets, as the billionaire fashion mogul was speculated to soon visit the South American country.

The Brazilian woman, revealed to be Priscila Beatrice, has been known to cause a scene for her similarity to the beauty icon. Last year, one of her TikToks went viral for her likeness to the star.

@priscila.beatriceoficial

respostando porque esse vídeo é épico kkkkkkklookalike @rihanna

♬ Back Up (feat. Big Sean) – DeJ Loaf

While the lookalike didn’t fool the internet, fans in Brazil were in too much of a frenzy to do anything but film and take pictures with her pregnant belly.

In a viral video of the event, a local news reporter is seen attempting to interview fans around her but is drowned out by all the commotion. The doppelganger spared no detail in order to convince onlookers she was the real Rihanna, walking around with her own entourage of security, a baseball cap Riri is known to style her outfits with from time to time and her distinct vibrant ruby red lipstick.    

Beatrice even let fans rub and kiss on her fake pregnant belly!

While the real Rih has yet to comment on the recent stunt, last year she did comment when The Shade Room posted one of Beatrice’s videos on their Instagram, “Where the album sis? #R9.”

After the Good Girl Gone Bad’s response, Beatrice replied, “I still can’t believe it !!! The page @theshaderoom shared my video on their profile and THE OWN RIHANNA @badgalriri saw my video and commented !!!! Do you know what I’m feeling right now ??? I can’t stop crying with emotion !!!! Of happiness!!!!! It is a dream!!! God is so wonderful !!!!!”

It seems as though her acknowledgement only drove Beatrice to go buy a fake pregnant belly.

Back in Los Angeles, Rihanna was seen on an evening shopping trip for baby clothes.

by Keka Araújo

March 27, 2022

Flint School Board President Removed After Alleged Physical Altercation During Meeting, Community Activist Defends Her

The partner of former Flint Community School Board President Dr. Danielle Green is speaking out after Green was released from her position for reportedly fighting the board treasurer, Laura MacIntyre.

In an almost one-hour Facebook Live video, Arthur Goodson detailed how the fight allegedly began between Green and MacIntyre. According to the passionate activist, Green and the treasurer were discussing money allocated within the Flint community and school closures– when it escalated on March 23. The former president favored using funds to build new schools throughout the district, while MacIntyre shut the notion down. Goodson claimed MacIntyre initiated physical contact first by putting her finger on Green’s nose, prompting the former president to defend herself. 

Woodson’s beef over MacIntyre’s alleged behavior was discussed in another video on March 17. He accused her of having racial bias when it came to favoring schools with more white students. Some board members, including Green, appeared to be concerned that other committee members like MacIntyre, Ellis-McNeal and Chris Del Morone didn’t have the interest of the city’s children in mind after millions of federal dollars in pandemic relief were allocated to the town. The three opined that further research needed to be done to pay newly-recruited teachers a bonus to work in the Flint Community School District. 

“Watch what I am telling you about Laura. You have to really see this for yourself. She knew about this, plus she wouldn’t even set times for her committee.”

On the same day, he also claimed that the seven-member board has had a vendetta against Green and has been sabotaging her efforts since 2019. Woodson said MacIntyre’ turns down everything that comes in here for our school.”

The activist took it a step further and said the woman’s children do not attend school in the district. They are allegedly students in affluent Fenton’s school district.

About the alleged assault, MacIntyre told an altogether different story from Woodson. According to MLive, the two women had verbal squabbles before but had never come to blows. The board treasurer shared her version of what occurred.

“Danielle stood up and took offense at something in particular that I said and have no idea about and walked around our staff secretary and towered over me and started threatening me with her finger. I stood up to back away, at which point she grabbed my throat and then grabbed my hair and slammed my head into the table and started punching me in the head.”

She continued, “It was not warranted, uncalled for and completely inappropriate. It will not be tolerated, and we are taking action tonight. In the moment, I was shocked and surprised. It had never crossed my mind that anything like this would ever escalate like this.”

On Wednesday, an emergency meeting was held, and board members removed Green from the presidency position. Dr. Joyce Ellis-McNeal has assumed the role of interim president until the next election. The former leader will remain on the committee. Flint residents would need to recall Green to remove her from the board.

MacIntyre claimed she suffered a concussion and two black eyes. Whether the woman had the injuries wasn’t apparent in the video. She also told board members that she no longer felt safe. 

“I’m just sad to say that it’s come to this. I am a very secure person, but I do not feel safe.” 

MacIntyre said she plans to prosecute Green to the fullest extent of the law. The recent-doctoral graduate was not arrested when the alleged fight occurred.

Green admitted that the altercation wasn’t one of her best moments, and it shouldn’t supersede the positive work she has done in the community. 

“This is not one of my highlights of my anything, my life, my career, my position in the community,” she said. “None of this am I proud of. Absolutely not. And this is one incident. Never in my life would I have thought something like this I will be involved in ever, ever.” 

“And I can say this, my record speaks for itself.”

Flint Community School District Superintendent Kevelin Jones posted a statement to its Facebook page regarding its commitment to the students and families.

“Please read this March 23 letter from Superintendent Kevelin Jones. We will remain focused on our mission to provide a high-quality education to scholars and act as a key support structure for families. Providing scholars throughout the school community with a learning experience that promotes their academic, social and emotional growth remains our guiding principle.”

Flint has been plagued with racist and greedy leaders whose jobs as civil servants have come secondary to their own self-interests. The children and families of Flint deserve more than substandard schools and board members who don’t value them. 

by Wendy Medina

March 27, 2022

Tennis Star Venus Williams Working To Close Pay Gap, Propelled By ‘Rude Awakening’ at 16

Before Women’s History Month comes to an end, tennis superstar Venus Williams is sounding off on equal pay.

“It’s important to call attention to this,” she shared on CBS Mornings with Gayle King last Wednesday. “That people know this, because women not only need equal opportunity, but it gives them opportunity to grow and become strong and to help their families.”

The seven-time Grand Slam champion revealed her Privilege Tax initiative to bring attention to the gender pay gap that she has been working to close throughout her career.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, white women make $0.82 on the dollar as men, while Black and Latino women make significantly less, at $0.64 and $0.57, respectively.

“I came into inequality at the young age of 16 when I played my first Grand Slam and that’s a rude awakening, so I don’t want any other young women to have to face that,” said the 41-year-old athlete.

Her Privilege Tax initiative aims to raise money where 100% of proceeds will go to Girls, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to advocating and empowering girls and young women. Customers of participating companies partnered with the initiative will be able to donate $1 to close the wage gap, including Williams’ very own EleVen clothing brand.

“That gap widens when you’re a Black woman, a woman of minority,” she said. “I’m just very happy that as an African American woman that I can speak to this and make this known. It’s a very important role that I never thought I’d play. I just wanted to win Wimbledon! I got there, it wasn’t equal, and it’s just led me to this place where I’m able to do more than I ever could have thought I could do.”

The tennis champion won her first Grand Slam in 1998 and went on to make history in 2006, when she became the first woman to earn the same prize money at Wimbledon as Roger Federer, the men’s champion. Williams praised all the work put forth to close the gap since then, including the USA Women’s Soccer Team having just won an equal pay lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation last month, however a great deal remains to be done.

She calls to action for more organizations to join her cause.

“People do want to do this, but it takes time,” noted the tennis legend. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”

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