• Celebrity News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 24, 2022

BET Studios Strikes Deal with Taraji P. Henson’s TPH Entertainment

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BET, a unit of Paramount, strikes overall deal with Taraji P. Henson’s TPH Entertainment for BET Studios, an unprecedented studio venture launched in September 2021 powered by the infrastructure and financing of BET and Paramount. The venture was designed to supply the increased demand for premium content from Black creators across an array of internal buyers, including Paramount+, SHOWTIME, CBS, Nickelodeon, BET+, and BET, in addition to select third-party platforms that seek best-in-class content from both leading and rising Black creatives.  

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Taraji and TPH Entertainment to BET Studios’ growing portfolio of top Black creators and industry leaders. Taraji is immensely important to both the industry and our community. As such, she will contribute her profound insights and expertise to amplify BET Studios’ diverse array of content offerings,” said Scott Mills, chief executive officer, BET.

“While Taraji continues to excite, inspire, and dismantle barriers as an award-winning actress, the creation of TPH Entertainment as a vehicle to champion underrepresented storytellers whose voices are integral to the media and social landscapes is in perfect alignment with our mission for BET Studios. Taraji is a valued member of the BET family, and we look forward to our collaboration reaching new heights.”

“BET has always been the foundation of my fanbase and a huge supporter of me throughout my career.  BET Studios understands and perfectly aligns with my vision of why I founded TPH Entertainment, to increase opportunities and create content that will challenge audiences and inspire new perspectives. I am so excited to join them and for the incredible content we will create together. This partnership will be for the culture,” said Henson.  

Academy Award, Emmy-nominated, and Golden Globe-winning actor, writer, director, and producer Henson quickly rose to fame after her breakout performance in the critically–acclaimed film “Hustle & Flow,” which earned her and the cast a Screen Actors Guild nomination as well as the BET Award for Best Actress. In 2020, Henson wrapped her iconic run as “Cookie Lyon” in Fox’s hit musical drama “Empire,” which earned her three Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics Choice Award, and three BET Awards. 

It was recently announced that Henson will star in and produce Alessandro Camon’s “Time Alone” under her production banner.  Henson is currently in production on Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple,” where she will star as Shug Avery.  

In Fall 2020, Henson launched her production company, TPH Entertainment, with producing partner Christine Conley. TPH Entertainment has previously announced several projects including “Two-Faced” with Bron Entertainment, in which Henson will also direct, marking her feature film directorial debut.  They also have “Time Alone”with Alessandro Camon and “Sorcerority” which they will co-produce with Game Changer Films and Gabrielle Union’s I’ll Have Another Productions.  

Henson is represented by CAA, M88, The Lede Company and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewitt and Kole.  

• Black Lives Matter

by Derek Major

March 24, 2022

Michigan Brothers Exonerated and Reunited After 25 Years in Prison

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Brothers George and Melvin DeJesus have been exonerated and released from prison after serving almost 25 years of a life sentence for a crime they did not commit.

“Walking out, just with the feeling of vindication, it was great,” George told reporters in Michigan on Tuesday shortly after he was released, according to CNN Detroit affiliate WDIV. “This is the best day of my life.”

A release from the Michigan Attorney General’s Office states the two brothers saw each other for the first time in 24 years because they were held in separate correctional facilities. The two brothers held each other for a long embrace when seeing each other again.

“I’m ecstatic,” Melvin told reporters. “I waited so long for this.”

The two men were convicted in 1997 for murder and a felony firearms charge in the 1995 death of Margaret Midkiff, who was found dead in her home. Despite having alibis, the two men were sentenced to life in prison.

At the time of Midkiff’s death, DNA evidence linked convicted rapist Brandon Gohagen to the crime scene and he told police the brothers had nothing to do with the crime, according to a Cooley Law School release. However, Gohagen later changed his story saying Melvin forced him to sexually assault the victim and that the brothers bound and beat the victim. Gohagen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct in exchange for testifying against the brothers.

Gohagen was convicted in 2017 of killing and raping another woman in Detroit a month before Midkiff was killed. Investigators discovered 12 other women he emotionally, physically, and sexually abused.

That led the newly-formed Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) to work with Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School Innocence Project, which represented George, and the University of Michigan Innocence Clinic, which represented Melvin.

CIU investigators also confirmed the DeJesus brothers’ alibis from the night of the murder. The DeJesus brothers are the third and fourth convictions that have been overturned in the state by the CIU.

“We are thrilled to learn that our client, Melvin DeJesus, and his brother, George, will be fully exonerated for this murder, some 26 years after the true killer framed the brothers for this heinous crime,” Dave Moran, co-director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, said in a statement. “We will now focus on helping Melvin DeJesus adjust to his freedom and move on with his life.”

In late January, Kanye West took to Instagram demanding that he approve the final edit of Netflix’s decades-spanning three-part docuseries on the acclaimed rapper, entitled, Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. 

“I’m going to say this kindly for the last time,” West wrote prior to the Netflix release. “I must get final edit and approval on this doc before it releases on Netflix. Open the edit room immediately so I can be in charge of my own image. Thank you in advance.”

According to Rolling Stone, filmmakers Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah said no, and Simmons expressed, “Me and Chike have a company called Creative Control because you don’t want to lose your creative control.”

This week, both directors made an appearance on the daytime talk show The Tamron Hall Show to discuss the hit film and the denial of providing West creative control. Simmons directly addressed Ye’s demands.

“It was like heartbreaking at first, but I told Kanye when I met with him in [the Dominican Republic] that the story is not about him and it’s not about me, or Chike, or J. Ivy,” said Simmons. “This story’s about, for all the dreamers, and we’re just the blueprint of how you can have the confidence and movement and faith with God walking with you, with Christ walking with you, to get to where you need to go.”

The Chicago native continued, “So when he did say he wanted creative control, the only thing I could say was, ‘Trust God.’ Trust God, period. You can’t stop what’s ordained by God. When he said that, I just knew that we was gonna to hold our ground and we was gonna to keep moving and we’re here now.”

During the conversation, Simmons reassured that West is “always going to be a brother.” He continued on to hint at West’s determination, claiming, “one thing about Kanye is when it comes to telling him not to do something, he wants to do it even more.”

Wendy Williams appeared on social media to speak about her situation regarding the money that Wells Fargo has refused to release to her.

In previous reports, Williams has demanded that Wells Fargo unfreeze millions in her accounts, as the bank deemed her an “incapacitated person” who needs guardianship to intervene in her affairs, reports Page Six. The 57-year-old talk show host has filed an affidavit with the New York Supreme Court for a temporary restraining order against Wells Fargo.

Her former Wells Fargo financial adviser Lori Schiller was terminated because of alleged misconduct involving her accounts and claims that Williams was “of unsound mind.”

She is still looking for answers as there has been no change and she still doesn’t have access to her own money, which amounts to millions. She took to Instagram to call out the bank for them still holding on to the money she has made.

“I’m tired of everyone speaking as if they’re me in this scenario. It’s time I let all of my loving supporters know what’s really been going on with Wendy,” she captioned the video.

Williams wants to let her followers know that her not having access to her money “is not right, it’s not fair.”

“My thing is that I’ve been asking questions about my money and when I began asking questions about my money, suddenly Lori Schiller has got no response regarding my money. I want my money. This is not fair,” Williams remarked in a video posted to her Instagram account on Wednesday.

“And Wells Fargo has no questions and answers with regarding my money. This is not fair. And Lori Schiller and Wells Fargo have this guardianship petition about keeping me away from my money. This is not right and you know this is not fair.”

As previously reported, Williams’ attorney, Celeste N. McCaw, filed an emergency order claiming Wells Fargo had denied the TV host access to her “accounts, assets, and statements” for more than two weeks. At the time, her former financial adviser Schiller was fired due to alleged wrongdoing involving her accounts and improper professional conduct.

 

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• Business

by Jeffrey McKinney

March 24, 2022

JPMorgan Chase Commits $5 Million to Underrepresented Businesses

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Interestingly, the drive comes after JPMorgan Chase mobilized its top suppliers last fall to spend $6.2 billion with businesses owned by Blacks and Hispanics over the next three years.

The banks latest effort is a partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Along with managing the initiative, LISC will report on the impact of the capital aid on participating businesses. The bank says metrics including new contracts with corporations, the number of jobs created and retained, and revenue growth will be used as well.

JPMorgan Chase informed BLACK ENTERPRISE the $5 million contributed to this initiative is beyond its $30 billion racial equity commitment announced in October 2020. The newly announced initiative too is intended to help minority businesses overcome barriers to opportunities when pursuing corporate business.

Doug Roginson, program director and architect of the initiative for JPMorgan Chase, added, “Lowering barriers to corporate-readiness by bridging a common financial gap enables JPMorgan Chase and other participating corporations to develop a larger pool of capable diverse businesses to incorporate into their supply chains.”

Check out JPMorgan Chase online to learn more about the effort.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

March 24, 2022

Florida Parents Reported 24 Times Charged With Killing Their Toddler

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Florida police have arrested a couple for the death of their toddler in 2020. There have been numerous reports of abuse and neglect concerning all eight of their children.

On Nov. 6, 2020, 22-month-old Rashid Bryant was pronounced dead at Miami Jackson North Medical Center. The police report indicated the toddler had stopped breathing, and his mother allegedly waited 83 minutes to call 911.

Responding police said that Bryant had foam coming out of his mouth. The coroner listed his death as a “homicide caused by complications of acute and chronic blunt force injuries associated with parental neglect.”

Bryant’s parents, Christopher Bryant, 36, and Jabora Deris, 32, were charged with manslaughter and aggravated child abuse, WKRC reported.

However, according to the Miami Herald, the parents had been the subjects of at least 24 investigations of abuse or neglect. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) confirmed investigating the family 16 times concerning the couple’s eight children, as reported by PEOPLE.

The young Bryant suffered multiple injuries during his 22 months, including a fractured femur, a broken rib, and multiple cracks on his skull, per the Miami Herald.

• Politics

by Derek Major

March 24, 2022

President Biden Requests Mehmet Oz And Herschel Walker Resign From Presidential Council Or Be Fired

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President Joe Biden formally asked two Trump-appointed members of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition to resign or be terminated.

CNN reports Biden requested Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker, who are both Republican Senate candidates in Pennsylvania and Georgia, to step down. Both men were appointed to the council by former President Donald Trump, who reappointed them to two-year terms just before he left office.

In letters sent to both men, a Biden official said it’s against the administration’s policy for federal candidates to serve on presidential boards and requested their formal resignations by 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Known professionally as Dr. Oz, the television personality is currently in the middle of a contentious primary in Pennsylvania put out a video on Twitter turning the issue into a political moment by adding Dr. Anthony Fauci should be the one fired. Dr. Oz also added, “If President Biden wants to politicize health, he will have to fire me,” which Biden did.

Meanwhile, Walker, a former running back for the Dallas Cowboys and the Trump-owned USFL’s New Jersey Generals, did not comment on the letter on Biden’s demand. The two men have already been replaced by WNBA All-Star and Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne and philanthropist José Andrés.

This isn’t the first time the Biden administration has asked someone to step down from a presidential council. Late last year, several Trump officials were requested to step down from advisory boards including White House press secretary Sean Spicer, senior counselor Kellyanne Conway and national security advisor H.R. McMaster.

The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition aims to promote healthy accessible eating and physical activity for all Americans regardless of race or ability. The council was founded in 1956 under the Eisenhower administration. The council has often included professional athletes. Under former President Barack Obama, gymnast Gabby Douglas, ice hockey player Caitlin Cahow, and soccer player Carli Lloyd served on the council.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 24, 2022

Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving To Play In New York After City Vaccine Mandate Expected To End

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It looks like some basketball and baseball fans will be a little joyous today! With the upcoming baseball season and basketball playoffs looming, unvaccinated New York-based players will able to play now that the vaccine mandate is expected to end.

According to Politico, New York City Mayor Eric Adams will eliminate the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate that directly affects athletes and performers on Thursday. With this forthcoming announcement, the Brooklyn Nets could have their point guard Kyrie Irving playing home games for the first time this season. That’s great news as the season is ending and the playoffs will be starting soon.

The news is also welcomed for unvaccinated baseball players who play for the two major league baseball teams in New York City, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. Both teams will start to play next month when the league starts the new season.

The mandate prevented athletes and performers from working if they were not vaccinated against COVID-19. The rollback of the mandate will be applied to all private businesses in the city, and that covers professional athletes and performers.

When questioned previously about allowing Irving specifically to skirt the mandate in order to give the Brooklyn Nets a better chance at bringing home an NBA Championship, Adams stated that his decision will be for millions of people and not “focusing on one person.”

“Everyone is focused on the sports area. They’re focusing on one person. I’m focusing on 9 million people,” the mayor remarked on March 16. “I’m not looking at one person. I’m looking at my city not closing down again.”

According to ESPN, the Brooklyn Nets are currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and may start the play-in tournament on April 12. Meanwhile, major league baseball returns to action in two weeks. The Yankees’ home opener is April 7 and the Mets start their season on April 15.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 24, 2022

Hillsong Atlanta Pastor Resigns in Wake of Scandals with Mega Church

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Sam Collier, a young pastor of an Atlanta church, is stepping down amid a number of scandals with the co-founder of the Australian-based mega-church and a pastor in another state.

According to The Christian Post, Pastor Collier, who became the first Black pastor to lead a Hillsong church announced via social media, that he was leaving the church after just one year and five months of the launch of Hillsong Atlanta.

“It is with great sadness that I inform you of my departure from Hillsong.”

“I have appreciated the Hillsong family and want to thank the Houstons for the love they have shown Toni and me.”

“My greatest reason for stepping down as Pastor of Hillsong Atlanta is probably not a secret to any of you. With all of the documentaries, scandals, articles, accusations, and the church’s subsequent management of these attacks it’s become too difficult to lead and grow a young Church in this environment.”

 

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Hillsong, which is based in Australia, has been faced with scandals including the resignation of its co-founder, Brian Houston. Houston faced accusations of inappropriate behavior toward two women. In early 2020, approximately six months prior to Hillsong Atlanta’s launching, there were allegations of sexual abuse and threats involving a pastor located in New York.

Hours before Collier announced his pending departure from the church, Hillsong disclosed that Houston, who founded the church in 1983 with his wife, Bobbie, had resigned from his role as global senior pastor.

Houston had initially stepped down from the church’s board last September after it was determined that he was charged with “concealing child sex offenses.” He also violated the church’s pastoral code of conduct by going into the hotel room of a woman for 40 minutes as he was under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. This reportedly took place during the church’s annual conference in 2019.

Discovery Plus will debut a three-episode docuseries, Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed,  that will apparently detail how the Australia-based global Evangelical church network has toed the “fine line between cult and culture.”

• Education

by Atiya Jordan

March 24, 2022

Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to Accept 16th Honorary Degree

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Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is set to receive her 16th honorary degree while on her path to changing the world.

According to the Guardian Nigeria, the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium will honor Adichie during an official ceremony on April 28 at the main campus in Louvain-la-Neuve, located 20 kilometers from Brussels.

In a statement, the university announced that Adichie alongside two others will receive honorary Ph.Ds , according to Nairametrics.

“Our university always takes great pride in gathering the UCLouvain community around an inspiring meeting with individuals who have had and will have a lasting impact on our perception of the world,” the statement read in part.

Born in Enugu, Nigeria, Adiche has always known the importance of education. She grew up on the campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where her father was a professor and her mother was the first female registrar. Adiche holds a degree in communication and political science, as well as advanced degrees in creative writing and African history. She’s also received fellowships from various prestigious universities.

Adiche is well-known for starting a worldwide conversation about feminism, particularly relating to African women. Adiche has delivered two landmark TED talks: 2009’s  “The Danger of A Single Story” and 2012’s TEDx Euston talk, “We Should All Be Feminists,” which was featured in a Beyoncé song and published as a book in 2014.

Her 2013 novel, Americanah, won the U.S. National Book Critics Circle Award and was named one of the Top Ten Best Books of 2013 by the New York Times.

According to the Guardian, Rector of the University, Vincent Blondel, said Adichie embodies the “values that we wish to impart to our students, professors, researchers, and the entire university community. For the new academic year, the university is highlighting the theme, ‘The fragility of truth.’ Adichie’s career, divided between fiction and the reality of struggles against all kinds of oppression, adequately illustrates this theme.”

This honorary degree will be added to Adichie’s others from Eastern Connecticut State University, Johns Hopkins University, Haverford College, Williams College, the University of Edinburgh, Duke University, Amherst College, Bowdoin College, SOAS University of London, American University, Georgetown University, Yale University, Rhode Island School of Design, and Northwestern University.