• News

by Derek Major

March 23, 2022

A Former KKK Headquarters In South Carolina Will Now Become A Diversity Center

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A former Ku Klux Klan (KKK) headquarters in Laurens, South Carolina, a city known for its racist history, is now being turned into a diversity center.

KKK member John Howard Jr. opened the Redneck Shop, a KKK museum, store and meeting place inside of an old movie theater in 1996. Over the years the place became known as the “World’s Only Klan Museum,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. In addition to a KKK headquarters, the place also sold lynching photos, old grenades owned by the groups, pins, T-shirts, hats, and other hateful memorabilia.

In recent years other far-right racist organizations including The Proud Boys and The Oath Keepers have made waves as there were hundreds of members from both organizations at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Despite significant backlash from Laurens’ Black population, the store remained open until 2012. Now, NBC News reports Rev. David Kennedy, a Black man who grew up in Laurens, and Regan Freeman a white man raised in Laurens County who also witnessed the KKK center, have founded the Echo Project, named after the original theater. They plan to transform it into a center for diversity and reconciliation.

“We started protesting heavily, and some of the young people wanted to burn the place down,” Kennedy told NBC News, noting that he prioritized nonviolent tactics to oppose the shop. “So this new place will be a place to encourage people… We want to create an atmosphere where everyday people will feel the freedom to speak.”

Kennedy opposed the store for years with peaceful protests, which led to the KKK targeting him, selling photos of his great-great uncle’s lynching, and consistently threatening his church, the New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church. KKK members threw dead animals on their lawn and attempted to throw handmade explosives into the building.

Kennedy eventually developed a friendship with Michael Burden, who denounced the KKK and sold Kennedy the deed to the theater, but Kennedy could only claim ownership after Burden died. He gained complete control of the theater in 2017, five years after the shop closed.

The space, which has been completely gutted, will feature a diversity center and museum, but the building still needs work, including a large painting of a swastika on one of the building’s walls that must be removed. The two men are aiming to open the cultural center late next year. The men are also enlisting the help of historians to make sense of the items left behind in the shop.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

March 23, 2022

Disney World Officials ‘Regret’ Hosting A Racist Performance By Texas School Drill Team

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Walt Disney World officials issued a statement of “regret” after a Texas high school drill team used racially charged stereotypes during a performance at Magic Kingdom, the Associated Press reported.

On Tuesday, the “Indianettes” drill team from Port Neches-Grove High School of Port Neches performed a parody of Native American dance and song, including a “scalp ’em, Indians” chant.

A video of the performance was recorded by an audience member and soon began circulating on Twitter, where it received outrage for being racist. Members of the drill team were dressed in fringed outfits while whooping and tapping their hands over their mouths in a stereotypical “war cry,” according to the outlet.

Tara Houska, a Native American and founder of the organization Not Your Mascots, wrote on Twitter describing the performance as “nostalgic racism.” She also held the Disney Parks responsible for allowing such behavior.

Cuz a bunch of kids in fringe chanting “scalp ‘em Indians, scalp ‘em” is honor, right?

And any Natives who attend @pngisd should prolly just accept their classmates dehumanizing them cuz “tradition”, right?

Shame on @DisneyParks hosting this. Nostalgic racism is RACISM. pic.twitter.com/ELsJHRgJlw

— tara houska ᔖᐳᐌᑴ (@zhaabowekwe) March 18, 2022

As the video caught more heat, so did Disney. They responded with accusations of the drill team performing a different routine than their audition tape.

• Women

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 23, 2022

First Black Woman Promoted As Deputy Warden Of Louisiana’s Largest Prison

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Deputy Assistant Secretary Rochelle Ambeau has made history as the first Black woman to become deputy warden at Louisiana State Penitentiary.

The department of corrections promoted Ambeau, making her the third Black woman to serve as a deputy warden for the Louisiana Department of Corrections, but the first to warden over the state’s largest prison, WAFB reports.

“The Deputy Warden’s position is an exciting and challenging continuum of my 27-year career in public service,” Ambeau said.

“This is an opportunity to showcase the betterment of our governmental systems when members of various and diverse communities are represented in leadership and management positions. While humbled by this opportunity, I am also uniquely equipped for the challenges it presents,” Ambeau added.

A spokesman for the DOC also applauded Ambeau’s promotion and her three-decade career in law enforcement.

“Rochelle is a highly-qualified individual who brings decades of corrections experience to her new position,” Department of Corrections spokesman Ken Pastorick said. “Rochelle joined the Department in 1992 as a corrections officer at Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (LCIW). She has risen through the ranks, serving as the agency’s first Corrections Transition Specialist in 2005, and was promoted in 2014 to Deputy Assistant Secretary in Reentry.”

Ambeau’s promotion comes after Secretary Jimmy Le Blanc created the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the department of corrections. The effort is credited with helping to increase a diverse workforce within all levels of the organization and is committed to ensuring an equitable and inclusive environment for workers and prisoners.

“DEI provides leadership and support to ensure that the values of diversity, equity and inclusion are vital components in all decisions that impact the people whom we serve to include applicants for employment, staff, the incarcerated, families of the incarcerated, visitors, and volunteers,” Pastorick added.

“Initiatives of DEI include, but are not limited to, reviewing and making recommendations to practices and policies regarding: staff recruitment and selection; professional development and training; and areas that impact opportunities provided to the incarcerated. DEI provides mandatory diversity training to all staff.”

• Celebrity News

by Atiya Jordan

March 23, 2022

On The Move! Wendy Williams Travels To Miami After Assuring Her Return To TV

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Following Wendy Williams‘ promises to return to TV, the talk show host was reportedly seen at Newark Airport in New Jersey with her son Kevin Hunter Jr., heading south, TMZ reported.

In photos taken at the airport, Williams was seen at a boarding terminal awaiting her flight to Miami. She sported her signature oversize black boots, a yellow North Face jacket, a pair of black leggings, and a Yankees baseball cap.

She appears to look much better than what reports have alleged about her diminishing capability to walk. Although she is notably no longer restricted to a wheelchair, an eyewitness told TMZ that she held onto Kevin’s arm for balance while walking onto the flight.

Upon arrival in the Sunshine State, Williams was spotted walking to her car with her Louis Vuitton carryon without any assistance from her son. She was also overheard talking to a fan about her being in the process of getting her show back, and sorting out her money situation.

The eager promise reflects that of her latest interview with Good Morning America, in which she addressed her fans directly and assured her comeback, as BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported.

“This is what I would love to say to my Wendy watchers: Keep watching because I’m going to be back on the Wendy show bigger and brighter than ever,” Williams affirmed.

However, a source close to the production company Debmar-Mercury revealed to Page Six that they are “100 percent committed” to Sherri Shepherd’s upcoming show this fall. They’ve even secured slots with Fox and are expected to expand to other television stations.

The source also claimed that the production company would support Williams’ return to a daily live show, but while all the slots are currently filled, they would not be able to accommodate her promises of a revival in three months.

It is unclear where Williams is heading in Miami, although she was seen leaving a Miami wellness center last year and often travelled to Florida to take a break from New York City.

A federal complaint accuses NCAA Division I schools of violating the civil rights of Black athletes and major college football players by prohibiting compensation.

On Tuesday, the National College Players Association (NCPA) filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education advocating for Black college athletes, ABC News reports. The complaint says the ban on compensation disproportionately impacts Black student-athletes.

The complaint cited a 2018 study by the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center that found “Black men were 2.4% of undergraduate students enrolled at the 65 (Power Five conference) universities, but comprised 55% of football teams and 56% of men’s basketball teams on those campuses.”

“This multibillion college sports enterprise imposes discriminatory practices that disproportionately harms Black athletes, while predominantly white coaches and administrators make millions of dollars,” NCPA Executive Director Ramogi Huma, a former UCLA football player, said.

“College athletes throughout predominantly white sports receive fair market compensation, but athletes in the only predominantly Black sports do not.”

Currently, the NCAA allows scholarships that cover the room, board, books, tuition, and medical benefits for student athletes. The scholarships cap educational benefits at $6,000, CBS Sports reports. An interim policy allows name, image and likeness rights to garner students some form of compensation.

“I believe it’s important to first acknowledge the reality of the business that is college football,” Stanford football player Elijah Higgins said in a statement through the NCPA.

The NCAA men’s Division I men’s basketball tournament generates over $800 million in revenue from the sporting events. Most of the money gets distributed to 358 schools that compete at that level, as noted by WHAS 11.

The complaint cites Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion in the landmark Alston v. NCAA case, where the high court ruled unanimously to uphold a lower court’s decision that found the NCAA in violation of the antitrust law.

“Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate,” Kavanaugh wrote in June 2021.

Happy singer Pharrell Williams has reintroduced an initiative for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs that awards prizes of up to $1 million.

In December 2020, the mega music producer announced the launch of an initiative for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs called Black Ambition. The purpose of the nonprofit is to provide a bridge to success for entrepreneurs of color working in tech, design, healthcare, and consumer products/services start-ups.

As of Mar. 22, the nonprofit announced that applications for its second annual prize competition are now available at BlackAmbitionPrize.com. Ventures in consumer products and services, media and entertainment, healthcare, technology and Web 3.0 are eligible to win up to $1 million.

Last year, Black Ambition awarded funding and resources to 34 prize winners while also helping an additional 250 entrepreneurs with mentorship. Over $3.2 million was awarded to finalists. Finalists have collectively raised over $40 million since receiving the Black Ambition Prize.

“When you realize how lucky you are to be in the constellation of the universe and when you learn how it really works, you stop buying vehicles and you create vehicles to drive you. That’s what Black Ambition is, it’s a vehicle for impact. At Black Ambition, we find you and then we fund you,” Williams said.

The first Black Ambition contest received more than 1,700 applications, which led to a group of 34 finalists.

The Black Ambition prize offers more than access to funds and opportunities. It helps cultivate the pipelines of diverse talents and skills through mentorship and giving individual access to resources. The initiative promises to increase the number of Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who will have a chance to succeed at raising the start-up capital needed for their businesses.

The Black Ambition Network will also give aspiring business owners access to established entrepreneurs and peers while building a community committed to creating the businesses of tomorrow.

Black Ambition is committed to leveling the playing field and fostering the ingenuity, determination, and resilience of underrepresented entrepreneurs.

• Politics

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 23, 2022

White Senator Scolds First Black Woman Nominated To Supreme Court

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, uses her white privilege to scold Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Supreme Court confirmation hearing, with a series of culture war references.

Business Insider reports on Monday, Blackburn gave her opening statement during the hearing and accused Jackson of supporting the “progressive indoctrination” of children, and questioned if critical race theory was Jackson’s “personal hidden agenda.”

“You serve on the board of a school that teaches kindergarteners — 5-year-old children — that they can choose their gender and teaches them about so-called white privilege,” Blackburn said.

“This school has hosted an organization called ‘Woke Kindergarten’ and pushes an anti-racist education program for white families,” she continued.

Blackburn seemingly accused Jackson of pushing a “progressive” agenda in education. Jackson is a trustee at Georgetown Day School that teaches students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

Blackburn: Is it your personal hidden agenda to incorporate CRT into our legal system? pic.twitter.com/V0x3xd8EEr

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 21, 2022

“Your public endorsement of this type of progressive indoctrination of our children causes one great concern when it comes to how you may rule on cases involving parental rights,” Blackburn added. “Moms and dads are very concerned about this progressive agenda that is being pushed in some of our public schools.”

Blackburn went on to accuse Jackson of putting “hardened criminals” on the streets and showing leniency to child porn offenders, allegations first brought forth by Sen. Josh Hawley, which fact-checkers found to be misleading, Newsweek reports.

While referencing an old letter Jackson wrote that stated all judges have hidden agendas, Blackburn asked the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court, “What’s your hidden agenda?”

“Is it to let violent criminals, cop killers and child predators back to the streets? Is it to restrict parental rights and expand government’s reach into our schools and our private family decisions? Is it to support the radical left’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court?”

“You’ve made clear that you believe judges must consider critical race theory when deciding how to sentence criminal defendants,” Blackburn said. “Is it your personal hidden agenda to incorporate critical race theory into our legal system?”

Jackson wasn’t allowed to respond to individual senators on the first day of the hearing. But the probe will continue through Thursday at the Senate Judiciary Committee where she’ll eventually be given the chance to respond to the accusations of her background and views.

• News

by Derek Major

March 23, 2022

Unarmed Black DoorDash Driver Tased After Asking For Supervisor

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Delane Gordon, a Black DoorDash driver who was pulled over for speeding, was tased after asking a Collegedale, Tennessee police officer to speak to his supervisor.

The Washington Post reports Gordon was making a delivery on Mar. 10 when a police officer passed him, pulled a U-turn and pulled Gordon over for speeding. A video of the incident taken by Gordon showed him politely asking to speak to the officer’s supervisor, but the situation escalated when the officer demanded Gordon get out of the car.

“Sir, I feel uncomfortable,” Gordon said.

“Please get your supervisor.”

The officer, who has not been identified, then attempted to pull Gordon out of the car before pulling out his Taser and moments later used it on the delivery driver, who screamed in pain. Gordon’s attorney, Ryan Wheeler, released the video Friday in order “to spark conversation in the community” and “raise awareness” on how police interactions escalate too quickly, largely due to the officer.

Questioning a police officer “shouldn’t be met with an immediate escalation, shouldn’t be met with an officer interpreting that exchange as a challenge to his authority,” Wheeler said at a news conference, according to the Washington Post.

Wheeler added that his client was unarmed during the incident and was charged with resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. According to Fox 17, the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office requested the county sheriff’s office to investigate a Mar. 10 traffic stop by the Collegedale Police Department, involving the same charges Gordon is facing.

The Collegedale police said they are fully cooperating with the sheriff’s investigation and will conduct its own investigation.

“We anticipate a release of the full body camera video and Internal Affairs report, as soon as those investigations are closed,” Lt. Jamie Heath of the Collegedale Police Department told the Washington Post in an email.

The incident comes as interactions between police officers and Black men and women continue to be contentious even after the Black Lives Matter movement.

Recent examples include Jajuan Henderson, who was grabbing iced tea from a family member’s car in February when he was shot and paralyzed by Trenton police. The family of Kevin Johnson, who was shot and killed by a San Antonio officer earlier this month, has been calling for the release of the body camera footage.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

March 23, 2022

Meet Miss Milwaukee 2022, Jada Davis, The First Black Woman In History To Hold The Title

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Jada Davis, a 23-year-old law school student, was crowned the new Miss Milwaukee 2022 on Saturday, March 19. This title marks the first time in history a Black woman has assumed the crown, Fox 6 News reports.

The first-ever virtual Miss Milwaukee Competition bestowed Davis with the title and the top talent award among eight other candidates. Upon receipt of the crown, she earns a $700 scholarship as well as an additional $100 scholarship for winning talent performance, as per the news outlet. Davis graced the event with a contemporary fusion dance piece to the spoken word poem “Dear Black Girl” by Candace Nicholas.

“During her year of service as Miss Milwaukee, Davis will make appearances throughout the community and promote her personal social impact initiative – “What’s Wrong With Being Confident?”— which is focused on building self-confidence and positive body image among youth,” Miss Wisconsin Organization said in a statement, according to TMJ4 News.

“She will continue her work to bridge the gap between generations to create a space for people to share their own confidence-building experiences.”

Beyond her responsibility of the crown, Davis is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of UW-Green Bay and currently attending Marquette University Law School to pursue her Juris Doctorate. She names herself as the “The Dancing Lawyer,” intended to demonstrate how the arts and education are meant to fit seamlessly while practicing as an entertainment lawyer.

As a Milwaukee resident, Davis is actively involved within the community as a law clerk and former dance instructor for the Boys & Girls Clubs. She has also volunteered for many organizations, including Milwaukee Justice Center, Marquette Volunteer Law Clinic, YWCA, Black Youth Alliance, and Unity Gospel House of Prayer.

As for what’s next, Davis will advance to the Miss Wisconsin Competition in Oshkosh in June, a state preliminary to the Miss America Competition.

Good Luck Jada!

Lena Pringle went viral in 2020 after posting a photo showing off her textured hair despite facing discrimination in the workplace.

Now two years later, Pringle has partnered with Clairol Professional to launch an important conversation around amplifying textured hair in the workplace. Pringle was bold enough to defy industry norms when choosing to wear her natural hair in support of her own mental health.

Since going viral, the News4Jax anchor is helping other women facing similar experiences in the workplace. Pringle was already helping the swarms of women who reached out to her after her viral post and inspiring them to “take up space” and embrace their natural hair.

“This was a decision I made back in 2018 to have a different lifestyle,” Pringle told BLACK ENTERPRISE about the motivation behind her viral post.

“At the time, I had a relaxed pixie cut while being a morning show news reporter and heavily involved in fitness. I got tired of having to choose between my edges and hips, so I decided to go natural. This decision was a choice to live a little freer and lighter. A decision that I am so incredibly thankful I made; I will never go back to not having natural hair. I love my hair because of the new lifestyle it provides and now the representation it shows.”

Pringle recalled how “appreciated” she felt by her colleagues when she made the big chop and wore her natural hair to her TV gig.

“When I got to my second news job in Jacksonville, it became one of my staples,” she said. “It has now grown into a staple of representation and Black Girl Magic.”

Now as part of Pringle’s involvement with the Clairol Professional Partnership, she will help tackle discrimination around natural hair in the workplace. It comes at a time when politicians are working to get the CROWN Act passed by Senate.

“The Texture by You, Color by Clairol partnership is working to amplify the conversation around natural hair in the workplace and its professionalism,” Pringle said. “I am fortunate to not have experienced discrimination based on my hair color, however, I know this isn’t the same for others in a variety of professions.”

“Clairol Professional has a 90+ year tradition of creating hair coloring for beauty and healthy-looking hair for textured hair. This allows people who are looking for bold and professional hair coloring to have trusted options for their natural hair.”

“Throughout their three different color lines available for people with hair like mine, to make bold color choices for their hair while remaining professional; I will provide a few demos on how this can be done! Not only are we tackling race-based hair discrimination, but we will also address how hair coloring plays a vital role in these issues to help push the needle forward in this important timely conversation.”

Pringle is confident that her partnership with Clairol will help “show the importance of this ever-evolving conversation around natural hair and colored natural hair in the workplace.”