According to Russian state news agency TASS, a court in Moscow announced it had extended the arrest of WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner until May 19.

CNN reports the WNBA and Euroleague champion was arrested on allegations of drug smuggling after a canine detected vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage on Feb. 17, according to Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX).

“The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the U.S. citizen Griner until May 19,” the court said, per TASS.

Griner plays in Russia for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the winter months when female basketball players can make millions as opposed to the WNBA, where players earn significantly less. Many have been calling for the athlete’s release, including former first lady Hillary Clinton, who tweeted her support for the WNBA star.

Others supporting Griner’s release include the Congressional Black Caucus and Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, USA Basketball, the WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury, and the WNBA Players’ Union.

In its report, TASS quoted Ekaterina Kalugina, who represented Moscow’s Public Monitoring Commission, which observes the treatment of its prisoners, saying she visited Griner at the detention center where she’s being held. According to Kalugina, Griner has had no complaints, other than her 6’9″ frame is too large for the prison’s beds. Kalugina added the U.S. consul had not visited the All-Star despite Russian authority’s willingness to “create all conditions” for their visit.

Griner has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2015, averaging13.2 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game. The Baylor University product has spent her entire eight-year career in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury averaging 17.7 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Griner’s detainment comes at a contentious time between the U.S. and Russia, which invaded Ukraine several weeks ago. In retaliation, President Joe Biden has leveled stiff economic sanctions against the country, and several American brands have closed their operations in the country.

• Women

by Derek Major

March 17, 2022

100 Black Male Law Deans and Professors Pen Letter Supporting Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court Confirmation

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One-hundred Black male law deans and professors have penned a letter supporting Ketanji Brown Jackson‘s confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.

In the letter, obtained by Blavity, the professors unanimously supported Jackson’s confirmation to the High Court, which would make her the first Black female Supreme Court Justice.

“We unanimously applaud and endorse, without reservation, President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Jackson, who is truly one of our nation’s brightest legal minds. From Judge Jackson’s breathtaking credentials as an extraordinary jurist to her unimpeachable character and unwavering integrity, we believe that she is eminently qualified to fill this historic position,” the letter stated.

The letter also commented on Jackson’s career as a lawyer and federal public defender, saying it is “rich in depth, complexity, efficiency, and common sense. More than that, Judge Jackson’s jurisprudence is braided in fairness, compassion, and justice.”

President Joe Biden nominated Jackson for the Supreme Court last month. She is expected to receive unanimous support from Democrats, who also hold the tie-breaking vote in Vice President Kamala Harris.  However, it may not be needed. Last year, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins supported Jackson’s confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

While they have not publicly supported Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, it would be surprising if Republicans unanimously voted against her confirmation.

The group that penned the letter supporting Jackson also pointed out the court’s overwhelmingly White, male majority in its history and today.

“While White men comprise roughly 30 percent of our nation’s population, they hold over 70 percent of federal judiciary positions. Further, while 108 White men have served as justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, there have only been two Black men and five women appointed to serve on the Court. Of those five women, only one has been a woman of color,” the group wrote.

“Judge Jackson is uniquely positioned to bring a historically absent perspective to the challenging and complex questions that will be presented to the Supreme Court in the years to come.”

Jackson received her law degree from Harvard Law School and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She has also received the endorsement of the justice she would be replacing in Stephen Breyer, whom she clerked for.

Four players from the Kent State basketball team are facing disciplinary action for using derogatory language toward the Akron men’s basketball team in a video posted on social media last week.

The Mid-American Conference announced the indefinite suspension of Kent State junior forward DJ Johnson. Starting junior Malique Jacobs and freshman reserves Cli’Ron Hornbeak and Julius Rollins were suspended for the first half of last week’s MAC men’s championship game against Akron, Cleveland.com reported.

In the video posted on Snapchat and reposted on Twitter, the Kent State players are in the locker room celebrating their win over Ohio. However, Johnson spews out foul language while expressing his dislike for the Akron team.

“F*** Akron,” Johnson says while flipping the bird at the camera. His teammates joined him to rap lyrics that referenced consuming illegal substances.

“See they bitch a** in the Championship Game tmmm,” Johson wrote over the video.

4 players get suspended for this? Can’t figure out whether to hammer Kent State or fade them now for this pic.twitter.com/0QRYDRXv9s

— Broad St. Cappers (@BroadStCappers) March 12, 2022

Once the MAC caught wind of the profanity-laced video, the players received their suspensions.

“I’m disappointed this occurred,” MAC commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher said. “This does not represent the values of Kent State or the Mid-American Conference.”

“However, I commend the leadership of Kent State for being proactive in addressing this matter and collaborating with my office to bring this situation to resolution.”

The school also released a statement.

pic.twitter.com/K4OoAJJX2n

— #MACtion (@MACSports) March 12, 2022

“The behavior in the video does not reflect the core values of Kent State, nor does it live up to the standards we expect of our student-athletes,” the school said in a statement. Kent State and Akron have a college rivalry dating back years, ESPN reported.

Johnson scored a team-high 19 points with 10 rebounds in the team’s win over Ohio Friday night. Fans expected Jacobs’ absence to most impact the team as he’s its leading rebounder, as noted by Draft Kings.

They were probably right. Kent State’s ‘season ended yesterday with a loss in the NCAA Tournament against Southern Utah.

• Celebrity News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 17, 2022

Mercedes-Benz x A$AP Rocky Collaborate, Exclusive Capsule Collection

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Mercedes-Benz and the multi-hyphenated artist, entrepreneur and fashion icon, A$AP Rocky, announce their second major collaboration following Mercedes-Benz’ 2017 “Grow-Up” Campaign: a capsule collection that looks to 90s pop culture to inspire creative expression today.

The exclusive capsule spans a range of fashion and lifestyle merchandise characterized by iconic trademarks of Mercedes-Benz AG. The collection launches on Mar. 17, 2022 via select third party channels, including the online shops of A$AP’s agency AWGE and PacSun.

Mercedes-Benz x A$AP Rocky is the natural development of a relationship built from mutual admiration initially fostered by “Grow-Up,” which was fronted by the artist and set the tone for marketing innovation.

Back then, Mercedes-Benz took a new approach to communications for its compact-car family with a campaign that focused on people caught between the coolness of adolescence and the squareness of adulthood — those who brought to life the attitude of the new compacts of the time. Innovation once again defines this second cooperation, as Mercedes-Benz x A$AP Rocky taps into a thriving culture that sits at the intersection of cars, music and streetwear with a merchandise collection that spans t-shirts, pullovers, hoodies, trousers, jackets, baseball caps and bags.

The result is a unique world of lifestyle offerings that brings together A$AP Rocky’s distinctive 90s aesthetic and Mercedes-Benz iconic design — an authentic collaboration, created to inspire enthusiasm for the collection as well as the Mercedes-Benz brand. 

“Mercedes-Benz has been exploring culture-led industries for decades, driven by our forward-thinking spirit and, spearheaded by authentic co-operations with partners, allowing us to speak credibly to progressive target groups.” says Bettina Fetzer, vice president Communications and Marketing Mercedes-Benz AG.

“Our collaboration with A$AP Rocky perfectly captures the movement of the 90s, tapping into the fashion and music culture of this decade, a defining era that has shaped creatives such as A$AP today. Through the capsule collection, we offer our customers a unique, new gateway into the Mercedes-Benz world.”

Mercedes-Benz x A$AP Rocky is brought to life in a series of images lensed by photographer Gabriel Moses and concepted by Ill Studio, made up of a rich variety of video edits and specially shot social media formats. Editorial content was directed by Theodor Guelat. The creative features three iconic Mercedes-Benz vehicles from the 1990s and today.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse W140 (1993) launched in 1991 and was developed to offer maximum comfort through generous dimensions and double glazing for optimized acoustic insulation. The Mercedes-Benz F200 Imagination is a concept car launched in 1996 that demonstrated an exciting, almost unimaginable concept of future motoring with technological advances that remain core to Mercedes-Benz designs today.

This underlines the importance of researchers and developers constantly thinking ahead for tomorrow’s vehicles – continually redefining possibilities and boundaries, demonstrating that technical development never stands still. Imagination is at the core of the Mercedes-Benz x A$AP Rocky collaboration bought together by a shared respect for one another and authentically reaching many cultural industries, A$AP’s designs are inspired by the 90s an era where Mercedes-Benz was pushing the limits of design.

The EQS is the third model in the shoot which captures the cultural and automotive developments of the Mercedes F 200 Imagination. The integrated widescreen cockpit, which is reminiscent of today’s hyperscreen, ties in with the current zeitgeist and design, much like the A$AP Rocky capsule collection. The EQS is the luxurious and avant-garde top-of-the-range model from Mercedes-EQ and is the first model based on the modular architecture for luxury and executive-class electric vehicles.

Although former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has been hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the coach will not pull back the discrimination lawsuit he filed against the National Football League (NFL).

In fact, not only will he continue to pursue the suit, he wants the NFL to adhere to it instead of trying the case in arbitration.

According to the Associated Press, Flores wants NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to make sure his class-action lawsuit against the league takes place in an open court, not behind closed doors if taken to arbitration.

“I think Commissioner Goodell has the influence to do what’s right,” Flores said while speaking to lawmakers to speak in favor of the FAIR Act, which would end forced arbitration. “I don’t think you can create that change in a secret setting, a confidential setting….I think he has influence to make sure that [a jury trial] happens.”

Congress is considering passing The FAIR Act, which would prevent employers from implementing forced arbitration clauses in employee paperwork and consumer agreements when signed. Flores believes taking that away would better protect employees.

Last month, the Miami Dolphins requested that the case go to an arbitrator.

Flores told the panel of Congress members that he wasn’t aware of the clause when he signed his contract with Miami in 2019, not realizing that the Dolphins could force him into arbitration.

“The last thing you’re thinking about is an arbitration clause that, if it all goes wrong…or if you’re wronged, you’re going to be forced into a setting where really the odds are stacked against you,” Flores said. “That’s not what you’re thinking about.”

Flores, who is Black, has sued the NFL and three teams, the Miami Dolphins, the Denver Broncos, and the New York Giants, for discrimination based on his firing from Miami and pertaining to the interview process he went through with Denver and New York.

The 58-page lawsuit was filed earlier this year in Manhattan federal court as it is pursuing class-action status. The suit is seeking unspecified damages from the league, the three teams named, and unidentified individuals.

• Lifestyle

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 17, 2022

KeKe Wyatt Responds to ‘Rude’ Critics Shaming Her for Revealing Unborn Child’s Rare Genetic Disorder

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Singer KeKe Wyatt sent out a “special prayer” via Instagram on Wednesday to the “cruel” people who criticized her recent on-stage reveal of her unborn child’s genetic disorder.

It was late last month when Wyatt announced she was pregnant with her 11th child. However, on the heels of announcing the good news, the singer shared an unfortunate update on her baby-to-be during a recent performance.

The “Nothing In This World” singer was in the middle of a gospel number when she decided to include a verse about her pregnancy. In the middle of riffs singing “hallelujah,” Wyatt revealed that a doctor recently told her that her unborn child has Trisomy 13, a genetic disorder where a person has three copies of genetic material from chromosome 13, instead of the usual two, Mt. Sinai reports.

Sadly, babies with this rare disorder often die within days.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Keke Wyatt (@keke_wyatt)

However, not everyone offered their support. Wyatt wrote a lengthy caption in an Instagram video of the performance calling out the trolls who “took time out of their day” to send hateful comments about her pregnancy.

“This past weekend at my show I was very transparent with my amazing fans (who I see as family) about the status of my pregnancy,” Wyatt wrote.

“I explained to them, the day after my maternity photoshoot my husband & I received the news that our baby tested positive for Trisomy 13 per the doctor.”

She noted how the reveal “wasn’t planned,” but after being moved by her “spirit,” Wyatt decided “to share or encourage another women that might have to face this battle.”

Directing her energy to the “disgusting” trolls, the “My First Love” singer shamed them for speaking on an unborn child.

“Say what y’all want about me, I’m use to it…No weapon formed against me will prosper anyway🙌🏾. BUT a innocent unborn baby??” she asked.

“Be careful putting your mouth on people. I pray that God gives you grace when Life comes knocking on your front door & you won’t reap what u are sowing,” Wyatt declared.

She ended the caption by thanking her supporters who sent “POSITIVE stories, emails and support.” Wyatt confirmed that she won’t allow “the negativity” to “drain all of my positive energy.”

• News

by Atiya Jordan

March 17, 2022

Opal Lee, The ‘Grandmother Of Juneteenth’ Nominated For 2022 Nobel Peace Prize

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In 2016, civil rights activist Opal Lee, 95, walked for 2.5 miles from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington D.C., collecting 1,500,000 signatures along the way to symbolize the 2.5 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to be enforced in Texas. The purpose of her campaign, “Opal’s Walk to D.C,” served as a call to action to make Juneteenth a national holiday and succeeded.

The Forth Worth native, affectionately named the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ has been nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Thirty-three Congressional members signed her nomination letter, citing Lee’s continued dedication to equality.

Congressman Marc Veasey, who represents Texas’s 33rd congressional district, led the effort for Lee’s nomination.

“I have been proud to call Ms. Lee a friend and mentor for nearly my whole life and was honored to work alongside her to finally get Juneteenth made into a national holiday last year,” said Veasey, according to Star-Telegram.

“I cannot think of a better person who has constantly fought for justice, and that is why I am nominating her to receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.”

For decades, Lee has been championing for the national recognition of June 19, 1865, when the enslaved learned they were free for two and a half years after everybody else. Ever since she was 12 years old, she recognized the importance of celebrating freedom from the 19th of June to the Fourth of July because Black people weren’t all free in 1776. After a mob of white supremacists attacked her home in a majority-white neighborhood, the fight for Juneteenth became her personal fight.

“The celebration of Juneteenth became for her not just a day to celebrate the freeing of enslaved people in Texas but the recognition of the need to uphold the freedoms that African Americans gained and a call to fight … for equality for all humans,” the nomination letter said.

The nomination highlighted her efforts to bring Black history to the forefront as an iconic community leader. She helped establish the Tarrant County Black Historical & Genealogical Society, preserving and recording Fort Worth’s Black history. She is the founding member of Citizens Concerned with Human Dignity (CCHD), which was formed to assist the economically disadvantaged in finding housing within the Fort Worth area.

“I’m still reacting. I don’t know how to react,” said Lee, adding that she credits her sense of community spirit to learning from her parents and grandparents. “I’m awfully, awfully glad. I’m humbled.”

On June 17, 2021, Lee saw the fulfillment of one of her dreams—to witness the presidential signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act that would make celebrating freedom from slavery a law.

The Fort Worth Juneteenth Museum, started by Lee, is set to become the National Juneteenth Museum and is intended to open sometime next year.

• Lifestyle

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 17, 2022

Black TikToker Behind Viral Phrase Calls Out Influencers and Brands Not Crediting Her

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The Black TikToker behind “The girls that get it, get it; the girls who don’t, don’t,” phrase is calling out the big brands and influencers using her sound without crediting her.

Mikhaela Jennings, known as @KhaeNotBae on TikTok, has garnered over 470,000 followers for her short comedic videos. It was a video posted back in November that resulted in someone asking her to turn it into a sound that could be used by other TikTokers.

@khaenotbae I’m tryna see something #ROMWEnextgen #fyp #foryou #hair ♬ original sound – KHAE🦦

The sound has since been reused over 70,000 times in comical videos posted by women conflicting on tacky beauty and style choices and even major retailers attempting to stay connected to younger audiences. Brands like Boohoo, LinkedIn, Outback Steakhouse, and Oreo have all used Jennings’ original phrase, Insider reported.

However, when Jennings reached out to some of the brands for compensation, she says she was snubbed.

“Wait this better gimme some money,” she wrote in a Twitter response to Outback Steakhouse using her sound.

Wait this better gimme some money $khaebae https://t.co/awGreUUO59

— #LONGLIVEKHAMEYEA (@KHAENOTBAE) February 4, 2022

“It’s a little tough because I know for a fact that y’all wouldn’t spit on me if I was on fire,” Jennings told Refinery 29. “So please stop.”

Jennings is now working on trademarking her sound to ensure her compensation in the event someone references her original content.

Her fight comes a year after Black TikTokers boycotted created dance challenges on the app after feeling overlooked and shunned over white content creators who gained popularity off the dances created by Black TikTokers. TikTok stars Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio faced public scrutiny for performing TikTok dances without acknowledging the original Black creators.

Social networking apps like Instagram recently implemented a new feature to help creators get credit for their original sounds and videos. But it’ll still be up to the brands and businesses to do their due diligence when jumping on social media trends.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 17, 2022

Skip Bayless States His Wife Lives In Fear Due to Charles Barkley’s Threats To Kill Him

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Not even a week after Russell Westbrook’s wife took to social media to call out Skip Bayless for mispronouncing their family name, Bayless claims that his wife lives in fear due to Charles Barkley and his threats to kill him.

According to the New York Post, on a recent episode of The Skip Bayless Show podcast, Bayless spoke about the taunts Barkley has made over the years that has his wife, Ernestine Sclafani, living in fear. He says he can handle the TNT host criticizing him, but he wishes Barkley would stop the talk about killing him.

“My wife Ernestine has believed for 15 years that Charles Barkley is nothing but a sick individual,” Bayless said.

“To her, he is just pure evil, that he is depraved, that he is a scumbag, and she fears that one day, Charles will somehow … inspire some other nut to end my life. And this haunts her; this hurts her because she believes that in the end, Charles Barkley would have my blood on his hands.

“If that were Charles’ goal from the start, if that was his goal, then I congratulate him. Because he wins on this one, he has hurt my wife deeply,” Bayless said.

Awful Announcing has reported that Bayless says this has been going on for years, maybe as far back as 2005. According to The Washington Post, Barkley stated that he’d like to kill Bayless as a dying wish. Just last year, Barkley took up the issue with Bayless again and said he’ll put the Fox Sports host in a “body cast” if they were ever in a room together.

Bayless did state that he appreciates that Barkley tunes in to his show often.

“The more I’ve read about what Charles says about me, the more I realize that he watches Undisputed religiously, and I appreciate that greatly,” Bayless said. “Over the last 15 years, I can make the case that Charles Barkley has been my No. 1 viewer. I just don’t think any other human has watched me as closely as Charles Wade Barkley has. I love him for that.”

• Lifestyle

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 17, 2022

Watch Tia Mowry’s 10-Year-Old Son Shed Happy Tears After Getting Into His ‘Dream School’

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Actress Tia Mowry took to Instagram on Wednesday to share her son Cree’s heartwarming reaction to learning he was accepted into his “dream school.”

“SO proud of @creehardrict for getting accepted into the school of his DREAMS,” Tia wrote in the caption.

“As a mother, my goal was and is always to support and give my children the opportunities I never had as a child and this week, BOTH of our dreams came true,” she added.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by TiaMowry (@tiamowry)

The video showed Tia and her actor husband, Cory Hardrict, approaching his son with the big news.

“Telling our son he got into his dream school,” Tia wrote over the video. “A new favorite memory and dream come true for us all.”

Hardrict walks up to Cree and asks if he’s been good in school. When Cree tells his dad he’s been on his best behavior, Hardrict says, “I’m going to show you what your teacher said, OK? Read this.”

Once Cree read the intro statement, the middle schooler gasps after learning he was accepted into his school of choice. He then bursts into tears hugging his dad while Tia is heard crying in the background like the happy mom she is.

“♥️♥️♥️🥲🥲 🙏🏾✨” Hardrict wrote in his wife’s comments. Uncle Tahj Mowry added a few congratulatory emojis as well.

“This was touching. Wow, I needed to see this,” Questlove said.

Others applauded the “Black boy joy” on display in the adorable family moment.

“This is so wholesome, congrats young king,” one user wrote.

“Sheesh Tia got me crying at 9 am 😭😭😭😭 congrats Cree!! Great job Tia and Corey,” another user added.

“ok it’s also the fact that the men are embracing him… allowing him to express his joy thru crying…. that’s what we need more of,” added someone else.