• News

by Derek Major

March 7, 2022

Trump Backed Congressional Candidate Vernon Jones Throws Tantrum — Storms Out Of Event Because Of Speaking Order

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Georgia Congressional candidate Vernon Jones angrily stormed out of a political event in Jackson Country Saturday frustrated by the speaking order.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein uploaded a video on Twitter showing Jones talking before arguing with someone off-screen about the speaking order of the event before walking out.

According to Newsweek, Jones was told he would be speaking second at the event but was instead slotted to talk before his GOP opponent Mike Collins.

Former Democrat Vernon Jones – now a Trump-backed candidate in Georgia’s 10th District — walks out of a Jackson County GOP event last night … because he was mad about the speaking order. #gapol #ga10 pic.twitter.com/jl8S8gCl68

— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 6, 2022

Jones did not take the change well, commenting on the situation as soon as he hit the stage.

“I came here because I’m sincere, I came here because I’m a fighter, I came here to earn your support,” Jones says in the video. “But I’m not going to be subjected to politricks. Now I was selected to be the second person; Mike Collins was supposed to go first; you are now trying to change it.”

The host, who is off-camera, cuts Jones off before the two begin speaking over each other. Jones eventually stops, and the host says he’s more than an hour behind and urges Jones to speak.

“As I said, they’re playing politricks because Mike, he wants to go second, everywhere he goes, he attacks me after the fact, and I never get a chance to respond, I’m not going to play that game.”

Jones went on to say that the event’s organizers tried to persuade his campaign manager to draw names out of a hat to determine the speaking order. After reiterating his point several times, Jones put the mic down and left.

In an email he sent to Newsweek after the event, Jones claimed Collins “is the Democrats and liberal Atlanta Journal & Constitution [sic] Greg Bluestein’s preferred candidate.”

Jones has made several headlines over the past year. Last year, he was in the Georgia House of Representatives as a Democrat when he announced he was changing his party affiliation to Republican at an event on Jan. 6, the same day as the Capitol Riot.

Last month, Jones announced he was dropping out of the governor’s race to run for Congress in Georgia’s 10th District. Several hours after making the announcement, Trump endorsed him.

By Desirée Walker

Because I run a golf social events company called Road2Par here in Washington, many people are surprised to learn that I did not begin playing golf until relatively late in life. As an African American woman, I wasn’t exposed to golf growing up. But now that I have been bitten by the golf bug, I’ve become passionate about bringing golf to people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to play or be exposed to the game I’ve fallen in love with. That is why Road2Par’s mission is to bring underrepresented populations to the game.

So as someone dedicated to growing the game at a grassroots level, I was disappointed to hear that the PGA Tour, the most prominent face of golf in America, had threatened to prevent American players, including some of golf’s biggest superstars, from competing in tournaments on the Asian Tour. Not only does this go against the Tour’s mission to promote and grow the game, but it ultimately makes it even harder for people like me to be exposed to golf in the first place.

I am the perfect example of the type of person that the PGA Tour should be doing more to reach out to. I had never touched a golf club until a friend of mine suggested we try going to a Top Golf to celebrate my 30th birthday, and I was immediately hooked. The more I played, I found that golf was not only a great way to exercise and reduce my stress levels, but it became a way to challenge myself to always improve and grow as a person. I became determined to make golf a bigger part of my life.

Within six months, I started taking courses at the Golf Academy of America, where I learned how to play, how to teach others, and the basics of golf course management. I also became certified by the Titleist Performance Institute to help people improve their fitness through golf. I started Road2Par, a blog that chronicled my golf obsession as I transitioned to working in the industry, where I’ve since held a variety of positions at public and private courses.

I quickly realized the biggest obstacle to getting friends to join me was the intimidation they felt about simply going to the golf course. Let’s face it; golf is very male, very white, and not always very welcoming. It can be intimidating for a new golfer to go to a course for the first time and can be even more daunting for people of color. To make golf more accessible, I turned Road2Par into a golf events company that brings people to the golf course in a social setting to introduce them to the game.

Unfortunately, not only are minorities under-represented at the participant level, but on the professional level as well. There are only two African American men currently playing full-time on the PGA Tour and one African American woman playing full-time on the LPGA Tour, further contributing to a lack of representation for people of color both on our hometown courses and when we watch golf on TV, which doesn’t help bring new participants or fans to the game.

Which is why I also don’t understand why the PGA Tour would try to prevent players from competing in Asian Tour events – and threatening to fine or ban them if they do – that would help to expose even more people to golf. I know firsthand how big an untapped golf market Asia is, as evidenced by how well the LPGA has grown with a strong influx of Asian players over the past few years. If I were running the PGA Tour, I’d want to promote the game with my best players as much as possible in as many tournaments as possible around the world. We have great examples of this through Tennis with stars like Naomi Osaka.

To me, the PGA Tour’s stance on these issues shows it is less an organization dedicated to promoting and growing the game of golf and more a group determined to maintain their control over the game and serve as its gatekeepers. For a sport that has struggled with inclusion for decades, the Tour unfortunately reflects the “members only” exclusionary attitudes many golf newcomers face, especially if they are people of color. I know the PGA Tour is part of the “Make Golf Your Thing” industry campaign to encourage more people to participate, but simultaneously threatening to fine or ban players for playing in other tournaments around the world doesn’t send a welcoming message to prospective golfers and fans.

For now, I remain an outlier: a woman of color who became so obsessed with golf as an adult that I’ve made it my life. I know firsthand from my events that there are others like me who would fall in love with the game if given the opportunity, and I encourage the PGA Tour to focus on creating an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for new golfers rather than taking actions that do anything by grow and promote this great game.

Desirée Walker started Road2Par, LLC in 2016, after completion of the Golf Course Management Program at Golf Academy of America, located in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

• Lifestyle

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 7, 2022

Mary J. Blige Announces Inaugural Atlanta-Based Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit

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After slaying the Super Bowl halftime stage and wrapping season 2 of Power Book II last month, Mary J. Blige keeps the iconic moves flowing by announcing her inaugural music festival for women.

On Monday, Mary and Pepsi announced the “Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit” in partnership with Live Nation Urban. The three-day festival will take place in Atlanta on Mother’s Day weekend from May 6–8, 2022.

Described as “unapologetically curated for and by women,” it will include a jam-packed lineup of music, wellness, tech, beauty, and financial literacy, as well as live concerts, workshops, and other gatherings taking place at several venues across the city, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Joining Mary on the list of performers is Ella Mai, Chaka Khan, Xscape, City Girls, Queen Naija, Kiana Lede, Kierra Sheard, Omeretta The Great, and more.

“These are some of my favorite singers. They move the culture and have made us dance all of our lives,” Blige said.

“It’s about women who want to elevate and keep moving forward.”

She explained how a recent listening party she hosted helped inspire her to launch a music festival.

“All the women from the streaming services were coming in stressed. They were picking up their wine and talking about the songs,” Blige said.

“It became this big session about how each song made them feel and how it related to their lives. Just seeing that over and over and over again sparked an idea.”

Local minority and women-owned businesses will also be highlighted throughout the festival as they come together to put on a memorable event for the community.

“Atlanta has been doing this for a while. It’s a big Black entertainment hub. If we’re doing it for the culture and we’re doing it for us, do it there,” Blige said. “Atlanta was always the most fun place to party and still is for me. I remember Jack the Rapper, and don’t get me started on Freaknik.”

“Get dressed. Get decked out. Let your hair down,” she said. “The Strength of a Woman is about us coming together to heal, to be examples for each other and to do some partying.”

Presale tickets go live at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 8, 2022, with general on-sale beginning on Thursday, March 10, at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at soawfestival.com.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

March 7, 2022

U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Review Decision That Freed Bill Cosby

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In response to prosecutors’ request to review the decision that freed comedian Bill Cosby from prison, the U.S. Supreme Court declined.

On Monday, the high court announced it would not review Cosby’s sexual assault case decision that ultimately released him from prison in June, the Associated Press reports.

On behalf of Cosby and his family, a spokesperson thanked the justices for the court’s announcement and said that the actor was “swindled” by “a reprehensible bait and switch” from the prosecutor and the trial judge in the case, as per AP.

“This is truly a victory for Mr. Cosby, but it shows that cheating will never get you far in life, and the corruption that lies within Montgomery County District’s Attorney Office has been brought to the center stage of the world,” spokesperson Andrew Wyatt continued.

In 2018, Cosby was convicted of the sexual assault of former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. Cosby has maintained that they were involved consensually.

Wyatt brings attention to when former Montgomery County D.A. Bruce Castor, who was investigating Constrand’s claim in 2005, declined to prosecute in exchange for his civil disposition and announced the decision in a press release. Despite this, current Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Kevin Steele still pursued the case when the previous agreement should have prevented Cosby from ever being charged.

“Unable to invoke any right not to testify in the civil proceedings, Cosby relied upon the district attorney’s declination and proceeded to provide four sworn depositions,” Judge David Wecht wrote in the majority opinion DEADLINE reports.

On the other hand, Steele argues that there’s no written or verbal evidence that Cosby had a legally binding agreement to prevent him from being prosecuted.

He added, “All crime victims deserve to be heard, treated with respect, and be supported through their day in court.”

On June 30, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction after discovering that a non-prosecution agreement had been made.

• Business

by Derek Major

March 7, 2022

McDonald’s Sued By Startup Kytch Over Infamous Broken Ice Cream Machines

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A tech startup that repairs McDonald’s infamous ice cream machines has filed a $900 million lawsuit against the fast-food giant.

Kytch, which created a small device that connects to McDonald’s ice cream machines that provides real-time data and analytics to help managers identify and troubleshoot problems with the machine, filed a $900 million lawsuit in a Delaware federal court accusing McDonald’s of disparaging the device through false advertising.

“Kytch brings this action to set the record straight, to vindicate the company’s rights under civil law, to curb McDonald’s anti-competitive conduct, to recover compensatory and punitive damages, to protect the consuming public from false and misleading advertisements, and to finally fix McDonald’s broken soft-serve machines,” the company says in the court filing, according to The Hill.

According to Kytch, a company called Taylor, which makes the machines, has an exclusive rights deal to repair the machines, thus creating a “lucrative scheme,” between the two. Kytch also claims Taylor allows its own machine to malfunction for profit.

McDonald’s broken ice cream machines are so well known, there is a website that tracks broken machines at McDonald’s across the country and the Federal Trade Commission announced an investigation into the machines last year.

A McDonald’s spokesperson denied the allegations in a statement and said the fast-food company is ready to defend itself in court.

“We owe it to our customers, crew, and franchisees to maintain our rigorous safety standards and work with fully vetted suppliers in that pursuit. Kytch’s claims are meritless, and we’ll respond to the complaint accordingly,” McDonald’s said according to Business Insider.

After it learned that Kytch’s device was being used by some franchise owners, McDonald’s sent warnings to franchisees regarding the possibility of crew or maintenance staff being injured. The fast-food giant added Kytch’s safety certifications for its device does not meet the requirements McDonald’s has for its equipment.

The burger giant has also had to deal with several racial discrimination lawsuits including a $10 billion racial discrimination lawsuit filed by media mogul Byron Allen. In another suit, McDonald’s purchased 13 of its restaurants owned by former MLB player Herb Washington as part of a racial discrimination settlement.

“Karma’s World” Entertainment, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges’, and 9 Story Media Group announce a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Design and Technology Lab (FIT DTech).

Inspired by the hit animated Netflix series “Karma’s World” — for which fashion is central to the brand DNA —FIT students designed a 50-piece fashion-forward children’s collection for licensing partners to incorporate across a range of consumer categories, with the first product set to launch later this year. Designs include jumpsuits, jackets, sweatsuits, dresses, swimsuits and footwear.

The student designers selected for the project demonstrated distinctive points of view and the ability to capture, through fashion, the spirit of courageous and expressive young girls like Karma who dare to dream big. The design team included both current students and 2021 graduates from FIT’s Fashion Design program: Juliana Bui, Brianna Castillo, Jacob Desvarieux, Desiree DiCarlo, Hawwaa Ibrahim, Carly McBride, Jake Valliere and Jada Wilkerson.

The FIT DTech Lab, a key component of the college’s Innovation Center, provided a high-impact learning environment for the team as they leveraged the creative ideas and fresh perspectives of talented students and faculty. 

FIT’s Footwear and Accessories Design Chair Sarah Mullins, FIT’s Fashion Design Assistant Professor Lauren Zodel and FIT Adjunct Instructor Gregg Woodcock teamed up with FIT graduate Brandice Daniel, founder of Harlem’s Fashion Row — an organization that supports emerging talent and provides a platform for designers of color — as an advisor to the students and series fashion consultant.

This unique partnership between industry and FIT, a college of the State University of New York (SUNY), embodies a shared commitment to social equity within the creative industries for the Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) community, which was also the impetus for the recent launch of the Social Justice Center at FIT, for which Daniel is an advisory council member.

Launched on Netflix last fall, “Karma’s World“ is based on a concept created by multi-award-winning American rapper, actor, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (“Fast and Furious Franchise, Fear Factor, Crash”), and is a coming-of-age story about Karma Grant, an aspiring musical artist and rapper with big talent and an even bigger heart. Every episode is infused with hip-hop music, streetwear fashion and original choreography. The series focuses on themes of self-expression, identity, leadership, creativity and the importance of community. “Karma’s World” has been nominated for three NAACP awards and a second season has been confirmed with new episodes coming to Netflix on Mar. 10, 2022.

“Karma’s World” boasts a rapidly expanding consumer products program with 35 licensees secured to date, including global partnerships with Mattel, Scholastic and Universal Music. North American licenses span a variety of categories, including apparel, accessories, crafts and activity, electronics, holidays and footwear and will see products begin launching in 2022 and beyond. Several of the FIT student designs have been incorporated into product categories set to launch later this year.

“This first-of-its-kind partnership with FIT has truly elevated the ‘Karma’s World’ brand offering,” said Kyra Halperin, co-vice president of Consumer Products for 9 Story.

“The students’ talent, passion and vision enabled them to imagine what else Karma might have in her closet, resulting in a highly creative collection that captures Karma’s unique style. FIT’s mission to foster and celebrate youth, creativity and individuality aligns perfectly with what ‘Karma’s World’ stands for and 9 Story is thrilled to partner with an organization with the same commitment to inclusivity and representation.”

• Lifestyle

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 7, 2022

Morris Day Says Prince’s Estate is Blocking Him From Performing as Morris Day and the Time

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Musician Morris Day says Prince’s estate is why he hasn’t hit the stage to perform his funkadelic hits as part of Morris Day and the Time.

On Thursday, Day, a childhood friend of the music legend, took to Instagram to let his followers know that the Prince estate handlers say the singer “can Now Longer Use The Name Morris Day & The Time.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Morris Day (@themorrisday)

“I’ve given 40 years of my life building up a name and legacy that Prince and I came up with,” Day shared in a lengthy note. “A name that while he was alive, he had no problem with me using.”

He explained all the work he put into building his brand and legacy and how that’s been snatched from him following Prince’s death in 2016.

“I literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into bringing value to that name,” Day wrote noting how many “tours” and “jam-packed nights” at Paisley Park Prince booked Day under using the band name.

“Not once ever saying to me that I couldn’t use that name configuration,” Day quipped.

The “Jungle Love” singer claims that “the people who control his multimillion-dollar estate want to rewrite history by taking my name away from me.”

“Thus impacting how I feed my family,” Day added. “As of now, per the Prince Estate, I can no longer use Morris Day and the Time in any capacity.”

Many supporters took to Day’s comments blasting Prince’s estate for the decision including former Prince bassist Nik West, The Los Angeles Times reported.

“I don’t see how ‘randoms’ can tell you this! Morris Day and the Time forever … we ALL know what time it is!” she wrote.

He followed up his post with a video clip where he declared he will continue going by the name his mother gave him.

“What did @arseniohall say in “Coming To America”? “His Mama Named Him Clay Imma call him Clay”… Well My Mama Named Me Morris Day, and My Band Is “The Time”‼️” Day captioned the post.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Morris Day (@themorrisday)

King Richard star Aunjanue Ellis wants to honor her late mother at her first-ever Academy Awards ceremony.

Ellis, who was born in San Francisco but raised in Mississippi, earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as Oracene Price, the mother of Venus and Serena Williams, in the award-winning drama. Its her first Oscar nomination.

Ahead of the star-studded Oscars ceremony, Ellis told Good Morning America Monday that she is making a special request to her dress designer.

“Whoever I’m wearing, I’m just insisting that my mother’s name be somewhere on the dress,” Ellis, 53, said. “She left me a couple years ago and I want her with me that night in some sort of way.”

The 94th annual Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 27 and  broadcast live on ABC.

Honoring her mother on Oscars night, coupled with a chance to win the prestigious award, will hold a valuable place in Ellis’ career

“I didn’t see it coming. I knew that a lot of people wanted it for me, my family and my agent, to be honest,” Ellis said about the Oscar nomination while on the red carpet at the AAFCA awards, theGrio reported. “So for that reason, I’m just really happy that it happened.”

For her role in King Richard, Ellis has also received nominations from the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA). She started the season with the National Board of Review prize for supporting actress, according to Variety. More recently, she took home best supporting actress from the African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA).

A two-time Emmy nominee for Netflix’s 2019  limited series When They See Us and HBO’s Lovecraft Country, Ellis was the only Black cast member to be nominated from a series among the major categories

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 7, 2022

Cardi B Attempts to Have Gag Order Placed On Blogger Tasha K

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After Cardi B won a $4 million defamation lawsuit against YouTube personality Tasha K, the rapper now  wants a gag order placed on the blogger.

On Thursday, the Grammy-winning rapper asked a federal judge to permanently ban Tasha K from posting “harmful and disgusting lies” about her to the internet, Billboard reported. Cardi wants to impose a permanent injunction against Tasha where a court ruling would force the YouTuber to pull all defamatory claims about the rapper from the internet and ban her from reposting them.

“Plaintiff filed this action because defendants refused to stop targeting her with harmful and disgusting lies,” Cardi’s legal team wrote.

“Damages alone are inadequate to address the constant ongoing threat of defendants repeating the defamatory statements [and] defendants have explicitly said that they will continue publishing the defamatory statements unless an injunction is issued.”

The filing comes after Cardi sued Tasha in 2019 for posting YouTube videos accusing the rapper of shocking allegations that she proved were false. Since winning the suit, Cardi says Tasha hasn’t removed all of the videos with the defamatory claims, Rolling Stone reports.

“Not all of the videos and posts containing the defamatory statements have been removed from defendants’ social media accounts,” Cardi’s filing reads.

The new brief accuses Tasha, whose legal name is Latasha Kebe, of posing a “constant ongoing threat” to Cardi even after she testified in January that she would not stop posting defamatory statements unless compelled by the court.

“Unless someone actually forces you to, you are never going to stop repeating these statements about my client?” one of Cardi’s lawyers asked Tasha in court, the new filing states.

“That is correct,” Kebe replied.

“So the only way at this point these videos are ever going to come down is if this court forces you to [remove them]. Is that right?” the lawyer pressed.

“That is correct,” Kebe replied.

“Are you essentially saying that to stop you from calling my client ‘Cold Sore B,’ my client needs to get a gag order?” the lawyer asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Kebe replied.

The filing also cites a tweet Tasha sent out on January 26 saying “No LIES were told on anyone.”

“Plaintiff is only seeking to require defendants to remove any videos and posts that contain the defamatory Statements from their social media accounts and to enjoin defendants from republishing those same statements,” the new filing concludes.

• Sports

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 7, 2022

Story of NASCAR’s First Black Driver Wendell Scott Shared As 3D AR NFT Collection

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A series of historic NFTs created by Wendell Scott Ventures will be introduced and sold to commemorate the iconic and groundbreaking life and legacy of Wendell Scott.

On Dec. 1, 1963, Wendell Scott broke NASCAR’s color barrier by becoming the first African American NASCAR driver to win a Grand National race, NASCAR’s highest level.

Until Bubba Wallace‘s win on October 4, 2021 there had never been another black driver to win a NASCAR race. To this day, Wendell Scott is the only black NASCAR team owner. Despite Wendell Scott‘s triumphant victory, he was never awarded a trophy for this win. It wasn’t until Aug. 28, 2021, nearly 60 years after his Jacksonville win that his trophy was posthumously awarded to his family.

Coming off of a successful in-person NFT auction hosted by Authentik Studios at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, in which the first-ever NFTs of an African American NASCAR driver was sold, the collaboration with Worldwide XR, CMG Worldwide, and VueXR continues with a broader release on March 6th with the premiere NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway, according to a press release.

100 years after his birth and 58 years after his NASCAR victory, Wendell Scott continues to break barriers as his legacy is now irrevocably entwined with technology that is shaping the future of how users engage with the world around them. NFTs are a fitting mode to share the story of Wendell Scott as NFTs, like Wendell Scott, disrupted society while simultaneously paving the path for change in a broken system. Akin to NFTs impact on technology, cryptocurrency and the future of Web 3.0, Scott’s impact shook NASCAR’s status quo and made the sport more inclusive and accessible. Owners of these NFTs have a chance to be a part of history in the making.

A monumental series of firsts, these historic NFTs were created in partnership by leading digital agency Worldwide XR (WXR), Extended Reality content developers Vue XR and Wendell Scott Ventures (the joint venture between David Steward II‘s Lion Forge Films (Academy Award®-winning Hair Love), parent company Polarity, a leading black-owned entertainment holding company and Scott 34 Racing) and are the first ever NFTs to be released of an African American NASCAR driver.

This will be Nifty’s first time releasing a 3D Augmented Reality (AR) digital car on their platform. The first of it’s kind and an exact 1:1 replica of Wendell Scott‘s first-ever NASCAR winning 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air. Much like the blockchain allows users to operate on a decentralized system, the Extended Reality (XR) version of Scott’s car breaks it away from its physical confines of its display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and brings it to the masses. This AR asset can also be utilized in Metaverse applications.

Depending on which NFT is purchased, owners will also receive Authentik Studios’ SILO™ Digital Frame that brings your NFTs to life by allowing users to display your collections on a 43″ HD high-fidelity audio display from the comfort of their home. Users can access their entire NFT gallery via the SILO™ App & enjoy their NFTs in unparalleled 4K resolution.