Doing an About-Face? — India Arie Says Joe Rogan Isn’t Racist, Accepts His Apology for Using N-Word
Music artist India Arie who recently vowed to pull her music from Spotify following popular podcaster Joe Rogan’s salacious use of the n-word, is now doing an about-face.
While speaking with CNN’s Don Lemon, Arie walked back her criticisms of Rogan, who hosts The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and who has received a wave of criticism for his history of liberal use of the n-word. Rogan also made troubling ‘Planet of the Ape’ comments that included Black people and reportedly spread false coronavirus information.
During the interview, Arie made it clear that she was set to pull her music from Spotify not only because of Rogan but because of the paltry payments that artists receive when it comes to compensation. That coupled with Rogan’s racist comments and his $100 million dollar Spotify deal provided fertile ground for Arie to get fed up, the AJCreports.
Rogan has since apologized profusely about his insensitive verbiage, something Arie said she accepts.
“I did think he did a fine job with his apology. He said a lot of things I would want someone to say. He said a lot of the things I would want to hear someone say. The thing that stuck out for me most was when he said, ‘It’s not my word to use.’ And I think changed behavior is what we’re really looking for,” she explained.
This is clearly a change of heart for the “I Am Not My Hair” singer who vowed to strip her catalog of music from the Spotify platform where Rogan’s podcast is hosted.
Once Neil Young pulled his music off Spotify’s music platform over Joe Rogan’s controversial comments on the coronavirus pandemic and n-word use, the soul singer lined up to pull her music down after his “problematic” language around race.
“Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walkthrough,” Arie wrote in her post. “I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons OTHER than his Covid interviews,” Arie previously said.
“For me it’s also his language around race,” Arie continued.
On social media, video collages have been shared highlighting Rogan’s past occurrences of dropping the n-word with the hard “er” at the end, jokingly referring to Black people as “Planet of the Apes,” and claiming the most “powerful” combination of genes is when you have “the body of the Black man and the mind of the white man.”
NBA and NBAPA Will Contribute $3 Million To The Greater Cleveland And HBCU Communities As Part Of 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend
NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2022 – As part of NBA All-Star 2022, the NBA and National Basketball Players
Association (NBPA) will work alongside local community organizations to provide programming and support
that focus on youth, education, health equity, food insecurity and economic inclusion.
Additionally, building off the success of NBA All-Star 2021, the league will again uplift the HBCU community as part of the weekend and empower the next generation of leaders. More than $3 million will be contributed to the Greater Cleveland and HBCU communities through these combined efforts.
NBA All-Star Game Greater Cleveland-Based Beneficiaries – As part of the NBA All-Star Game format,
every quarter will count to support two Northeast Ohio organizations, with Team Durant playing for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Team LeBron playing for Kent State University I Promise Scholars Program. Additionally, throughout the past six seasons, the NBA and State Farm have helped turn on-court assists into off-court assists in communities around the country through the State Farm Assist Tracker. For NBA All-Star 2022, the NBA and State Farm will donate $1,900 for every assist made during the game, with the total amount split between the two-Cleveland based beneficiaries.
The Kent State I Promise Scholars Program provides higher education opportunities and wrap around support for underserved I Promise students in Northeast Ohio, while the Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio annually serving more than 400,000 people and providing life-saving food benefits to those in need. In total, nearly $1 million will be donated to both organizations.
2,000th NBA Cares Live, Learn or Play Center – In celebration of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Season and in
partnership with Kaiser Permanente, the league will continue its mission to use the power of basketball to create a lasting impact in communities globally through the NBA 75th Live, Learn or Play Initiative announced in December. As part of the initiative, the NBA will dedicate its 2,000th Live, Learn or Play center at the Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland on Feb. 18. The NBA and Kaiser Permanente will also create a second Live, Learn or Play Center at the King Kennedy Boys & Girls Club, where a refurbished basketball court and new wellness space will be dedicated in the spring.
NBPA Foundation Legacy Grants – The National Basketball Players Association Foundation will improve
access to youth sports for school-aged children in the Greater Cleveland area, including through grants to
Playworks and Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio. Additionally, the Foundation will continue its support of
local civic engagement programs in Cleveland through grants to Cleveland Votes and The FreedomBLOC.
HBCU Classic and Initiatives – As previously announced, on Saturday, Feb. 19, the Howard University and
Morgan State University men’s basketball teams will face off in the first-ever NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T at 2 p.m. ET at the Wolstein Center, which will be simulcast on TNT, ESPN2 and NBA TV. As part of
the NBA’s and AT&T’s respective ongoing commitments to HBCUs, they will donate $100,000 to each school,
totaling $200,000, to support the student experience. Following the HBCU Classic, both teams will meet with
NBA league and team executives and participate in programming regarding professional development,
networking and the impact of HBCUs on society.
All-Star weekend will also feature additional storytelling content, career development opportunities, special
performances and financial contributions to support HBCU students and alumni. Ten local HBCU college
students will serve as NBA interns throughout the weekend as part of the HBCU Event Shadow: All-Star
program, working alongside a variety of league office departments to learn how each contributes to the planning and execution of the weekend’s events.
The NBA will commission and showcase student artists from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, who have created original art compositions centered around their HBCU experience and sports. The art will be displayed during All-Star at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, the Wolstein Center and in NBA player hotels. In continued support of scholarships and other resources for HBCU students, the NBA Foundation will make grants of $250,000 each to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and UNCF (United Negro College Fund). Todate, the Foundation has provided $1.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations supporting the greater Cleveland community.
As part of its newest round of funding, the Foundation will award new grants totaling $1.3 million to the Greater Cleveland Partnership, NeoSTEM’s Envision Excellence in STEM Education, The Presidents’ Council Foundation and Youth Opportunities Unlimited, and renewed grant funding for the Marcus Graham Project originally awarded in 2020. The Foundation has also made investments in Cleveland branches of City Year, the National Urban League and the National Black MBA Association.
14th NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service – Volunteers across the NBA family will also participate in the 14th
Annual NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service presented by Nike, SAP and State Farm on Feb. 18. They will sort
and pack food donations at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and gently used books with the Kids’ Book Bank Cleveland to support thousands of children, seniors, families and other individuals in need.
COVID-19 Education, Incentives and Resources – Together with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA is also
supporting Mayor Justin Bibb’s citywide efforts to encourage vaccination, boosters and health education by
providing incentives for those who receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot at vaccine sites throughout the city, including tickets to All-Star events and Cavaliers games, merchandise, special autographed items and more.
The league will also support city-wide vaccination and testing efforts through additional vaccination locations, donating 10,000 rapid antigen tests and 110,000 face masks to the COVID-19 Task force for distribution to schools and community-based organizations. A $100,000 donation will also be made to the Funders Collaborative on COVID Recovery, a partnership that includes nearly 50 philanthropic foundations, nonprofits, and government entities, to help support the community as it recovers from the economic and social impacts of COVID-19.
NBA All-Star Rewards Program – With a focus on economic inclusion and supporting the city’s recovery
efforts from the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the NBA has included more than 130 diverse-owned
businesses as part of the NBA All-Star Rewards Program. Launched in August, the program encourages fans to patronize locally owned restaurants and retail businesses for the chance to win tickets to attend All-Star events and other exclusive prizes. Additionally, the NBA has engaged more than 30 women-, minority- and LGBTQ-owned businesses through its Supplier Diversity Program that will help bring NBA All-Star to life as vendors.
Jr. NBA Programming – In the week leading up to the All-Star Game, the Jr. NBA and Cavaliers will host a variety of virtual programming for local children and youth basketball coaches. NBA Rising Stars, WNBA
players and Jr. NBA coaches will teach basketball skills and address mental performance topics during two
virtual gym classes for Cleveland public school students. The Jr. NBA will also lead a virtual workshop that
will include on-court instructional resources as well as a session with NBA Mind Health Director Dr. Kensa
Gunter to help youth basketball coaches build communities of support within their teams and encourage mindbody connection among youth.
Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Widow Files Lawsuit Against Wu-Tang Clan Over Unpaid Royalties
The widow of Wu-Tang Clan’sOl’ Dirty Bastard filed a lawsuit earlier this week against the production company of the Staten Island hip-hop collective.
According to Variety, Icelene Jones, the widow of Ol’ Dirty Bastard (ODB), nee Russell Tyrone Jones, sued Wu-Tang Clan Productions on Tuesday, alleging that the late rapper’s estate is owed at least $1 million in unpaid royalties. She stated in the suit that the company hadn’t given her any publishing income or royalties since 2011.
The papers were filed in New York Supreme Court. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract and seeks the aforementioned $1 million in royalties, plus interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs.
RZA, known as the force behind the Wu-Tang Clan, ODB’s cousin, owns and operates Wu-Tang Clan Productions. Jones has claimed that the estate also received some payments from Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. in 2019 and 2021, yet the combined earnings are just a fraction of what is owed.
Jones has frequently asked for accountings and payments over the last decade, but no detailed accounting statements have yet been provided to the estate.
The complaint cites a recording agreement made in 1992, under which ODB was to be paid 50% of net earnings on the publishing of his copyrighted songs. Group members were also to divide half of the net earnings from the sound recordings. The suit also states that they are owed royalties on merchandising and videos.
The 35-year-old Ol’ Dirty Bastard died of a drug overdose in 2004.
HipHopDX reported RZA saying that there is an ODB biopic in the works. While the producer was discussing the Sasha Jenkins documentary Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mice and Men and the Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga, he talked about the setup for the ODB biopic.
“The documentary was to capture the story as best we can in the reality of it, and then the TV series was to dramatize it,” he said at the time. “The third tier of the plan, which I’m in progress of, is an ODB movie biopic. Like the five-year Wu-Tang plan, this was a five-year media plan that I concocted, I meditated on, and I’m striving to live out. So far, it’s working well.”
Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Will Be Distributed By Lionsgate
An upcoming Michael Jackson biopic has been authorized by his family and will see the light of day!
According to Deadline, the Michael Jackson biopic, titled Michael, is being produced by the Oscar-winning producer of The Departed, Graham King, and has been picked up by Lionsgate. Three-time Oscar nominee John Logan wrote the script in November 2019.
The biopic will be produced by King and John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate. King and Logan worked together previously, collaborating on Martin Scorsese’sThe Aviator. Logan was also responsible for writing Ridley Scott’s Best Picture Oscar winner Gladiator.
The family’s matriarch, Katherine Jackson, said, “Ever since Michael was little, as a member of The Jackson 5, he loved the magic of cinema. As a family, we are honored to have our life story come alive on the big screen.”
According to a press release posted by Variety, “‘Michael’ will give audiences an in-depth portrayal of the complicated man who became the King of Pop. It will bring to life Jackson’s most iconic performances as it gives an informed insight into the entertainer’s artistic process and personal life.”
Jackson, who was titled the “King of Pop,” is one of the biggest-selling artists of all time, selling an estimated 400 million records worldwide. The owner of 13 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles was more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. The Thriller artist was also the first to have a top-10 single on that chart in five different decades.
Jackson also has won 15 Grammy Awards, 6 Brit Awards, a Golden Globe, and 39 Guinness World Records, including Most Successful Entertainer of All Time. The singer is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice), the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Dance Hall of Fame (the only recording artist to be inducted), and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.
It’s Complicated: Wendy Williams’ Bank Files For Guardianship Hearing, Calls Her An ‘Incapacitated Person’
In response to Wendy Williams’demands to unfreeze millions in her accounts, Wells Fargo deemed her an “incapacitated person” who needs guardianship to intervene in her affairs, Page Six reports.
Reportedly, Wells Fargo wrote a letter to New York Supreme Court Judge Arlene Bluth, petitioning for a guardianship hearing “concerning the client’s capacity.”
The letter, which Page Six obtained, was written by attorney David H. Pikus on behalf of the bank.
“We are concerned about [Williams’] situation. It is our hope that the Guardianship Part [of the court] will imminently appoint a temporary guardian or evaluator to review the situation and ensure that [Williams’] affairs are being properly handled,” Pikus stated.
Last Friday, 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 Lori Schiller, whom she fired due to alleged wrongdoing involving her accounts and improper professional conduct, alleged Williams was “of unsound mind.”
Wells Fargo’s concerns extend beyond Williams’ health issues. Pikus sent an additional letter to the judge, further alleging that the bank “has strong reason to believe” that the 57-year-old is a “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation,” as per The Sun. The bank requested to keep the case “under seal” to “preserve the confidential interests of the alleged incapacitated person.”
McCaw responded that her client denies Pikus’ claims and requested a temporary restraining order against Wells Fargo to prevent the bank “from freezing [Williams’] accounts and interfering with her right to access her financial assets and statements.”
A spokesperson for Wells Fargo submitted a statement to the news outlet: “We deny any allegations of improper actions with respect to Ms. Williams’ accounts and are fully participating in a court process to reach a resolution that is in her best interest. The financial well-being of our clients is at the heart of everything we do.”
Williams, who has Graves’ disease and other health issues, has not hosted her daytime talk show since July 2021. The legal battle against her bank has emerged as The Wendy Williams Show works to secure a permanent host in actress and comedian Sherri Shepherd.
‘What Chu Talkin Bout Willis?!’ Todd Bridges and Cynthia Bailey Have Heated Fight On ‘Celebrity Big Brother’
Cynthia Baileythought she left the drama behind on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but the reality star recently went at it with Todd Bridges on Celebrity Big Brother.
Thursday’s live feeds revealed an epic showdown between the Different Strokes star and veteran supermodel. While the cameras didn’t capture the actual fight, audio from the bathroom picked up Bridges and Bailey hurling F-bombs at each other, Heavy reports.
“F*** that, f*** you, period,” Bridges was heard yelling at Cynthia. “F*** you,” Bailey quipped back.
In the distance, fellow housemates Lamar Odom, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Shanna Moakler listened to the drama play out.
After joining Odom and Kirkpatrick in the other room, Bridges continued to vent.
“Cause she wanna start that gangster s***,” Todd said to Odom. “She don’t know who the f*** she f***in with.”
Bridges explained to Kirkpatrick and Odom that the fight started over his decision not to vote for Bailey to stay. On the chopping block to be sent home, Bailey felt pressure over the reality of being voted out.
“Here’s the thing, she cut my throat,” Bridges said about Bailey voting to save her alliance member and fellow housewife, Teddi Mellencamp, over him.
Bailey’s husband, Mike Hill, was quick to sound off on Twitter about Bridges’ hurling obscenities at his wife.
Biracial Miami Dolphins Head Coach Says He Identifies As A Human Being Instead of Black
Mike McDaniel, the new head coach for the Miami Dolphins, has been getting a lot of attention recently, but it has nothing to do with his on-field accomplishments.
McDaniel replaced Brian Flores, who was fired and filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and three teams after finding out another coach got the New York Giants head coaching vacancy ahead of his interview with the team.
After the Dolphins hired McDaniel, many were quick to praise the team for hiring a minority coach. McDaniel is multiracial and has a Black father. However, McDaniels struck a different tone during his introductory press conference.
According to multiple reports, McDaniel said he wants to be identified as a human being, adding that he’s never experienced racism, but his parents did, and as a result, he can identify with other people’s problems.
“It’s been very odd to tell you the truth,” McDaniel said. “This idea of identifying as something. I think people identify me as something, but I identify as a human being, and my dad’s Black so whatever you want to call it, I know there’s a lot of people with a shared experience.”
McDaniel continued to stumble through whatever point he was trying to make and, in doing so, exposed a subject rarely openly discussed: Biracial people and their feelings about race and identity.
This subject has come up several times outside of sports during the month, in which Black history is celebrated. Mission Impossible 2 actress Thandie Newtonissued an unsolicited apology to dark-skinned Black actresses.
“I’ve wanted so desperately to apologize every day to darker-skinned actresses,” said Newton as she struggled to hold back tears. “To say, ‘I’m sorry that I’m the one chosen.’ My mama looks like you.” Newton said, referencing her mother.
Crazy Rich Asians and Awkakfina isNora From Queens actress Nora Lum, who is not biracial and goes by the stage name Awkwafina, also “apologized” for building her career through the cultural appropriation of Black Americans before promptly running off the social media site Twitter before she got dragged in her comments.
Meet Dr. Bobbi Peterson, The First Black Woman To Design An Electric Toothbrush
Dr. Bobbi Peterson, a second-generation HBCU-educated dentist, is on a mission to honor her family legacy by contributing to Black history and the betterment of health within the Black community.
Driven by the motto, “Bigger Is Better,” Peterson launched a revolutionary new toothbrush, “Big Mouth,” with a unique design and effective functionality. She is not only the first Black woman to design an electronic, battery-operated toothbrush, but the first woman to ever to do so.
Peterson leverages her entrepreneurial spirit as the owner of Aces Braces, a dental practice located in Brooklyn, New York, to teach others about the importance of oral health care through internships, free orthodontic evaluations, and more. She also wrote and published a children’s book, Tanner’s Teeth, which provides insights into the achievements of the first African American dentist.
BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with Peterson about the inspiration behind “Big Mouth” and how she feels to be a second-generation history maker.
Dr. Bobbi Peterson
What inspired the seed for what is now Big Mouth?
The inspiration behind the Big Mouth design came from my family! I am the youngest of 7, but I’m the loudest; I have the biggest mouth. My mom nicknamed me “Mighty Mouth” when I was a toddler.
I am the daughter of a dentist so oral care has been ingrained in me as an essential component of good overall health. I am also the daughter of a nurse educator so identifying holistic health challenges and developing healthy solutions for the community comes naturally to me. I love to help people feel better about themselves.
A few years back I was a brand ambassador for what was the only Black-owned manual toothbrush company. There are a few more now, but at that time I wanted to collab with the owner on a possible partnership for an electric toothbrush. I did not discuss my design or features with him; I just floated the idea. But this guy told me that an electronic toothbrush couldn’t be successful with me as the lead ambassador of the brand.I very politely told him that I was dissociating myself from his company and about a year later I decided to launch my own product designed for the people I was already serving!
How did you come up with the name for your brand?
I come from a very tight-knit family out of Newark, New Jersey. Our parents raised all of us to be proud of who we are and to strive for greatness but always serve the community. We have had family conference/video calls every Sunday for years so I spoke with my family about wanting to develop my own electric toothbrush and all of my ideas to design and deliver a product that would be distinct for our community!
As Black people, everything about us is big. Sometimes society tries to make us feel small, but our legacy and our impact is tremendous. There was a lot of loud talking on that call. The name Big Mouth came up because it honored our family tradition. We talk loud when we need to and it signified the simple premise of the Big Mouth brand—bigger is better—when it comes to toothbrushes. In the case of the Big Mouth toothbrush, it looks better, feels better, and it works better! It is silly to think that “one size fits all” applies to anything, but it definitely does not apply to toothbrushes.
What does it mean to you to be the first Black woman to design an electric toothbrush?
It feels absolutely amazing! It is an honor to have the opportunity to contribute to Black history as well as health. It also means that we still have so much work to do so that being the first woman in any arena becomes commonplace.
So, I am a second-generation African American dentist. I studied at the same institution that my Dad did– Howard University. HU! Clearly, we have to work in ways that transcend African American “firsts.” It is unfortunate that we even still have the first African Americans to do anything in the 21st century. But I also understand and realize (in my soul) that being a first is powerful for our culture and it is significant in the annals of history. That said, I didn’t do this work to make history. I designed Big Mouth to make people feel better about themselves and to give people an actual tool to improve their self-esteem and to enhance their impact for every first impression.
With Black History Month in mind, how has Black history influenced you to become a history-maker today?
The very existence of Black history and Black History Month motivates me to break every possible barrier to access, progress, and success. I am driven to succeed and to help others figure out how to help themselves and others. Our culture is so powerful. My brother says this all of the time, but Black culture and history are like our Vibranium. For folks not familiar with Black Panther lore, that just means that our culture is everything. It is–without question–the most valuable “thing” that we have and continue to produce.
What legacy would you like to leave to the future generations of Black dentists and entrepreneurs?
Besides being a dope, well-rounded, extremely vibrant character, I hope that future generations will be inspired to believe in themselves. My father was a dentist, so it wasn’t a stretch for me to think that I could be a dentist. But we need girls, boys, poor folks, people of color, and everybody to believe that they can be a professional in this space. Good oral health care must be as culturally inclusive as possible in order for it to be effective going forward I want young people to believe in themselves enough to think and dream big!I want them to serve their communities and try to do something to make the world a better place.
Black Girl Power Activated! Former ESPN Hosts Jemele Hill and Cari Champion Land Weekly CNN+ Show
Former ESPN hostsJemele Hill and Cari Champion are teaming up for a new weekly show on CNN.
On Thursday, CNN announced that Hill and Champion would co-host Cari & Jemele: Speak.Easy., on the network’s new subscription streaming service coming this spring. The two broadcast journalists will give their takes on the latest trending topics in sports, entertainment, politics, and culture.
With both co-hosts having strong backgrounds as on-air correspondents, Hill and Champion will combine their skills for CNN as they did for “Cari and Jemele (Won’t) Stick to Sports” on Vice TV.
“I’m so thrilled to join CNN+. The beauty and authenticity of my friendship with Jemele has always been at the heart of our creative partnership,” Champion said.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the CNN family and share our brand of ‘speakeasy’ with the world.”
“I believe the old adage is that if you work with one of your best friends, then you’ll never work a day in your life. While I made that up, there’s a certain magic that happens when Cari and I collaborate together,” Hill said.
“The CNN family is a perfect partner for us because they understand our chemistry and appreciate that our boldness is our strength.”
The former ESPN hosts share a decorated history as sports broadcasters. Hill hosted SportsCenter for nearly 12 years as well as hosting His and Hers and writing for The Undefeated. Hill was suspended from ESPN in 2017 after posting anti-Trump statements on social media, including one calling the former President a “white supremacist,” Washington Postreports.
Champion’s eight years at ESPN included co-hosting SportsCenter Coast to Coast, hosting SportsNation, and serving as a moderator on First Take.
CNN has been busy acquiring standout talent for their new subscription-based platform. Last week, the outlet announced that former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) was hired as a contributor along with conservative pundit Jonah Goldberg.
Pennsylvania Fire Company Suspended for Reportedly Mocking Police Shooting of Black Girl
A volunteer fire company in Pennsylvania has been suspended for 30 days for reportedly making racist comments and mocking the police shooting of 8-year-old Fanta Bility.
On Thursday, a spokesperson confirmed that the Briarcliffe Volunteer Fire Company was suspended for 30 days after a letter revealed the comments from members of the volunteer group, NBC News reported.
“To have these actions taken and these kinds of remarks made is just unacceptable,” Councilman Richard Womack said.
Michael Pierce, a solicitor for Darby Township, said the suspension came one day after a board member from Goodwill, another local fire company, revealed the alleged comments to the Darby Township Board of Commissioners meeting.
“The township, as I indicated, with unanimity is committed to making sure that this does not happen and this does not continue and that those responsible will face whatever consequences they have,” Pierce said.
The original comments were made during a January 27 virtual meeting between Briarcliffe, Goodwill, and other local fire companies. Once the session was done, most members logged off. But six Briarcliffe members lagged behind and started to have an open conversation that included racism.
“Suddenly, there was the sound of a group of people discussing the meeting while using foul inappropriate language,” the letter stated.
The letter says the members spoke for more than two hours and a recording captured the discussion. Members were heard referring to active members as n-words, and even mentioned arson to homes on Cook Avenue, CBS Philly reported. The racist comments included a joke about the 2021 police shooting of 8-year-old Fanta Bility.
“I was disgusted and I also was grateful that they were caught,” said Ashley Dolceamore, co-founder of Delco Resists.
The attorney for the family of Fanta Bility is calling for disciplinary action to be taken against the members.
“To speak of her with such disrespect shines the light of shame on those people at the fire house making the remarks.”
