Pierce, a veteran actor, is partnering with Caesars Palace Times Square. The organization, a 501(c) (3) entity called the New York Coalition of Legacy Theatres of Color Fund, will target marginalized institutions. Its specific goal is to boost production, marketing, and awareness for historically Black operations, Playbill reported. These include the Billie Holiday Theatre, the Black Spectrum Theatre, and The Negro Ensemble Company.
“As an artist and advocate, I believe that the social justice movement of the 21st century is economic development and creating opportunities that sustain and uplift our communities—both on stage and beyond,” said Pierce in a statement.
The investment comes as Caesars Palace Times Square is gaining a foothold in New York with its proposed hotel and gaming establishment. Roc Nation and Live Nation are also partnering with Caesars Palace in the construction of the casino.
The initial proposal offers $250 million in community investment, including:
$81 million public safety plan for the surrounding neighborhoods.
$15 million for a new civil rights museum spearheaded by the Civil Rights Foundation.
$5 million to support the development of the Callen-Lorde Center for Excellence in Sexual Health.
Along with the $10 million commitment to the New York Coalition of Legacy Theatres of Color Fund, an additional $240 million will support the Broadway community as a whole. These funds will be allocated toward:
$32 million investment in childcare, student and medical debt assistance, and rent support for Broadway workers.
$20 million to purchase Broadway tickets for underserved families.
Pierce, a Tony Award-winning thespian, has long advocated for the Broadway community. The first Black man to play “Willie Loman” in Death of a Salesman, his support and partnership lend credibility to the project.
“Caesars Palace Times Square is a formidable investment, creating access and opportunity, with a profound creation of jobs in the greatest cultural economy of the world. This project will not only be transformative for our creative Broadway community but for the broader labor force as well. I fully endorse this project and recognize this is a powerful step toward ensuring that cultural groups of color are not just included but are leaders in shaping the future of Times Square — with a commitment to workforce inclusion, community partnership, and artistic vibrancy for all.”
Sharon Shropshire, a member of the council, spoke with WSB Atlanta about the outstanding balance. The councilwoman stresses that she did not incur the bill as she lives with her mother. Shropshire has been a caretaker for her fully disabled mother for years. As a result, she has been a resident of the property for 12 years. Yet, she contends that since the bill is not in her name, she is not responsible for payment.
“The water bill and the utility bill are in my mom’s name. Who is 72 years old and 100% disabled,” Shropshire said.
It is unclear how a senior citizen, who is fully disabled, will be able to clear such a large debt. Yet, Shropshire insists the septuagenarian is working on it.
”At the end of the day, my mother will continue to work with the city to get the debt paid,” she insisted.
Residents have questioned why a lien has not been put on the home. Additionally, residents believe Shropshire should not continue serving the city with such a massive debt levied against the home.
Shropshire’s situation was revealed during a forensic audit of the city’s finances and council members. In 2023, East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham claimed the town fell victim to an email scam in 2021. According to Fox 5 reporting, four invoices were sent using city email addresses soliciting $1,219,287.
Then-Mayor Holiday Ingraham promised residents complete transparency. A forensic audit then began, which revealed that the missing funds were not the result of fraud or embezzlement by insiders. However, the missing money was the result of poor accounting, wasteful spending, and improper documentation.
Shilo Sanders Has Chance To Make Team As General Manager Says He’s ‘Rooting For Him’
'He does do all the right things,' Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Jason Licht stated. 'He’s just been an awesome kid around the facility. First one in. Very, very respectful of everybody.'
NFL rookie Shilo Sanders is not a lock to be on the roster of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the hopeful first-year player has garnered attention from the likes of the general manager as well as the head coach of the team.
Sports Illustrated reported that the undrafted rookie hasn’t solidified his spot on the Buccaneers but has been credited with being a good team player and very personable with teammates and fans alike. Tampa Bay General Manager Jason Licht has taken notice of Sanders’ charisma, and he discussed it on a recent episode of The Pat And Aaron Show on 95.3 WDAE, commenting on how he handles himself.
“He does do all the right things,” Licht stated. “He’s just been an awesome kid around the facility. First one in. Very, very respectful of everybody, not just his coaches but, you know, people working in all aspects of the organization. Great kid. Rooting for him.”
Although he did not mention his playing ability, he recognizes that Sanders has a future beyond his football career.
“He’s got a way about him with the camera. I think he’s going to be making a lot of money at some point, whenever football is over for him, doing his deal on YouTube,” Licht told the radio hosts.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles will ultimately have to make that decision before the season starts. The head coach will have to reduce his roster down to 53 players by 4 p.m. Aug. 27. He provided positive feedback and stated that he has a “good chance to make” the team.
“He’s coming along,” Bowles told the media. “He’s getting the scheme down; he’s made plays like everybody else back there. There’s a few tests that come up during the preseason, Tuesday night was one. The other three preseason games and practices will be the others. He’s got a good chance to make it.”
The outlook is positive, and only time will tell if the middle son of Deion Sanders will be on an NFL football field when the season starts in September.
Issa Rae Sued For Alleged Copyright Infringement Over ‘One of Them Days’ Script
A group of writers is accusing Issa Rae of copying the concept behind her film "One of Them Days."
Issa Rae is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit for allegedly stealing the concept of her well-received buddy comedy “One of Them Days.”
In a lawsuit filed on July 30, writers Joshua Isaacson, Shon Oku, and Tyrone Perry accuse Rae’s ColorCreative, Sony Pictures, TriStar, and screenwriter Syreeta Singleton of copyright infringement and idea theft, Hot 97 reports. The suit claims that Rae’s 2025 comedy, starring Keke Palmer and SZA, bears striking similarities to the writers’ 2020 script, titled One of Those Days.
The writers allege that the character development, plot structure, and overall tone of One of Them Days closely mirror a screenplay they previously pitched to a former producer from Rae’s HBO hit, Insecure. Veteran screenwriter John Brancato reviewed both scripts and determined the similarities were “substantial” and unlikely to be a coincidence.
The plaintiffs began pitching their script in late 2023, first presenting it to producer Danny Hamouie, who never responded and is not named in the suit. It was the first time someone outside their group had seen the script. Then, in April 2024, the writers submitted the script to producers Roman Arabia and Xavier Charles, founders of Green Eggs Go H.A.M., who declined the project.
However, just weeks later, Rae’s production company announced One of Them Days, a film about two roommates racing around Los Angeles to come up with rent money. Directed by Lawrence Lamont and written by Singleton, the movie premiered in January 2025 and earned more than $51 million at the box office on a $14 million budget.
The writers argue that Charles’ past connection to Rae as a former Insecure producer, combined with the timing of Rae’s project announcement, is too coincidental to overlook. In the lawsuit, they allege Rae’s team “misappropriated Plaintiffs’ original expression and passed it off as their own without authorization, credit, or compensation.” The plaintiffs are seeking damages, legal fees, and a jury trial.
Airbnb Guest Airs Company Out After Superhost Used Fake AI Photos To Claim $16K In Damages
After denying any damage and claiming she had only two visitors during her short stay, the guest decided to take a closer look at the photos and noticed things weren't adding up.
Artificial intelligence strikes again after a Manhattan Airbnb superhost was caught using fake images to claim a guest caused $16,000 in property damages, the New York Post reports.
A woman from London booked a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan for a two-and-a-half-month stay but cut her trip short in early 2025 after claiming she felt unsafe. After staying for only seven weeks, the host decided to push a narrative to the rental company that the renter had caused a massive amount of property damage. The host sent in pictures of a coffee table that would be described as cracked and accused the guest of staining a mattress with urine, damaging a vacuum cleaner, a couch, a microwave, and an air conditioner.
After denying any damage and claiming she had only two visitors during her short stay, the guest decided to take a closer look at the photos and noticed things weren’t adding up.
Looking at two pictures of the coffee table, it didn’t take long for the woman to notice the differences in the damage, which led her to believe the images had been manipulated by AI, possibly as a retaliation against her for ending her trip early. In the beginning, unfortunately, the company took the side of the “superhost,” stating “after careful review of the photos,” the guest would have to pay roughly $7,000 — but she wasn’t buying it, so she appealed their decision.
“I informed them that I can provide testimony from an eyewitness who was with me during checkout and can attest under oath to the condition in which the property was left: clean, undamaged, and in good order,” the guest said. “I also clearly demonstrated visual discrepancies in images of the same object (wooden table) provided by the host that show clear signs of fabrication. These inconsistencies are simply not possible in genuine, unedited photographs of the same object.”
Once Airbnb was questioned about its decision, the company accepted her appeal, and she was credited with close to $670. However, when she threatened to take her business elsewhere, Airbnb upped the refund to $1,140, approximately a fifth of the booking cost. After refusing the funds, the company eventually caved and refunded her the entire booking amount of $5,700.
According to People, Airbnb removed the negative review about the superhost and apologized for the incident. This experience fell below our usual high standards, and we have been in touch with the guest to apologize and assure them they will not be charged for the reported damage,” an Airbnb spokesperson said in a statement.
“We take damage claims seriously, our specialist team reviews all available evidence to reach proportionate outcomes for both parties, and to help ensure a fair approach, decisions can be appealed.”
Some social media users are taking the side of the guest, saying the superhost should have been removed immediately. “Reviewing what? The host should immediately be removed from Airbnb and charged with attempted theft,” @1nauticanicole said.
Another user said something similar happened to him. “I had a guy break his own stuff, forget he was on camera, and blame it on us. Once we finally got the footage, he was embarrassed,” @bigtee2008 wrote on IG. User @barbzinthecity gave some advice, telling Airbnb customers to “always take pics before & after.”
The guest hopes her story encourages other victims to speak out and that the company prioritizes its customers’ needs, especially in the face of AI’s growing influence.
“My concern is for future customers who may become victims of similar fraudulent claims and do not have the means to push back so much or give in to paying out of fear of escalation,” the woman said.
“Given the ease with which such images can now be AI-generated and accepted by Airbnb despite investigations, it should not be so easy for a host to get away with forging evidence in this way.”
Oral History: Gullah Geechee Elders Preserve Songs And Stories Of Their Enslaved Ancestors
The Gullah-Geechee people are descendants of West Africans who settled on coastal islands from North Carolina to Georgia.
The Voices of Gullah is a singing group composed of members in their 70s and 80s who travel the U.S. singing songs in the Gullah Creole language, a mix of West African dialects and English. The St. Helena, South Carolina-based group is one of many artistic groups that help preserve the Gullah-Geechee traditions through music.
The group consists of Minnie “Gracie” Gadson, 78, Rosa Murray, 89, Joe Murray, 87, and their son, Charles “Jojo” Brown, 71.
The group recently performed at the historic Coffin Point Praise House, one of only three remaining praise houses on St. Helena Island, S.C. These small structures once served as places of worship and gathering for enslaved Gullah-Geechee people and, later, their free descendants. St. Helena Island is home to more than 5,000 descendants of enslaved plantation workers, making it the largest Gullah-Geechee community along South Carolina’s coast.
Gadson, who grew up singing in praise houses, says she has a passion for performing these songs, which often contain encoded language, including hidden messages of hope, escape routes, and possible hiding places.
Musicologist Eric Crawford discovered the singing group after immersing himself in Gullah culture. The scholar learned about the Gullah-Geechee people after reading a student’s master’s thesis.
“As I began to investigate it, I began to understand that ‘Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,’ ‘Roll Jordan Roll,’ ‘Kumbaya!’ — all these iconic songs came from this area,” he told theAssociated Press.
Crawford reflects on the significance of the praise houses because enslaved people could connect with their West African spiritual traditions by incorporating them into church songs. This is where they created the “ring shout,” a counterclockwise dance where participants clap their hands and stomp their feet in rhythm while singing in a call-and-response style. In 2014, Crawford began taking the group on tour, which included the touring band’s members, including Gadson, the Murrays, and their son, Charles “Jojo” Brown.
In his book Gullah Spirituals: The Sound of Freedom and Protest in the South Carolina Sea Islands, Crawford details the oral history that has been passed down through music.
Anita Singleton-Prather, founder and artistic director of the Gullah Kinfolk Traveling Theater, shares the importance of preserving the history and culture of the Gullah-Geechee people.
“This Gullah Geechee thing is what connects us all across the African diaspora because Gullah Geechee is the blending of all of these cultures that came together during that terrible time in our history called the trans-Atlantic slave trade,” Singleton-Prather told The Associated Press.
Singleton-Prather, who plays the character of Aunt Pearlie Sue, has written four plays along with music that share stories and songs depicting the Gullah-Geechee culture. The group’s most recent play, Da’ Gullah American Revolutionary Experience, tells the story of the Gullah Geechee people’s contributions during the American Revolution, including rice farming and indigo dyeing.
Detroit Man Indicted After Allegedly Defrauding Small Business Administration For Over $3M In PPP Loans
45-year-old Jabari Kadar Long was arrested Aug. 5
A federal investigation into a loan given to a Beverly Hills, Michigan, man during the coronavirus pandemic has led to a federal indictment, unsealed on Aug. 5, against 45-year-old Jabari Kadar Long.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has announced that Long has been accused of defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) after submitting fraudulent loan applications for funds received from two government programs: the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).
Long has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, and one count of money laundering arising out of his participation in the scheme. Along with several unnamed co-conspirators, the 45-year-old applied for emergency funds that the government was offering during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had gripped the nation.
They applied for the PPP and EIDL loans, supplying false information on applications for businesses that were ineligible for such loans. The indictment alleges that Long applied for and received $2,187,000 for a business called “Priceless Preservations Construction.” The application he filled out listed that the company employed a total of 50 employees and that the business had an average monthly payroll of $875,000. Authorities have alleged that the information provided was not truthful, as Priceless Preservations Construction had few, if any, employees and minimal payroll expenses. The SBA forwarded over $3 million from these programs to Long.
No additional information was revealed regarding any upcoming court dates or the potential penalties Long may face for allegedly committing this crime.
In March 2020, as the country grappled with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Congress created the PPP to provide emergency financial assistance to businesses suffering from the economic impact of the pandemic. Under this program, eligible small businesses could receive forgivable loans guaranteed by the SBA.
Kendrick Johnson’s Parents Seek $12M From Georgia Agency For Falsifying Death Records
Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson filed a lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Health, claiming the agency falsified their son's death certificate.
Twelve years after his death, the parents of Kendrick Johnson are continuing to seek justice and accuracy in their son’s case. On July 25, the family filed a lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH).
Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson have filed a $12 million lawsuit against the DPH due to its refusal to correct the cause of death on Kendrick’s death certificate, WSB Atlanta reported. Kendrick’s parents are seeking $6,000,000 in compensatory damages, $6,000,000 in punitive damages.
In January 2013, the death of the high schooler was ruled “accidental positional asphyxia” after he was found deceased in a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes County High School. However, Kenneth and Jacquelyn contend that the evidence shows multiple injuries that do not support an accidental death conclusion.
“All I have to say is pictures don’t lie, people do,” Kenneth Johnson said about the evidence. Included in the complaint are multiple autopsy photos that show blunt force trauma to Kendrick’s body. Additionally, the photos allegedly show a collapsed carotid artery.
The Johnsons are also seeking answers about Kendrick’s missing organs. Images included in the lawsuit, during the 17-year-old’s initial autopsy, show the presence of a biomedical organ bag. However, his remains went missing. Kenneth and Jacquelyn believe the missing organs would have further proved foul play. The lawsuit claims the missing organs and mishandling of the remains present multiple “chain of custody violations.” Thus, putting multiple investigative conclusions into question.
The grieving parents have long believed their son’s death has been covered up by Georgia authorities. The change to the death certificate is necessary for Jacquelyn and Kenneth to continue their quest for justice.
Roc Nation Redemption Story: James Severe Reclaimed His Future After A Clerical Error Landed Him Back Behind Bars
After serving jail time, James came home determined to rebuild.
When James Severe arrived at West Virginia University in 2012, he had one thing on his mind: football. “I went to a pretty popular prep school in North Jersey—Don Bosco Prep—big football school,” he recalls. “But you hit a point where you get realistic. Like, I’m not LeBron. I’m not going to the league. So, I figured, maybe I’d be an agent. Still stay close to the game.”
That dream derailed when he was 19 and got caught with a pound of weed. No guns. No cash. Just marijuana in a state that only recently legalized recreational use.
“I was a sophomore in college,” he says. “And in West Virginia, that was enough to get me two years.”
James takes full responsibility for the mistake that led to his first incarceration. “I put myself in that position. I own that,” he says. “Should I have been in prison for that long? No. You know, did it matter that I was from New York? I was Black? Probably. Most likely.”
After serving his time, James came home determined to rebuild. He enrolled at Nassau Community College, made the dean’s list, and even made the junior college’s football squad. While it was clear the league wasn’t in the cards, he had a plan in place to pursue a career in sports business. He landed his dream internship at a sports agency in New Jersey and picked up an overnight job at Morton Williams supermarket and a barback gig in Times Square.
By late 2019, he transferred to the City College of New York to study psychology, balancing classes, two jobs, and an internship. “I was rolling,” he says. “Keeping up with everything. Just doing my thing… I was set to graduate in spring.”
That momentum came to a screeching halt in December, three days before his birthday. Pulled over for speeding on his way to work, James was blindsided when officers told him there was a fugitive warrant out for his arrest. The reason? A clerical error.
“My parole officer had retired during COVID,” he explains. “We were doing phone check-ins, and I was still calling, answering the prompts, changing my address when I needed to. I had no idea no one was monitoring it.”
No one contacted him to follow up. No warning. Just jail.
“I’m on parole. I’m basically the best candidate to be on parole, you know, honestly. You couldn’t really paint a better picture with what I was doing and like what I was achieving while on parole. I was kind of like in shock. I felt like—like my life just—just dropped.”
Because no one was tracking his check-ins, James was accused of absconding. “They treated me like I’d disappeared,” he says. “But I was a full-time student, working two jobs, interning. I wasn’t hiding. I was right there.”
Even after learning that his officer had quietly retired, and a new officer had only just discovered the case, there was no correction. No reversal. No apology. When James appeared before the parole board, New York parole didn’t even show up.
He ended up spending over five months incarcerated, first at Rikers Island, then in West Virginia. “I sat in Rikers for about over a month… I wasn’t housed for like the first, like, two, three days when I got there. Like, sleeping on the floor… I don’t know how I coped, as I’m talking about it right now. I really don’t. I kind of, like, lost myself.”
“I was found guilty based on a sheet of paper,” he says. “Nobody ever took responsibility. One day, I just got an email that said, ‘You’re off parole.’ That was it.”
Released with no fanfare and no restitution, James had to start over from scratch. “It felt like I had to rebuild my entire life—again,” he says. “But I wasn’t going to let it break me.”
His sister, Tracy, connected him to a nonprofit digital media program for formerly incarcerated people. He completed the training, picked up new skills, and heard about the Roc Nation School. “That was my last shot,” he says. “I was 32, going back to school, and barely had enough money to finish. But I said, either I’m gonna work in this business or I’m not.”
James enrolled in the Sports Management program and kept pushing. He interned at Roc Nation’s TV & Film division, where he eventually landed a full-time role. Today, he’s a producer on the Joe and Jada podcast hosted by Fat Joe and Jadakiss.
“To sit in a room with them every week and have my voice respected?” he says. “They respect me even more once they find out what I’ve been through. That means something.”
While he was enrolled at the Roc Nation School, he had a chance encounter that brought everything full circle. “Michael Rubin was one of the first guests who came to the school,” James says. “And I was able to share my story, say thank you to them and, you know, everything. And now we hand in hand at Roc Nation. It’s cool.”
“They gave me a voice,” he says. “I was able to accept my past and try to progress from it.”
Now, James is part of a growing network of changemakers, using lived experience to fight for smarter policies and second chances. And he’s not afraid to share what he’s been through because he knows it might help someone else find their way forward.
In addition to Roc Nation, Reform Alliance, and the nonprofit storytelling platform The Moth, where he also interned, Severe credits his boss, Lori York, with helping him stay the course. “She stuck her neck out for me,” he says. “She treats me like family.”
This past spring, James walked across the stage at the Roc Nation School and accepted his degree. His son, Jade, turns two this fall.
“To be able to do all this and make him proud? That’s what matters,” he says. “I did it the long way. But I did it the right way. I really worked for this.”
Not everyone gets a second chance. Even fewer get another after that.
James Severe did—and he earned it. He’s building a future not just for himself, but for his son, as well. With every move, he’s proving he’s not just back on track, he’s exactly where he belongs.
Men Who XCEL: Dr. George C. Fraser To Be Honored At The 2025 ‘XCEL Summit For Men’
Dr. Fraser has built a roadmap to usher in the next generation of business leaders and professionals.
For over 30 years, Dr. George C. Fraser has served as an exemplary businessman who created spaces to guide future Black professionals. As the founder of Fraser Net, Fraser has been a shining example of endurance. BLACK ENTERPRISE will honor the business titan at the 2025 XCEL Summit for Men.
Fraser has created a space to open doors for the next generation of leaders as the founder and CEO of the PowerNetworking Experience & Expo. Furthermore, he’s made it his life’s work to impart knowledge to up-and-coming business leaders. For 24 years, Power Network has created a space for “networking and financial legacy building.” Drawing on his career experience to inform his guidance, Fraser frequently speaks about the skills necessary to flourish in business.
At the 2024 Black Men XCEL Summit, Fraser spoke on the concept of time and its importance to all.
“I will tell anybody in a New York minute, ‘Do anything but don’t waste my time.’ I will get more money, but I will not get more time, and I don’t know how much time I have, but I am not going to allow you to waste it,” he said.
Additionally, Fraser emphasized that respecting time is the best way to achieve one’s personal and professional goals.
“Time is a currency. Don’t waste it. Find your purpose and take care of yourself, and you will live to do whatever God has assigned you to do.”
Using Time Wisely
As a graduate of Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, Fraser was prepared to step into the C-suite. However, the grit and tenacity to persevere in a cut-throat industry did not come from higher education.
Fraser began working as a janitor for LaGuardia Airport while simultaneously paying his way through school. He would go on to graduate in 1996. After graduating, Fraser cut his teeth in business working for Procter & Gamble, United Way, and Ford Motor Co.
Fraser’s myriad accomplishments have demonstrated that he has indeed used his time wisely. He is the author of multiple best-selling books, including Success Runs In Our Race, Complete Guide to Effective Networking in the African American Community, Race for Success, The Ten Best Business Opportunities for Blacks In America, and Click: Ten Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationships. Furthermore, Fraser’s new book, The New Flex: The Art of Being Unapologetically Black, centers and empowers the growth of Black professionals.
Fraser is an inductee of the Minority Business Hall of Fame and Museum. He has founded two charter schools in his quest to uplift the Black community. His extensive body of work in business and the community has been recognized with 350 awards and citations, as well as three honorary doctorates. At the XCEL Summit for Men, the man of excellence and wisdom will be formally acknowledged by a group of his peers.
