by Andrea Blackstone

July 19, 2021

Black Tech Entrepreneurs Score $1M Prize From Pharrell Williams, Black Ambition Competition

Andre Davis and Justin Turk—co-founders of Livegistics—won a $1 million prize as singer and producer Pharrell Williams’ leading Black Ambition competition winners.

 

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Williams’ non-profit works to close the opportunity and wealth gap for “Black and Latinx HBCU students and entrepreneurs” who founded start-ups, by investing “capital and resources,” according to Black Ambition’s website. Davis and Turk’s Livegistics qualified to land Black Ambition’s top spot. Livegistics is described as  “a software company that services the construction and heavy hauling industries by providing cloud-based logistical tracking technologies” on the company’s Facebook page. The company’s website provides additional information about the Detroit-based operation. It was “born in 2017” because past construction projects “required inordinate amounts of labor to reconcile/audit construction processes.”

 

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Livegistics incorporates environmentally friendly aspects because the company helps “the environment through the elimination of tons of paper each year and helps local communities accelerate the elimination of blight in urban cities and neighborhoods,” according to CNN.

“We knew we had something special, but you don’t go in thinking you will walk away with $1 million. But when it happens you are like, ‘Wow, we just won $1 million,'” Turk said in the interview.

Turk also feels that succeeding in Williams’ competition is about more than just securing a big prize.

“When we first entered the tech start-up world as two Black entrepreneurs, we had no idea how to navigate in this space,” he also told CNN.

The news story also mentioned that Davis and Turk met during their elementary school years, then attended Bowling Green State University together.

Williams’ has been launching multiple philanthropic endeavors. He is set to give back to youth through opening “a group of small private schools for students from low-income families, starting in Norfolk,” The Virginian Pilot reported.

by Andrea Blackstone

July 19, 2021

A Movement To ‘Ignite Black Wealth Creation’ And Rebuild Black Wall Street Is Underway In Tulsa

The 1921 race riots in Tulsa resulted in hundreds of African Americans killed and dozens of properties destroyed in a thriving Black business district in the Greenwood neighborhood. But the question remains, can Black Wall Street effectively be rebuilt 100 years later?

“Build in Tulsa” believes in this possibility. The group strives to ignite Black wealth creation to move Tulsa forward over the next 100 years, according to CBS News.

Build in Tulsa plans to focus on tech, business and entrepreneurship to move Tulsa forward through Black wealth creation.

“We want Tulsa to be the world’s most Black entrepreneur-centric ecosystem, which is essentially what it was at the turn of the 20th century,” the managing director of Build in Tulsa, Randolph Wiggins, told Forbes.

The mission of Build in Tulsa “is to create a scalable, tech-forward business and entrepreneurship ecosystem to catalyze the creation of generational Black wealth,” according to website details. Wiggins explained to CBS News why he feels that tech is essential to include in plans.

“The tech industry is the largest and fastest generator of wealth in the history of this world…,” he also said. “We want to focus on tech, because we believe it is the channel for multigenerational wealth creation.”

Leaders and individuals are stepping up to help fuel this movement.

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“Three accelerator programs” are being launched by Build in Tulsa. Providing funding for “30 companies” who need support “to set up shop in Tulsa,” is another goal mentioned in the Forbes interview.

“Top entrepreneurs from across America” will enter the program and receive everything from training to funding to encourage success, Wiggins said on CBS News.

 

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California Will Pay Reparations To Survivors of State-Sanctioned Sterilization Eugenics Program
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 19, 2021

California Will Pay Reparations To Survivors of State-Sanctioned Sterilization Eugenics Program

California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a state budget that will pay reparations to survivors of forced or involuntary sterilizations sanctioned by the state under discriminatory eugenics laws.

Last week, California became the third U.S. state to approve these forms of reparations to survivors who were forcibly sterilized by doctors working in California prisons, ABC7 reports. The Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program was included in California’s new state budget deal signed by Gov. Newsom.

“Oh my goodness. I can’t even explain the overjoyed feeling that I have. But also the feeling of relief,” Kelli Dillon said.

Dillion is one of the hundreds of known survivors who were forced or involuntary sterilized while serving time in prison. Her story was featured in the documentary, “Belly of the Beast.”

“The advocacy, the journey of justice we’ve been on has been 20 years for me, but for some survivors has been for over 40 years,” Dillon said.

California’s eugenics law was enacted between 1909 and 1979. It forced sterilization on over 20,000 people, with most of them being poor, disabled, or people of color, NY Times reports.

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Now, as part of the state budget approved by Gov. Newsom, California will spend $7.5 million to find and pay reparations to those who were forcibly sterilized under the state’s old eugenics law, Axios reports. Each individual will receive about $25,000.

“This is very much about acknowledging that there were wrongs committed by the state intentionally, against certain groups of people that were deemed unfit to reproduce or to be members of California society,” said Laura Jimenez, director of California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, told Reuters.

Most of California’s eugenics program was outlawed back in 1979, CNN reports. However, laws ending the sterilization of prisoners were not passed until 2014. The number of survivors remains unclear, but hundreds of people are estimated to be eligible for the funding, including some who are still incarcerated.

4-Year-Old Rapper Goes Viral For Spitting Bars About Gun Violence
by Christian Spencer

July 19, 2021

4-Year-Old Rapper Goes Viral For Spitting Bars About Gun Violence

In Arkansas, a local rapper dropped a music video that expressed his fears of going outside and playing with his friends.

Four-year-old Kashmania, whose real name is Kash Coullier, is not one’s typical recording artist. He is a legitimate rapper with a social following of more than 15,000 on Instagram, more than 11,000 on Facebook, and a little more than 2,000 subscribers on YouTube with 482,755 total views, as of reporting.

Related stories: GOV. CUOMO SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER DECLARING GUN VIOLENCE A DISASTER EMERGENCY IN NEW YORK 

Doing a cover song on MO3 & OG Bobby Billions’ hit single, “Outside (Better Days),” which also discussed their fears of being out and having to carry a weapon, Kashmania’s verses are about children who are victims of stray bullets as a result of street violence.

The young artist is being managed by his father, Carlos “CraftyLos” Coullier, who is prominently featured in the video and serves as backup vocals to Kashmania’s cover.

“Most kids don’t really have a real perspective in this world until they get a certain age so no one really listens to them, but they experience the same thing we experience when they’re put in certain situations,” Mr. Coullier told CBS.

“He’s still a kid, so we bring his iPad and toys and let him be a kid in the studio,” Coullier said.

The anti-violence music video depicts half a dozen children surrounding Kashmania, and some scenes in the music video have the children reacting to a shooting.

Arkansas ranks as the ninth state with the highest rate of gun deaths, an average of 44 children and teens are victims of gun violence every year, and 50 percent of these deaths are homicides, according to Every Town Research.

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Baltimore Officer and His Sergeant Charged For Assaulting And Threatening Teen, Abusing Power
by Christian Spencer

July 19, 2021

Baltimore Officer and His Sergeant Charged For Assaulting And Threatening Teen, Abusing Power

A Baltimore police officer has been charged for allegedly threatening to kill and assaulting a minor, and his sergeant got charged for allegedly lying about the incident and misusing his power, last week.

Officer Maxwell Dundore pursued a 17-year-old who allegedly stole a vehicle on April 27, 2020. The teen reportedly got out of the car in an attempt to run away, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Related stories: SUSPENDED BALTIMORE OFFICER ACCUSED OF CHOKING STEPSON TO DEATH AND HIDING BODY, CHARGED WITH MURDER 

Dundore eventually caught up to the teen, reportedly throwing the boy down onto the concrete ground face first. According to prosecutors, the officer tried to restrain the teen’s neck. 

“Officer Dundore then stated … ‘I will choke you. I will kill you,’ before releasing his hands,” according to prosecutors. It was only after other officers arrived was the teen placed in handcuffs, the prosecutors said. 

“I swear to God, I’ll choke you out if you don’t stop,” Dundore said as the other police officers arrived, prosecutors said.

Dundore did not ease up on his alleged assault. He is being accused of pushing the handcuffed teen’s face and giving him a “back-kicked” in the face, prosecutors continued.

Dundore’s superior, Sgt. Brendan O’Leary,  was in charge of  completing a use of force report regarding the incident. However, it was revealed that O’Leary allegedly made false statements on the reports once discrepancies were found.

“The report submitted by Sergeant O’Leary minimized the severity of Officer Dundore’s actions, materially distorted the nature of the incident to justify unlawful police conduct, and mislead investigators into concluding that the actions of Officer Dundore were within BPD policy,” prosecutors said.

O’Leary got indicted on charges of making a false statement and misconduct in office, The Sun reported.

Both officers were suspended with pay and assigned to administrative work pending the results of the investigation. Dundore earned a little less than $70,000 while O’Leary earned about $112,000, The Sun reported.

“These indictments demonstrate our commitment to ensuring one standard of justice for all — regardless of one’s race, sex, religion, or occupation,” State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement. “As administrators of the criminal justice system, we are committed to protecting public safety and the well-being of everyone in our community.”

 

Undefeated: First Black Girl Duo Wins International Debate Competition At Harvard
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

July 19, 2021

Undefeated: First Black Girl Duo Wins International Debate Competition At Harvard

For the first time in the history of the Harvard Debate Council, two Black girls from Atlanta have made history as the first Black female duo to win the annual summer debate competition at Harvard University according to an announcement.

If you don’t already know, the students from the Harvard Debate Council’s program are pretty much unstoppable and for the fourth year in a row have left the competition in the dust and taken the top prize.

Each summer, the Harvard Debate Council, one of the oldest campus organizations at Harvard University, hosts a summer residential program for hundreds of gifted youths from over 15 countries around the world who converge on campus for two weeks of intensive study, which culminates in a program-wide debate tournament. This year’s residency and competition were held virtually due to COVID-19 protocols.

Jayla Jackson, 16, is a rising junior at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. Emani Stanton, 17, is a rising senior at North Atlanta High School. Both girls are current members of the Atlanta-based Harvard Diversity Project, an initiative founded by Harvard’s award-winning debate coach and author Brandon P. Fleming. In 2017, Harvard accepted Fleming’s proposal to establish the Diversity Project as a means to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus.


Fleming recruits underserved Black youth in Atlanta with little to no prior debate experience. He trains them every weekend for one year in Atlanta leading up to the Harvard summer program, exposing them to higher level academic disciplines. In four years, Fleming has raised over $1 million to enroll over 100 African-American students into the Harvard debate residency on full scholarship. All four cohorts trained by Fleming’s unique curriculum have gone on to win the international debate competition at Harvard.

This year, Jackson and Stanton secured the fourth consecutive championship for the Atlanta-based team with an undefeated 10-0 record. The topic of debate was, “Resolved: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization should substantially increase its defense commitments in the Baltic States.”

Fleming emphasizes to his students that the program is “bigger than debate.” He states, “The achievements of this program and our scholars reveals to the world the power of educational equity.” Jackson remarks about the historic win, “We want to use our platform to show people what’s possible when the playing field is leveled for those who need it most.”

The Harvard Diversity Project has already accepted a new cohort who will begin training in preparation for the Harvard debate residency of 2022.

You can read more about the story of the program and its founder in Brandon P. Fleming’s bestselling book, “MISEDUCATED: A Memoir.” For more information, visit www.HarvardDCDP.org or contact  info@HarvardDCDP.org.

Read And Learn Things Faster With This Training On Speed Reading And Memory Mastery
by Black Enterprise Shop

July 19, 2021

Read And Learn Things Faster With This Training On Speed Reading And Memory Mastery

Howard Berg, the current titleholder of being the fastest reader in the world, is capable of reading an astounding 25,000 words — roughly 80 pages — per minute. What’s even more mind-blowing is the fact that he also happens to be a quick learner, meaning he’s able to retain most of what he consumes. 

For the average human, slogging through passages of text can be tedious. It’s time-consuming, mentally draining, and hard on the eyes. The act of reading makes us shy away from learning new things, but luckily, there’s a hack to make speed reading and comprehension a cakewalk.

The Become a Super-Learner & Speed Reading Bundle packs 15 hours of content that revolves around memory mastery, brain fitness, memory training, and other skills that can help you absorb new information faster and better. 

This seven-pronged bundle, led by the likes of memory coach Eralp Sendan and transformation coach Felix Harder, features courses on helping you become a learning machine. You’ll explore the actual cognitive and neurological factors behind smarter learning, discover techniques on speed reading with high comprehension and understanding, and learn hacks on how to process information faster and more efficiently. 

If you feel like you have a memory of a goldfish, there are courses on improving your memory, so you’ll never forget pertinent information again, like passwords and pin codes. You’ll get the opportunity to understand the psychology of memory, which would help you effortlessly memorize and recall information and rapidly access vast amounts of knowledge.

Should you want to be the next Howard Berg, there’s a neuroscience-based crash course that will have you learning and practicing the exact techniques used to set world records in just 20 minutes a day for five days. You may not be able to achieve reading and understanding tens of pages per minute, but at least you’ll get to elevate your reading speed and comprehension. 

The Become a Super-Learner & Speed Reading Bundle is on sale for a limited time for $29.99, or less than $5 per course.

Prices subject to change.

Shane Flowers, 23, Arrested For The Murder Of His One-Year-Old Son, Dee’Ago Jones In Los Angeles
by Keka Araújo

July 18, 2021

Shane Flowers, 23, Arrested For The Murder Of His One-Year-Old Son, Dee’Ago Jones In Los Angeles

A California mother is devastated after her one-year-old son was killed by his father.

According to KTLA, Ryanna Jones told the news outlet that Shane Flowers informed her that he hit their baby boy, Dee’Ago Alexander Jones after he tripped over a video game controller on Tuesday. The family was at a South Los Angeles hotel when the incident took place.

Jones alleged that Flowers admitted to punching the little boy causing him to fall and hit his head. Dee’Ago lost consciousness and later died at a local hospital.  

“He told me that he didn’t think he hit him that hard for him to pass away,” Jones explained. “And I kept telling him stop hitting my son. And every time I told him to stop, I got the outcome. I was getting beat up.” 


According to ABC7, the grieving mother was sleeping, and Flowers woke her up to tell her Dee’Ago was distressed. The mom also alleged that Flowers was physically abusive to her and the child.

“If you guys are in an abusive relationship, then I suggest you leave because this is the outcome I got, my baby gone because of him,” Jones told KTLA.

The murderous man was arrested by Torrance Police Department and was arraigned on Friday.

His bail was set at $100,000. The investigation is still ongoing.

It’s So Cold In The D: Bianca Chambers Tracked A Car Thief And Dragged Him To Justice In Detroit
by Keka Araújo

July 18, 2021

It’s So Cold In The D: Bianca Chambers Tracked A Car Thief And Dragged Him To Justice In Detroit

A Detroit woman showed one thief that she doesn’t play when it comes to her hard-earned Mercedes Benz. 

Bianca Chambers, 32, had tracked the young thief, who stole her 2016 Mercedes 300C from a Marshall’s on the west side of Detroit on Monday, for three days. After involving the police and tracking the thief with her stealth social media sleuthing skills, the entrepreneur caught up with the bandit at a local barbershop– where he was getting a fresh touch-up on his locs. 

“Listen, these past 3 days feel like a movie.  How would u feel someone just joyriding in your mf car and the fact I kept seein’ my car was mind-blowing. Yesterday really f***d me up knowing he pulled up to my business today. I wasn’t having that s**. I’m Inkster native ain’t s**t sliding. Ain’t no way in hell I was just bout to let him slide today,” Chambers wrote on Facebook just moments before she pulled up on the unsuspecting thief.

Video footage of her confronting the young man as he sat in the salon chair went viral after she dragged his a**– literally– for swiping her whip.

“Excuse me, you got that Benz out there?” Chambers asked.

The man says something indecipherable, and she replies, “Yes, you do, b***h.”

Despite her profanity-laced tirade, the justifiably angry woman and others held the teen until police arrived.

The “bout it” woman said to ensure that he wouldn’t joyride in her car again, she slashed all four tires.

“I slashed all the tires and I thought that he was gonna take off and I didn’t know how long it was going to take for the police to pull up. And I refused to let him pull off again,” Chambers said.

The teen has an alleged history of stealing vehicles throughout the Metro Detroit area. His name has not been released

by Charlene Rhinehart

July 18, 2021

Barbie Doll Modeled After Naomi Osaka Sells Out Within Hours of Release

Last week, a Naomi Osaka Barbie doll was released by Mattel. The doll was an instant hit, selling out within a few hours after it was released on Monday.

“I first teamed up with Barbie in 2019,” Osaka tweeted on Monday. “And today we’re introducing the Barbie Role Model Naomi Osaka doll.”

She adds, “I hope every child is reminded that they can be and do anything.”

Naomi Osaka is a Role Model for Women All Over the World

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has been making headlines all year.

Sportico reported that the tennis champion is the world’s highest-paid woman athlete. This is Osaka’s second year topping the earnings chart, earning a record $55.2 million over the previous 12 months. She’s earned over 90% of her money off the court.

Earlier this year, the 23-year-old athlete landed an appearance in a Levi campaign entitled, Beauty of Becoming. Louis Vuitton also selected Osaka as a brand ambassador. Last month, Panasonic announced a brand ambassador agreement with Osaka. Recently, the tennis champion won her first ESPYS award for Best Female Athlete.

Naomi Osaka Barbie Doll Sells Out

Now, Mattel is celebrating and recognizing the athlete as a Barbie® Role Model.

The Naomi Osaka doll is part of the Barbie Role Model series which celebrates the athlete’s 2018 success as “the first Japanese player to win a major title in a singles match”, according to a press release.

“It’s such an honor to be a part of the Barbie Role Model series, and to remind young girls that they can make a difference in the world. I want young girls everywhere to feel empowered to dream big and to know that if they believe in themselves that anything is possible!” Osaka shared in a statement.

From advocating for Black lives to mental health support for athletes, Osaka has been a voice and inspiration for people all over the world. The first day sales numbers prove that fans were excited about Osaka’s addition to the Barbie collection.

“We are incredibly honored to spotlight Naomi Osaka as part of our Barbie Role Model series,” said Lisa McKnight. She serves as the SVP and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls at Mattel.

McKnight adds, “She has paved the way for future generations of girls to dream bigger, and through her unwavering courage and honesty, shown the world the importance of being your own biggest champion. Naomi continues to break boundaries on and off the court and is a powerful role model to fans everywhere.”

According to the Amazon website, the Barbie Role Models Naomi Osaka Doll is temporarily out of stock. There’s no doubt that fans are hoping to see more dolls in stock during the holiday season.

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