Larger Than Life Hip-Hop Group Run DMC Transformed Into Fisher-Price ‘Little People’
by Andrea Blackstone

July 13, 2021

Larger Than Life Hip-Hop Group Run DMC Transformed Into Fisher-Price ‘Little People’

Fisher-Price is celebrating the hip-hop “Kings of Rock,” Run-DMC.

A special edition Little People Collector Run DMC figure set by Fisher-Price launched as an Amazon exclusive.

According to a press release, “Replicas of Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell spotlight Run DMC’s iconic style and influential fashion statements reflected via their famed thick gold chains and iconic track suits and sneakers (“funky fresh and yes, cold on my feet”).”

The price for the collector figure set, which is intended for the group’s fans of all ages is $14.99.

Image courtesy of Weber Shandwick

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Per The Toy Book, “it was 35 years ago this month that the worlds of rap and rock converged with the groundbreaking collaboration between Aerosmith and Run-DMC for an update to the former’s 1975 hit, ‘Walk This Way.'”  Mattel has been exploring the pop culture space through the Fisher-Price Little People brand, according to the article.

Run-DMC still has a strong social media presence. One of the beloved group members, Jam Master Jay was killed in 2002. The hip-hop icons are also giving fans their own taste of nostalgia through their Amazon store where sweatshirts and hoodies, t-shirts, and the hip-hop group’s music is sold.

 

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According to Run-DMC’s website, “Raising Hell,” was Run-DMC’s third album which was “certified Platinum with 1 million copies sold” in 1986. Dating  back to previous years, Run-DMC “was the first rap group to have an album certified Gold with their self-titled album in 1984.”

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The Los Angeles Times also reported that Run-DMC is a group among the 1980s and 1990s hip-hop stars who fused hip-hop and fashion. Click here to see the Little People Collector Run DMC Figure Set.

 

Nelson Mandela’s Graphic Artwork Illustrated In New Clothing Line
by Andrea Blackstone

July 13, 2021

Nelson Mandela’s Graphic Artwork Illustrated In New Clothing Line

The House of Mandela’s ‘Freedom’ Collection, which honors the light, legacy, and fight of South African anti-apartheid revolutionary statesman and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela, drops ahead of Mandela Day, July 18.

In partnership with Represent.com, the collection will include interpretations “of two original, charcoal drawings from Madiba’s Struggle Series, including ‘Struggle’ and ‘Freedom’,” according to a press release. Mandela sketched a series of five humble images in 2001 that shed light on the intricate and difficult chapters of his storied life. Once completed, Mandela wrote:

“These sketches are not so much about my life as they are about my own country. I drew hands because they are powerful instruments, hands can hurt or heal, punish or uplift. They can also be bound, but a quest for righteousness can never be repressed. In time, we broke open the shackles of injustice, we joined hands across social divides and national boundaries, between continents and over oceans. And now we look to the future, knowing that even if age makes us wiser guides, it is the youth that remind us of love, of trust, and the value of life.” Nelson Mandela 2001.

The apparel collection represents “the constant battle to be strong and stay true to oneself in the face of adversity,” which was “a theme as relevant today as it was during Mr. Mandela’s own fight for justice,” according to the announcement.

Additionally, each design is inclusive of a print of Mandela’s signature.

Nelson Mandela’s memory is being recognized through The House of Mandela and a new apparel partnership.
Photo courtesy of RMG

The apparel line includes pendants, t-shirts, hoodies, and jackets. It will serve to bring “awareness about social and racial injustices” which is a goal set forth for the collection.

“Over the years we’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the biggest and brightest in the world of entertainment, and it’s an incredible honor to work alongside the Mandela family on an ongoing project that brings to life the original artwork of such an inspiring, and prolific figure,” Represent’s COO Dan Rosenberg said.

The apparel launch precedes Mandela Day, which takes place annually on July 18. Per the Mandela Day website, “the essence of” it is to “take action, inspire change, and make every day a Mandela Day.”

The spirit of Mandela Day offers a call of action for individuals to be active citizens within their prospective communities.

Although South Africa’s first Black president and anti-apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela, passed away in 2013, The House of Mandela is an initiative that is intended to keep the principles that he stood for alive. According to the website, it is “an African family dedicated to the preservation of African history, culture and family.” Maintaining South African’s legacy through Nelson Mandela’s memory is underway through The House of Mandela and a “new apparel partnership with Represent,” per a press release.

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Click here to view The House of Mandela ‘Freedom’ Collection.

 

Black Playwrights Take Broadway By Storm, 7 New Black Plays Scheduled This Year
by Christian Spencer

July 13, 2021

Black Playwrights Take Broadway By Storm, 7 New Black Plays Scheduled This Year

All eyes are on Black playwrights, who are the center of attention on Broadway as seven new Black plays are scheduled throughout the remainder of the year.

All of the plays were written by Black writers, one of which technically premiered before the pandemic hit New York City, according to Deadline.

The fall lineup, according to Playbill, has an array of writers who have written comedies to coming-of-age stories, and it will feature the youngest director in the organization’s more than 250 years, 27-year-old Zhailon Levingston—who happens to be the Black producer behind the 2008 movie The Longshot featuring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer.

Related stories: DIRECTOR AND FILMMAKER SPIKE LEE DENOUNCES RACE RELATIONS IN AMERICA AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 

The play Chicken & Biscuits written by Douglas Lyon, beginning previews are at the Circle in the Square Theatre on Thursday, was playing off-Broadway on Feb. 28, 2020, at New York’s Queens Theatre–days before the COVID-19 shutdown started in New York City.

It officially opens Sunday, Oct. 10, and has a limited engagement run until Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022.

The full cast will be announced in the upcoming weeks, but it stars Norm Lewis of Porgy and Bess, Da 5 Bloods fame, and Michael Urie of Torch Song, and Ugly Betty fame are slated to be in project.

The play is a comedy about a fictional family called the Jenkins and a secret being uncovered at a patriarch’s funeral.

The producers of the play are Pamela Ross, Hunter Arnold, E. Clayton Cornelious, and Leah Michalos, all of whom have decades of theatre production experience.

Both Lyons and Cornelious had worked together as actors in Beautiful, making this their first Broadway debut as a playwright and lead producer, respectively.

Ross and Michalos also make their Broadway debuts as lead producers with Chicken & Biscuits, Deadline reported.

“I am beyond thrilled to be making my Broadway playwriting debut, ten years and one block away from the very stage where I made my acting debut in The Book of Mormon,” playwright Lyons said. “Chicken & Biscuits is a story of love, messiness, and healing. This opportunity to bring our comedically complex Black family to the Broadway stage is a complete gift. Our batter is full of laughter, and I can’t wait to witness audiences of all backgrounds fellowshipping together. I’ll see y’all at the church—I mean, theater.”

Chicken & Biscuits was written three years ago, and Lewis play a character named Reginald, a pastor and family peacemaker, while Urie will play Logan, the white boyfriend of a Jenkins Family son and brother.

Below is a full list of the Black plays in this fall’s lineup:

Pass Over — Writer: Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu, Director: Danya Taymor

Chicken & Biscuits — Writer: Douglas Lyons, Director: Zhailon Levingston

Lackawanna Blues — Writer & Director: Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Thoughts of a Colored Man — Writer: Keenan Scott II, Director: Steve H. Broadnax III

Trouble in Mind — Writer: Alice Childress Director: Charles Randolph-Wright

Clyde’s — Writer: Lynn Nottage, Director: Kate Whoriskey

Skeleton Crew — Writer: Dominique Morisseau, Director: Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Olympian Allyson Felix Partners to Give $200K Childcare Grants to Moms in Tokyo
by Christian Spencer

July 13, 2021

Olympian Allyson Felix Partners to Give $200K Childcare Grants to Moms in Tokyo

Famed track and field sprinter Allyson Felix wants to empower other fellow women who face issues with childcare costs so she’s helping out athletic moms in Tokyo through a grant program.

Athleta, the sporting apparel company, the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), and Olympian mother Allyson Felix have teamed up to form The Power of She Fund: Child Care Grants, Good Morning America reported

Together they will support female athletes with children, who are competing in this summer’s Games in Tokyo and the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 by giving $10,000 to mom athletes. The women who benefit include; gold-medal-winning volleyball player, four-time Paralympian, and mom Lora Webster, hammer thrower Gwen Berry, and runner Aliphine Tuliamuk, along with six other athletes, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation.

The $200,000 grant program will cover childcare costs for mom athletes.

“When you’re restricted by your finances, you have to say, ‘These are my options.’ Having support, your options open up,” Felix says. “I think it’s going to translate to better performances. [With support] you’re a better athlete, a better person, a better mother.”

Related stories: A BLACK MOTHER OF SIX, MOVING TO ATLANTA FOR A BETTER LIFE, DIED IN CAR CRASH ALONG WITH TODDLER 

Felix is a five-time world champion and mother of 2-year-old Camryn.

“This is going to make a huge difference in their lives,” Felix told GMA. “Childcare is one of the huge barriers that we have to overcome.”

“I really do hope also that this spurs an industry-wide change, and we look to support women holistically,” she added.

The first set of mothers, six of whom are headed to the Tokyo Olympics, will receive $10,000 each.

Because families are not able to come to Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mothers with nursing children have special needs.

The Power of She Fund: Child Care Grants was designed to accommodate any financial assistance a mom-athlete needs, GMA reported.

 

The upcoming games will be Felix’s first time competing as a mother and her training was a sacrifice of its own.

“I was doing a lot of my training, literally, around my house so I was running in the streets in front of my home and I was in the gym and in our garage and you know my daughter is looking down from above,” she added.

Being a mother and athlete has been part of her branding; on her Instagram page, she took a picture of her medals with her C-section scar visible and on display.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Allyson Felix (@allysonfelix)

Felix suffered from preeclampsia, high blood pressure during her pregnancy, when she delivered Camryn at 32 weeks, weighing just 3 pounds, 8 ounces, NBC News reported.

Beloved Hollywood Actor Charlie Robinson Dead at 75, Celebrities Pay Tribute to Prolific ‘Night Court’ Star
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

July 13, 2021

Beloved Hollywood Actor Charlie Robinson Dead at 75, Celebrities Pay Tribute to Prolific ‘Night Court’ Star

Adored Hollywood actor Charlie Robinson, best known for his role as Mac on the long-running NBC sitcom Night Court, died on Sunday at the age of 75.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Robinson died from cardiac arrest with multisystem organ failures due to septic shock and metastatic cancer, a representative for Robinson said.

Robinson appeared in some iconic movie classics like Set It Off, Antwone Fisher, and Jackson. He also made appearances on TV shows such as Mom, Home Improvement, Hart of Dixie, and The Guestbook, according to the outlet.

Celebrities took to social media to send an outpouring of love, support, and condolences. One prolific actor, Wendell Pierce, shared a heartfelt tribute to his friend who he recently co-starred with in the stage production Some Old Black Man.

“It only took 27 days and we created a lifetime,” Pierce wrote Monday on Twitter. “Charlie Robinson and I quarantined together during this pandemic to create a play and in that short time we created a lifetime of friendship. A special bond, like the father and son, we portrayed in the play. We had a mission.”

“We had a mission to find a way to create our art while the world was shut down,” he went on. “By chance, we created a friendship in 27 days that only happens with a shared vision. In that short time he became mentor to me as I questioned if my best days had passed. By example he showed hope.

Other stars joined in, spreading the love and memories.


“Charlie Robinson’s early morning routine consisted of a marathon physical workout, then a marathon of text work, all before a 9 am rehearsal, where he schooled me with his skill, stories of home, love of his mother & father, wife and kids. He was a man valued the love in his life.

“In 27 days he shared the value of the love in his life, and his love of life with an appreciation for the most intimate things: the harmony of his singing group The Dells, his mother’s kindness lost at a young age, his travel as an artist, and a fine glass of wine at evening.

“Only 27 days in quarantine with Charlie Robinson and I got to appreciate the man, not just the wonderful actor of great charm and skill, on stage, TV, and film. In the life of an actor the only things you take with you are the work that you do and the people you do it with.”

Pierce added: “I will cherish the work that we created and forever remember the brief time I spent with him.”


Viola Davis tweeted: “RIP Charlie Robinson. You were a wonderful actor [broken heart emoji].”

Jackée Harry, played with Robinson in Crash Course in 1988. She wrote: “Rest in power to the lovely Charlie Robinson. Always a gentleman…”

Marsha Warfield who played opposite Robinson on Night Court tweeted.

Learn How To Start And Run A Successful Podcast With This $45 Training
by Black Enterprise Shop

July 13, 2021

Learn How To Start And Run A Successful Podcast With This $45 Training

78 percent of Americans are now familiar with podcasting, with 116 million people listening to a podcast monthly. There’s no doubt that the pandemic helped inflate the number of people tuning in to weekly audio shows, so if you have any plans of starting your own podcast, you won’t have to worry about the lack of an audience.

But starting a podcast is easier said than done. Not unlike starting a business, it involves carefully crafting a plan, gathering resources and equipment, implementing the plan, and analyzing the results to optimize your process. It sounds overwhelming, but if you need step-by-step guidance, the Start-to-Finish Guide to Launching a Successful Podcast Bundle offers premium instructional content on running a successful podcast.

Led by top-rated instructors including the likes of Chris Haroun, an award-winning business school professor, venture capitalist, and MBA graduate, and music producer, composer, and audio engineer Tomas George, this course bundle features courses on presenting, speaking, podcasting, audio mixing, and more. You can expect to learn the entire process behind recording, editing, publishing, and even marketing episodes, so you can gain a full understanding of how it all works.

It starts with filling you in on the equipment you need and how to structure an episode and then jumps right into dishing out tips on how to speak with confidence and relate to an audience. You’ll also receive tips on how to edit and mix, how to create a loyal fanbase, and techniques on how to market your podcast properly. Plus, you’ll learn how to produce and mix voiceovers and create your ideal sound mixes.

This instructional package contains over 39 hours of podcasting know-how. For a limited time, you can get it on sale for only $44.99—or less than $5 per course.

Prices subject to change.

SBA To Drop Requests For Additional Financial Information For PPP Loans Greater Than $2 Million
by Derek Major

July 12, 2021

SBA To Drop Requests For Additional Financial Information For PPP Loans Greater Than $2 Million

The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it will eliminate the loan necessity review for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $2 million or more.

The announcement is a 180 degree turn for the agency. The SBA received widespread backlash in the early days of the pandemic for allowing publicly traded companies to receive PPP funds while small and minority businesses were ignored.

In its announcement the SBA added it will publish a FAQ on the subject soon.  Carmen Calzacorta, an attorney with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, told INC the change is “a time and money savings.”

Calzacorta added the additional reviews pushed some requests for PPP loans from the five month decision timeframe to around eight months. The review requested a significant amount of financial information including capital on hand, gross revenue, a list of highly paid executives and questions regarding business activity and operations.

However, the SBA financial information requests were added to prevent publicly traded companies that did not need the emergency funding from tapping the PPP. Early in the pandemic many companies jumped at the chance to take funds they didn’t need including Shake Shack, the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team and Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse. All three were shamed into returning the PPP funds.

It wasn’t just large businesses who took PPP funds. Several citizens took PPP funds and were charged with fraud including a San Jose resident who purchased cryptocurrency shares and a Tesla with PPP funds and a Newark woman who has been charged with wire fraud, SBA fraud and money laundering

The PPP has given out more than $800 billion in emergency funding since the beginning of the pandemic to more than eight million small businesses across the U.S.  Black PPP borrowers and small businesses received more than $14 billion in PPP loans.

Despite the change in the rule, additional financial information could still be requested by the SBA. According to Calzacorta, federal programs typically get audited years later and companies should hold on to all the information they used to get a loan for six years.

 

Texas Democrats To Flee State To Block GOP Backed Voting Restrictions
by Derek Major

July 12, 2021

Texas Democrats To Flee State To Block GOP Backed Voting Restrictions

After their first attempt failed, Texas Republicans are again trying to pass an election restriction bill through the state prompting Democrats to flee the state to block it.

At least 58 Democratic Representatives are expected to flee Austin Monday in an effort to block measures from advancing according to NBC News. The move, which was also conducted in 2003, will stop political  business in the state until the lawmakers return or the session ends.

Texas lawmakers plan to travel to Washington D.C. and stay there for at least three weeks and begin advocating for federal voting such as the For The People Act, also known as H.R. 1. Last month, Texas Democrats staged a walkout to stop Republicans from passing the bill.

NBC News reporter Jane Timm tweeted a picture of state Democrats on a bus headed to Washington, D.C. Monday.

https://twitter.com/janestreet/status/1414700043253207049

“Our democracy is on the line,” state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer told NBC News. “It became very clear to us that this weekend that any attempts to negotiate some Democratic concessions were cut off, making it very clear that Republicans were hellbent on having it their way.”

State Republicans have the blasted move, saying Democrats are abandoning their state and are refusing to do their jobs. Governor Greg Abbott, who is sure to sign the election restriction bill, called the move a dereliction of duty.

“Texas Democrats’ decision to break a quorum of the Texas Legislature and abandon the Texas State Capitol inflicts harm on the very Texans who elected them to serve,” a statement from Abbott said according to NPR. “As they fly across the country on cushy private planes, they leave undone issues that can help their districts and our state.”

However, unlike when Texas Republican Ted Cruz abandoned the state during a winter storm earlier this year, politicians are applauding the move.

One of their biggest supporters is Vice President Kamala Harris who said “fighting for the right to vote is as American as apple pie,” during a voting rights discussion she attended in Detroit.

“I applaud them standing for the rights of all Americans and all Texans to express their voice through their vote, unencumbered,” Harris said. “They are leaders who are marching in the path that so many others before did, when they fought and many died for our right to vote.”

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke also left a message of support for Texas Democrats.

The lawmakers are facing jail time by fleeing the state. According to Texas’ Constitution, the legislature requires a quorum, of at least two-thirds of state lawmakers to be present to conduct state business in either chamber. Absent lawmakers can legally be required to return to the state and state Republicans will likely task the Department of Public Safety to track the lawmakers down.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 12, 2021

Naomi Osaka Wins First ESPYS Award as Best Female Athlete

It has been a very interesting year for tennis champion Naomi Osaka.

Osaka has been a champion on and off the court, supporting the families of Blacks who have been killed because of police brutality and she stepped away to be her own hero and care for her mental health.

She returned to the spotlight once again when she accepted an ESPYS award for Best Female Athlete in the city of New York over the weekend. This marked her first public appearance since taking herself out of the French Open and Wimbledon, due to the stress of her life and career and trying to balance them while dealing with her mental health.

“I just really want to not say a long speech because I’m a bit nervous, but, um, I just want to say thank you ESPN, thank you all the supporters, thank you to my fans. I know this year has been really, it hasn’t even finished, but it’s been really tough for a lot of us. And for me, I just want to say, I really love you guys and this is my first ESPYs so it’s really cool to be surrounded by all these incredible athletes. I think all of you guys are really cool and I watch some of you on TV so it’s really surreal to be here and yeah, thank you so much and I really appreciate it.”

Last week, streaming and content giant Netflix had announced that a three-part documentary series on the tennis star will premiere Friday, July 16, on its platform. ”Naomi Osaka” will debut just before her expected return at the Tokyo Olympics, where she will represent Japan later this summer.

Osaka will return to the tennis court to represent Japan in the Tokyo Olympics. The games will be held in Tokyo beginning later this month without spectators at the venues, due to COVID-19 concerns, according to details provided on the sporting event’s website.

U.S. Officials Met With Three Politicians Who’ve Claimed They Now Control Haiti’s Governments
by Derek Major

July 12, 2021

U.S. Officials Met With Three Politicians Who’ve Claimed They Now Control Haiti’s Governments

Reuters – U.S. officials sent to Haiti by President Joe Biden’s administration in the wake of the assassination of its president met with three politicians who have all staked claims to lead Haiti’s government, the White House said on Monday.

Representatives of the White House National Security Council and the departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State traveled to Haiti in response to Haiti’s request for security and investigative assistance after the slaying of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

Emily Horne, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said the delegation met on Sunday with Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph and Prime Minister-Designate Ariel Henry in a joint meeting, as well as Senate President Joseph Lambert.

In her statement on Monday, Horne said the U.S. representatives encouraged open and constructive dialogue to reach an agreement to enable Haiti to hold free and fair elections.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday the delegation had returned to Washington. They briefed Biden on Monday morning, she said.

“What was clear about their trip is that there is a lack of clarity about the future of political leadership (in Haiti),” Psaki told a regular news briefing.

“It (the delegation’s trip to Haiti) was a reminder how vital it is for Haiti’s leaders to come together to chart a united path forward,” Psaki said. “We will remain in close touch with law enforcement, with individuals in Haiti, with a range of leaders in Haiti about how we can assist and provide assistance moving forward.”

She said the Biden administration was still reviewing the Haitian request to send troops to Haiti.

In her statement Horne said the delegation reviewed the security of critical infrastructure with Haitian government officials and met with the Haitian National Police, which is leading the investigation into the assassination.

Henry, a neurosurgeon who was named prime minister by Moise on Monday, two days before Moise was killed, said on Saturday he was now the highest authority in the country, not Joseph. Haiti’s Senate on Friday nominated Lambert to be interim president.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Doina Chiacu and Merdie Nzanga; Editing by Howard Goller and Alistair Bell)

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