The Naomi Osaka Barbie® Doll Honoring the Tennis Player as a Role Model Drops
Just ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, a Naomi Osaka Barbie Role Model doll was released by Mattel.
It celebrates the athlete who became “the first Japanese player to win a major title in a singles match” in 2018, according to a press release .
The Naomi Osaka Barbie® doll is a part of Barbie’s celebration of “real-life role models” which is comprised of “remarkable women who are breaking boundaries and inspiring the next generation.” The fully posable doll sports a familiar Nike outfit Osaka wore during the 2020 Australian Open.
Image- Mattel
“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 said.
Per the press release, “Barbie has always encouraged girls to use their voice to stand up for what they believe in” while empowering them. Naomi has accomplished this, “on and off the field,” in several manners. The tennis star has used her platform to advocate for racial justice and empower athletes who are female. Osaka holds the current status of being ranked the no. 2 tennis player by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
Facebook image- Naomi Osaka 大坂なおみ
“We are incredibly honored to spotlight Naomi Osaka as part of our Barbie Role Model series. 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,” said Lisa McKnight, SVP and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls at Mattel.
In 2019, Osaka’s likeness was included in Barbie® Shero a group of women. However, the new doll is part of Mattel’s Black Label® series of dolls.
In addition to Osaka fans of all ages, doll collectors may also have an additional reason to add the new doll to their collections. Per the AP and ESPN, the tennis champion who is “the world’s highest-paid female athlete” received the Best Female Athlete award at the 2021 ESPYS on Saturday night. The public appearance marked Osaka’s first time returning to the spotlight since the tennis player withdrew from the French Open and skipped Wimbledon, while citing a need to tend to her mental health.
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. You may click here to purchase the new Osaka doll.
Exclusive: From Recipes to Receipts, Darius “Cooks” Williams Denies Claims That He Is a “Crook”
In an exclusive interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE, culinary guru Darius “Cooks” Williams addresses the blistering allegations leveled against him that range from stealing money, illegal credit repair practices, bullying Black women, ripping off business partners, and reportedly scamming so many people that it garnered the hashtag “DariusCrooks.”
Williams, a popular former restauranteur, rose to fame as a Chicago-based food blogger. He appeared on Food Network as a guest, and he’s a prolific cookbook author who started with a cupcake shop and parlayed it into several multimillion-dollar businesses and restaurants from Chicago to Atlanta.
While Williams has flourished online as evidenced by his 3+million followers across Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, coupled with his lively cooking demos and mail-order Carolina Pound Cakes, lately he’s been under fire and with damning accusations of engaging in deceptive business practices and running scams that have left people high and dry.
There are varying degrees of allegations leveled against him that also include claims of harassment and credit card fraud. And there is momentum kicking up online from people like celebrity Food Network star Sunny Anderson and popular food aficionado Angela “The Kitchenista” Davis, who have been scooping stories, cracking open dozens of cases, and whipping up witnesses who say that they too have been bamboozled in one way or another by the popular chef.
He definitely scammed me and is still trying to charge me for a failed business of his. After taking the proper procedures to cancel the affiliation Carolina Pound Cakes is still trying to charge me monthly. @bbb_us please shut this man down!!
Last year Williams’s businesses Soul Crab Atlanta and Soul Crab Chicago, as well as Greens and Gravy in Atlanta abruptly closed. Williams was also involved in an illegal credit repair business and the State of Georgia ordered him to pay $145,750 as a settlement agreement.
To that claim, Williams says simply: “I paid the 140, it’s over, everything is cool,” he told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
He continued: “I think they’re pulling from that saying oh, he’s a scammer. But it’s like no, the people who were on the roster, their credit scores increased,” he contends.
However, things ignited online after Southern Grit Magazine ran a damaging story recently that outlined a number of claims from former employees, Anderson and “The Kitchenista” who all allege that Williams is a charismatic “con artist” who capitalized off them and shook up their lives and ruined the lives of many others.
Anderson said angry people who had their credit cards overcharged confronted her thinking she was entangled with a FreshGo delivery business with Williams—which he denies he ever owned. The Kitchenista said Williams has resorted to bullying and she said he used her trademarked name for profit—which he confirms he did out of spite.
Also, a growing consensus of people online allege that they have been retaliated against by Williams for speaking out about his “deceptive practices.” Even in this article, several people spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear that if they revealed their name, they would risk being doxed or harassed by Williams or his faithful followers.
In fact, the Editor in Chief of Southern Grit Magazine, Joshua Fitzwater, went live this past Saturday to address the percolating bloodlust from Williams’s online community who have reportedly issued threats against veteran reporter Deb Freeman after she broke the initial story about Williams that picked up traction by other news outlets online, including BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Despite their concerns, Williams says, “I am not a bully.”
He defends his character and his businesses against the barrage of what he considers to be “untruthful” claims.
“I think what’s happening is, it’s the people who may not be familiar with my brand, because some of the hate mail I’m getting… you know, stop abusing Black women, keep your hands off Black women…and I’m openly gay but I don’t come across as gay,” he explains.
“So, my speech, my mannerisms look to be that of a straight man,” he said. “So, if you’re not familiar with me, and you just see my content, you would automatically assume, Black man hitting (on) a Black woman. In reality, I’m openly gay. I talk about sex and a lot of stuff on my Instagram. I talk about dating. I talk about things women want to discuss. I’m like their best friend.”
And it’s that intoxicating personality that has earned the Chicago native his large following with Black women who consider him to be the boyfriend-bae next door.
Williams, wrapped in chocolatey-smooth, sun-kissed skin, has an infectious, Cheshire cat grin. He has made a name for himself in a competitive foodie space of online chefs, having been self-taught to burn in the kitchen by hanging close to his grandmother’s hip.
But Sunny Anderson who is saddled with remorse for introducing Williams to her international Food Network audience on her show, Cooking For Real, says don’t be fooled by the “snake oil” salesman.
If you want to know the TRUTH about why I’m outing a scammer, it’s because I am sorry I plucked him from blogspot obscurity to be on my show a decade ago and he took that opportunity and used it to scam. Period. Not an IG post, no jealousy. Just remorse for giving him any light.
Former Employees Claim Williams Left Them High and Dry
During the lengthy interview, Williams addressed one particular accusation that he “abused” a former employee by the name of Kiara Ross, who worked at his now-shuttered Soul Crab Atlanta restaurant as a server. Ross took to social media to share her story after Angela, “The Kitchenista” posted a laundry list of claims about Williams after the two had beef online.
Ross wrote that Williams abused her and tried to drag her from the restaurant after she confronted him about her paycheck. The cops were called and a police report was filed.
Williams said he didn’t know Ross when she confronted him about her coins.
“I didn’t know her. My first time ever meeting her or seeing her in life was that particular Friday when I walked into the restaurant and when I walked in, she was very irate and she said, where’s my m*****f****** check,’” he said.
Williams said he had three restaurants, 110 employees and was unaware of any personnel issues with Ross.
“I am not running the day-to-day of the restaurant. I’m doing more strategy, more CEO work so I had managers who would hire all of the employees. And so we have an electronic payroll system called Gusto and Kiara never completed her onboarding,” he explained as the reason why she didn’t receive her paycheck.
Williams said he was the one who called the police.
Once the officer arrived, Williams said the confrontation escalated, and he alleged even after Ross was warned by officers not to go back inside his restaurant, she did and, “They put her in handcuffs, put her in a car and took her away.”
“What she said to the officer was, ‘he put his m*****f****** hands on me.’ So he (the officer) was like, did you? And I was like I actually don’t know because it all happened so fast so let’s go look at the camera, let’s see what I did.”
Williams said he reviewed the video footage with the officer and admits, “So I did put my hands on her but I put both hands on her shoulders to kinda turn her so we could go discuss this outside. So the extent of the quote-on-quote abuse is basically me putting two hands on her shoulders so that we could go outside,” Williams admits.
He said although there is a picture circulating showing him walking alongside an officer, Williams says he was never formally arrested and charged.
Although Williams dismissed the dust-up with Ross as an isolated incident, another former employee explained that Soul Crab Atlanta was dysfunctional in more ways than one.
A former kitchen manager at Soul Crab Atlanta who spoke to BLACK ENTERPRISE on the condition of anonymity, said she ran Soul Crab Atlanta for Williams and experienced “hell” and even had to take money out of her “own pocket” to keep up operations.
The employee explained that Soul Crab Atlanta was so dirty and rat-infested that it couldn’t pass several state inspections. The employee said she worked hard with her crew to keep things above-board for inspectors while Williams was away on vacation, but still couldn’t get it up to code because he cut corners.
“I’m patching stuff up. I got my whole crew in there on a Monday, cleaning and doing everything and Darius is on vacation in Dubai and literally, I’m in charge of a whole damn restaurant with 30 friggin’ employees and you in Dubai and we’ve got a major inspection tomorrow and you are overseas,” the anguished former employee said.
“He was so focused on getting Soul Crab Chicago going, not realizing that Soul Crab Atlanta was failing,” she said. “We serve people and we have a rat problem,” she admits.
The employee explained that as a storm was brewing inside the restaurant with the state on the case and angling to shut the grimy food spot down, her only option was to talk to Williams through Skype and video messages.
“And so when the people (health inspectors) came in, they failed it!” she said. “His license wasn’t up to par. He owed almost $25,000 to the light department. So when they handed me the letter saying that lights was getting ready to get cut-off, $25K or we’re cutting off the lights, I told my crew go home. Cut em’ off.”
She continues: “He’s done so many people wrong that karma is biting his a** right now. He’s left so many people on stuck, not just Soul Crab Atlanta, you left Soul Crab Chicago stuck. You left Greens and Gravy stuck. Three restaurants. You left them people with no paychecks for months. It took them threatening to sue you before you even gave them an allowance because it wasn’t their full paycheck. So you just gave them whatever the hell you wanted to give them. To hell with my payroll, hell with everything.”
Another former employee, who was a line cook at Soul Crab Atlanta, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she has two children, who were five and 17-years-old at the time and was left nearly homeless after Williams shuttered Soul Crab Atlanta suddenly.
“I literally had to move out of my place and go stay with somebody,” she said. “I went from being a line cook to a shift leader making good money to having nothing.”
The former employee asked: “How he didn’t do wrong when he just closed his business at five o’clock in the morning when I was literally getting ready for work?”
Another former employee of Williams took to social media and complained saying she used to bake his Carolina Pound Cakes and ship them, and worked in poor conditions while earning mere pennies.
Darius ex baker . Said he paid her pennies after she baked the cakes , treated her bad, bakery was nasty, would make her get the supplies of 50lb bags of sugar and eggs out his car #dariuscrookspic.twitter.com/qFjmHdRJSY
More employees have taken to social media to air out their grievances and sour experiences with Williams.
Williams cited in an online statement that he was dealing with “mental health issues,” and other health factors that contributed to the closing of his restaurant.
But the former Soul Crab kitchen manager determined that was a “lie.”
“It wasn’t none of that,” the former kitchen manager said.
“Citing mental health” as the reason for the restaurants shut down despite the state of GA forcing him to close businesses that same week. As somebody who deals with mental illness firsthand, it’s particularly gross if this was a way to detract. https://t.co/5z7POY1yl3
Better Business Bureau and Above 701 Credit Repair Complaints
However, some people have lodged Better Business Bureau complaints against Williams and say those grievances have fallen flat because he refuses to provide a physical address to the BBB and won’t verify his account and therefore the bureau can’t address concerns.
Williams admits that he doesn’t answer BBB complaints and explains that he’s unwilling to do so for a number of reasons.
“So I typically don’t respond to BBB’s only because there’s so much more that goes along with it, right,” Williams begins.
People say, “I didn’t get my refund and I refund to the credit card that’s on file. That credit card or debit card that was on file belongs to a bank that either they are no longer with, or they owed the bank money and the bank is recouping their funds. That’s happened quite a few times where people maybe have overdrawn an account and they’re like ‘I never got the refund.’ So those are some of the issues. You gotta call the manufacturer or whoever the card issuer is to deal with that. That’s typically what it’s been,” he says.
“This is what happens when you run a multi-million dollar organization. You just get all this sh*t that just comes man.”
When asked why would people would make widespread allegations of fraud if there is none, Williams responded: “What I would like to know is the first and last name of the people making these claims. When I go on live I say if you’ve been scammed what is your first and last name so we can deal with how you’ve been scammed. Nobody comes forward,” he said.
“If you go on my platform, nobody is complaining that they didn’t get their book. Nobody is complaining that they didn’t get their cake. Nobody is complaining that their credit score didn’t increase,” he said. “To be honest with you, the Kitchenista and Sunny Anderson are looking at public records. They are looking at the consent judgment for Above 701, misinterpreting that and saying that ‘he scammed people.’ And the consent judgment doesn’t say ‘he’ scammed anybody. ‘He’ did the work. Their credit score definitely increased. ‘He’ just shouldn’t have been doing it in the state of Georgia. So as a settlement, this is the amount we are going to charge him.”
Contrary to Williams’ claim that he did not “scam” people, the State of Georgia concluded that he did and not only reprimanded Williams for running an illegal credit repair business called Above 701, but in the complaint cited that Williams’s company further violated Georgia law by:
• requesting and accepting payment from consumers for its credit repair services before those services were provided; and
• making misleading claims that it could get bankruptcies and debts permanently deleted from consumers’ credit reports, without adequately disclosing that negative credit information cannot be erased from a consumer’s credit report if the information is accurate.
Sunny Anderson and Williams FreshGo Controversy
Anderson claims that Williams had a FreshGo business where it promised to deliver fresh vegetables on the doorstep of customers but people bombarded her with angry messages, claiming they were ripped off and overcharged on their credit cards. They hit up Anderson because she had him on her show years ago.
Anderson said she gave Williams the benefit of the doubt but says he refused to answer her inquiries.
“The bottom line is before me, no one on TV knew of him and he didn’t have a platform to build what he built. Just imagine if you could do it the right way with the talent and the ability to galvanize people. Why wouldn’t you want to do it the right way?” she asked.
Anderson said she took part in a Zoom meeting, organized by The Kitchenista, with other Black women chefs and was floored by what she heard.
“A lot of Black women who are eager to get their careers started are being taken advantage of. One person on that call had direct dealings with him and we were all just crying,” she shared.
Last year, Anderson said when she posted that people should beware when dealing with Williams because of his “scams,” she said he and his attorneys sent a cease and desist letter that she countered with a letter from her attorney stating that since the attorney general found that he was engaged in illegal credit repair activities, Anderson had a right to call him a scammer on her platform to describe him.
In retaliation, Williams sold his cookbooks with the discount codes “Sunny” and “Bad Wig,” she said.
Even though Anderson says people approached her about his FreshGo business, Williams proclaims that he has no ties to FreshGo, doesn’t know what it is, and never had any affiliation with it.
“I have no idea what she’s talking about,” Williams said about FreshGo which is also referred to as Fresh2Go and FreshGoNow. “I had a cupcake shop and I had a pie shop,” he said. Williams said he believes Anderson is “jealous” of him after he claims producers wanted him to do more shows.
Anderson denies that and says she is the one who put him on and only wanted to see him succeed but had to cut ties when people associated her with his “fraudulent” companies. Anderson said nobody got food with FreshGo and instead people complained of small incremental, unauthorized charges.
BLACK ENTERPRISE followed up and asked Williams directly, “Do you know anything about this (FreshGo) being associated with you?”
“Nothing,” Williams replied.
He continued: “Really, that’s what I’m saying. That’s why I would love to know from Sunny what I ever did to her.”
After further investigation, The Kitchenista provided a 2012 screenshot of Darius Williams promoting FreshGo, saying, “It’s a great day to #ShopFreshGo” back in 2012.
(Screenshot, The Kitchenista)
Another person complained that they too got caught up in the FreshGo whirlwind and lost money dealing with Darius.
Shared anonymously. This is from one of the victims of #dariuscrooks scams, who was in his 20’s when he invested in the cupcake business.
(The grocery service he mentions here was #FreshGo. )
“I never to this day blocked Sunny Anderson. I follow people like Sunny Anderson and still do look up to her to a degree. But look up to people like Sunny Anderson because these are the people who are blazing the trails for people like me to come behind so I looked up to her. I followed her on Instagram and on Twitter at first. She got on Instagram later and I was able to see all her posts with no problem,” Williams explained. “Then one day I go look at her Instagram, and we hadn’t talked. We had no conversation, and she has me blocked.”
The Beef with the Kitchenista
Angela Davis, aka, The Kitchenista has a long history of online beef with Williams that she says has culminated with her receiving threats from his supporters just because she had a difference of opinion about his food.
Although the two have never met, Davis has led the charge in amplifying the voices of people who she believes have been conned by Williams. She has shared a flood of reports from people who have stories to share about their experiences with Williams.
The Kitchenista said Williams profited off her too. He also admitted he made $100,000 after their online beef.
People not only follow Williams for food recipes but for entrepreneur and business advice. So he made a 20-minute video on how to profit off of a public beef that he was having with the Kitchenista, sharing tidbits about ad revenue and brand revenue. He talked about how the Kitchenista is looking up his old videos and how to profit off of it.
“And then I used her name as a discount code for people to buy my cookbooks, sort of a retaliation for her coming for me.” Williams admits that he made upwards of $110,000 from it.
The Kitchenista says that is the exact type of bullying behavior that Williams is accustomed to and comfortable and cavalier about. She says her brand is trademarked and he had no right to profit off her intellectual property.
Dining With Darius
Williams said, “$64,000 in refunds happened in 2021. When people say ‘you don’t give refunds,’ I don’t know where the rumors are coming from because all my people who I’m live with every day on Instagram say yeah he took care of me and I’m straight.’ ”
There are a number of claims from business partners like Lavelle Baker, Williams’ ex and former friend who says he lost money going into a food truck partnership with him.
Baker has now started a hotline for Darius Williams “survivors.”
screenshot
Still, Williams stands by his beliefs that he has never wronged anyone.
“All I want to do is fry chicken and make macaroni and cheese, that’s it.”
Education Department Urges President Biden To Extend Student Loan Relief
Education Department officials are recommending the White House extend the pause on federal student loan payments putting more pressure on President Biden ahead of the September 30 deadline.
Some in Biden’s Administration are joining a quickly growing list of congressional Democrats and education advocacy groups pushing the White House to continue the pause on student loan debt for more than 40 million Americans.
The White House has yet to make a decision of if it will restart payments, which was paused last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Education Department officials have suggested one more extension through January 2022 according to Politico.
President Biden has eliminated student loan debt for millions of borrowers, however most of that is for borrowers who were defrauded by for-profit colleges. Some White House advisors are pushing for another extension in order to give the Education Department, which is tasked with managing the $1.6 trillion borrowers owe, more time to ease borrowers back into paying.
Meanwhile, others believe extending a pandemic-era program will be looked down upon during a time when the administration’s messaging about the country’s recovery from the coronavirus.
Additionally, Democrats including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and others are still pushing Biden to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt for many Americans. Biden has discussed cancelling $10,000 in student loan debt and tying it to volunteering, but had been hesitant on widespread forgiveness.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance (PHEAA), a national student loan servicer, announced Thursday it will exit the federal student loan servicing business in December of this year. In the past PHEAA has been accused of providing inaccurate information, flawed payment processing and mishandling paperwork.
Sen. Warren, who has previously called on the Education Department to fire PHEAA, said in a statement to Yahoo Finance borrowers can now breathe a sigh of relief.
“Millions of loan borrowers can breathe a sigh of relief today knowing that their loans will no longer be managed by PHEAA, an organization that has robbed untold numbers of public servants of debt relief and was recently caught lying to Congress about its atrocious record of fines and penalties,” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has called on ED previously to fire PHEAA, ” Warren said.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has not chosen a side on whether to extend the student loan debt pause, only saying it’s a possibility.
“We recognize the impact that the pandemic had on our borrowers,” Cardona said during a Senate hearing last month. “Extending the pause is something that we have had conversations about.”
Ace Your CFA Certification Exams Like A Pro With This 9-Course Prep Bundle
If you’ve made the decision to make a career move into the finance industry, then it’s important to look at the skills you have and the ones you need to learn, including communication skills and analytical thinking. How many of these do you have? Are you willing to take the time to learn the ones you don’t?
After you consider this, you can weigh the options available to you in the world of finance, like becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a professional who helps corporations and individuals make informed decisions about money matters. This position comes with great paychecks and perks, but first, you need to pass certain certification exams.
With the All-In-One CFA Level 1 Exam Certification Prep Bundle, you can get ready to ace those exams seamlessly. Packed with 23 hours of content on Economics, Corporate Finance, Equity and more, this bundle has all you need to start your journey as a certified Investment Financial Analyst.
The lectures in this bundle are taught by James Forjan, Ph.D., CFA, an experienced educator who has trained aspiring CFAs for decades. It features nine courses that tackle different aspects of finance, beginning with a discussion on the high ethical standards in the investment industry. After that, it goes right into quantitative concepts and techniques used in financial analysis and investment decision-making.
As you go further with the courses, you’ll also learn the fundamentals of macroeconomics and microeconomics. In addition, the courses go over the process of understanding, analyzing, and interpreting financial statements. You’ll also get practice questions from AnalystPrep’s mock exams, to keep you prepared for the tests.
Earning a CFA can be a prolonged and pricey process, so it helps to consider the pros and cons of getting into it before you make the switch. If you’re still into the idea afterward, then grab the CFA Level 1 Exam Certification Prep Bundle for $149, less than $20 per course, and start getting prepped!
HBCU Offers National Spelling Bee Champ Zaila Avant-garde Full Scholarship
Last week, Zaila Avant-garde became the first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Now, schools are lining up to offer the young academic star full ride scholarships.
On Friday, Avant-garde caught the attention of Southern University and A&M College. The institution is is the largest HBCU in Louisiana. Dr. Ray Belton, president the Southern University System, shared his congratulatory remarks on twitter and offered her a tour of the campuses across the state.
“We at SU celebrate you, Zaila! You are a phenomenal representation of our great state of #Louisiana in all that you do. If you would ever like to take a look at any of our campuses across the state, do let us know.”
We at SU celebrate you, Zaila! You a PHENOMENAL representation of our great state of #Louisiana in all that you do. If you would ever like to take a look at any of our campuses across the state, do let us know. #WeAreSouthern#HBCUhttps://t.co/t7ilNzHjzi
On Saturday afternoon, Dr. Belton followed up with a full-ride scholarship.
“I am pleased to announce that @Southernu_BR is offering #ZailaAvantgarde a full scholarship and “#Zaila Day” at SU, part of the nation’s only #HBCU system. Our student leaders, faculty, and alumni look forward meeting with you. We welcome you to the #JaguarNation!”
Avant-garde is On Track to Achieve Success Beyond the Spelling Bee
Avant-garde has been making headlines ever since she claimed her spelling bee victory on Thursday (July 8) evening. She competed in the 93rd competition in Orlando with ten other finalists from around the country and the Bahamas. The 14-year-old Louisiana native made history after she correctly spelled “murraya.” She was awarded a $50,000 cash prize, medal, Scripps Cup, an official trophy, and other sponsored perks.
The next day Former President Barack Obama shared how proud he was of Avant-garde’s accomplishments.
Three Guinness World Records and now the national spelling bee champ! Congrats, Zaila—your hard work is paying off. We’re all proud of you. https://t.co/UaYoRMGirZ
In addition to being named the country’s top speller, Avant-garde has earned three Guinness world records for her basketball prowess. In 2019, the young athlete earned her first record for the most bounce juggles.
According to NBC Sports, Avant-garde has her eyes set on the WNBA.
“Basketball, I’m not just playing it. I’m really trying to go somewhere with it. Basketball is what I do,” Zaila said, per NBC Sports. “Spelling is really a side thing I do. It’s like a little hors d’ouevre. But basketball’s like the main dish.”
There’s no doubt that we will see more of Avant-garde on the basketball court in college.
#SOSCuba: Despite Fear And Backlash, Cubans Rose Up In Protest Against The Government
Cubans around the world have come together to stand with their hermanos and hermanas on the island to protest the human rights violation and worsening struggles of their paisanos.
#SOSCuba is a movement that has taken over social media platforms like Instagram. On Sunday, Cubans let go of their fears and spoke out against the communist government. Residents in provinces like Havana and Camaguey have taken to the streets to denounce the country’s growing lack of resources, including food, medicine and other basic needs.
As the Cuban people became more outspoken, the government deployed “special forces” to bring order instead of addressing the valid issues of the Cuban people.
The pandemic isn’t helping conditions on the island. In the last seven days, Cuba’s COVID-19 numbers have risen drastically and the lack of adequate medical supplies has increased the mortality rate.
Cuba’s economy since the pandemic has decreased by 11%, and since 60% of the nation’s food is imported– food shortages are rampant.
Residents have taken to ransacking government-controlled stores to scourge for basic items.
According to France 24, protests in San Antonio de Banos brought out Cubans who have had it with the government.
Gritos like, “Queremos libertad!,” and “No tenemos miedo,” ring through the pueblos.
The publication reported that many of the protesters are young and now that Cubans have access to social media– the revolution is being televised.
Sanctions by former U.S. Dotard-in-Chief Donald Trump have not helped. In November 2020, Trump banned remittances to Cuba by Western Union. President Joe Biden has yet to repeal the egregious law.
Hashtags like #SOSCuba are calling for the world to examine the need for foreign intervention. Citizens and Cuban influencers and entertainers alike are appealing to the Cuban government to put aside its pride in order to help Cubans on the island.
VIDEO: DeWitt Police Officer Rory Spain Placed On Leave After He Violently Arrested Tyreana Edmonds
A police officer from upstate New York has been placed on paid leave after camera footage showed the man punching a handcuffed Black woman in the throat during an arrest at a Walmart.
On July 4, Officer Rory Spain of Dewitt, New York, assaulted Tyreana Edmonds as she allegedly tried to protect her pregnant sister, Tajenik Byrd, that Officer Corey Buyck manhandled. Police had been called to the retailer after a group of people allegedly participated in a melee inside the store.
Byrd is accused of pepper-spraying Walmart employees and others inside the retail location. According to the bodycam footage, the fight which prompted the call to cops lasted for a mere 30 seconds. The fallout that ensued was much longer.
As Spain approached Edmonds, the woman was arguing with a white customer. The cop grabbed the upset woman from behind to detain her. In the video, Spain never asked what happened.
The reportedly pregnant sister tried to pull Edmonds away, and the situation escalated from there. Edmonds attempted to explain what happened, but Spain disregarded what the woman said. She even warned the officers that her sister was pregnant, and their nonchalance appeared to rile the woman up even more.
“Get off my sister,” Byrd said.
“Leave him,” Edmonds said, trying to calm her sister down. “Let him cuff me.”
“They tried to charge my sister,” Edmonds said to an unidentified woman. “They jumped my sister two days ago. My sister’s a month pregnant.”
Buyck flung Byrd to the ground and sat on her as he put her in cuffs.
Walmart employees tried to evacuate the store, but patrons quickly pulled out their cellphones to record and defend the woman.
Spain even pulled his taser on a young man who called out his aggressive behavior.
As the wayward cop continued trying to detain Edmonds, she struggled. He eventually dragged her partially on the floor. When she tried to bite him, Spain coldcocked the woman in the throat. She fell to the floor.
The Dewitt Pollice Department posted a 15-minute awkwardly-narrated video to its Facebook page.
Department Spokesman Lt. Jerry Pace said, “Conclusions about whether the actions of the officers are consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all facts are known, and the investigation is complete.”
On Friday evening, roughly two dozen protesters showed up outside of the DeWitt Pollice Department.
The sisters face a litany of charges. Edmonds was charged with second-degree attempted assault of a police officer, resisting arrest, fourth-degree criminal assault, disorderly conduct, second-degree harassment and obstruction of governmental administration.
Byrd was charged with third-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, resisting arrest, possession of a noxious material, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
The women were released and ordered to make desk appearances.
Multi-Million Dollar Sprinter Usain Bolt Shares Best Personal Finance Lesson: ‘If You Make $10, Save $6’
Sprinter Usain Bolt was dubbed “the fastest man alive” and now he’s retired with a multi-million dollar net worth thanks to valuable personal finance lessons.
The 34-year-old Jamaican sprinter was named one of the richest athletes by Forbes Magazine in 2018. He earned $31 million when he retired in 2017. According to Players Bio, Bolt was the highest-earning track athlete. His net worth (assets minus liabilities) stands at a whopping $90 million.
Usain Bolt Shares Valuable Personal Finance Tip
Many athletes have made headlines for going bankrupt after their time in the spotlight. But Usain Bolt used his early lessons to put him on the road to financial success.
Bolt recalls his spending habits early in his career. The 8-time gold medalist told CNBC Make It that he spent more than he wanted to when he started making money.
This isn’t abnormal. In fact, many athletes and artists are known for splurging on lavish items when the money starts flowing in. It’s even harder for an 18-year-old to navigate the ins and outs of large sums of money without guidance.
That’s why Bolt gives credit to his teammates for giving him a money 101 lesson. They helped him understand the power of saving.
According to the economic state of Black America report, there are over 7.3 million Black households that have a net worth less than $10,000. That number includes an estimated 3.5 million black families (19%) with a negative net worth. In this McKinsey & Company report released last month, the company explored savings and investing habits among Black families. The report revealed a consistent theme: high debt and low savings.
Since Bolt was able to bypass those statistics, he’s sharing his lessons learned. Similar to other influencers, his experience is helping others save more and build wealth. Bolt’s biggest lesson learned is to save more than you spend.
“I tell people if you make $10, save $6,” Bolt told CNBC Make It. “And then you can figure out what to do with the rest.”
He suggests using the other 40% of funds for spending and paying bills.
A Simple Roadmap to Save More
Although you may not have a million dollar salary like Bolt, there are ways that you can implement his strategy to achieve your financial goals.
Players Bio reports that Usain Bolt earns the most from his endorsements. This shows the power of earning multiple streams of income. By picking up a lucrative side gig, you have more money to allocate towards savings. Latasha Peterson turned her side business blog into a $5,000 monthly income stream.
Another way to achieve your savings goals is to wipe out debt. Cinneah El-Amin, a travel and money blogger, paid off $23,000 debt in 12 months. Now she’s able to allocate her previous debt payments towards savings and investing. LaKisha Simmons, a finance educator, reduced her expenses to save more.
The secret to saving more is to either increase your income or reduce your expenses. By tackling both, you can expedite your progress. Usain Bolt’s personal finance tips will give you a target goal to work towards on your journey to financial success.
Brave Nine-Year-Old Aakayla Gunn Helped Her Mom Give Birth To A Little Sister, Aubree Rose
A Missouri mother is singing her 9-year-old daughter’s praises after she bravely helped her mom deliver her baby sister.
On June 29, Aakayla, 9, was honored by her mom, Angelica Gunn, on Instagram. The proud mom thanked her daughter for helping to safely bring her baby sister, Aubree Rose, into the world on June 28.
“Our 9-year-old helped deliver baby girl at home… We didn’t make it to hospital, and Aubree Rose was born at home on 6/28, 7lbs, 9oz 19 inches,” Gunn wrote on the social media platform.
The young mother, who had previously miscarried, wrote about Aakayla’s bravery amid chaos.
“All I can tell y’all is that God kept us in those moment. He gave me strength to fight through it and Kayla strength to help bring our baby earth-side…we are beyond proud of our daughter and her heroic efforts. I desired a natural birth, and that is what God allowed to happen in the comforts of our own home.”
She also highlighted how sometimes God has another plan.
“Though, it’s not what we had planned. It’s what God orchestrated and anointed us for…Thank you to my husband Caleb Gunn though, despite his efforts to get there fast enough, he came rushing in moments later along with paramedics and has been by our side, loving on us as he always does and making sure we are all safe and taken care of…. 3 angels in heaven and 3 angels on earth, you can’t tell me God doesn’t look out for his people… We are proof,” Gunn added.
She also thanked her sister for helping with the process.
“Thank you to my sister for staying on the phone with us and for the matching robe and swaddle set. We absolutely adore JaMisha HisGlory Davis,” the young mother continued.
“I am still very much in shock, disbelief and very emotional about it all.”
Gunn, who is a certified doula and nurse, also had an interview with Good Morning America to discuss what happened.
She recounted the moments before Aubree Rose came into the world.
“I just screamed for my daughter [Aakayla] to come in,” she said. “I was like, ‘Something’s happening, you’re going to have to look and tell me what’s going on because I don’t know.’ I kind of just felt intense pressure and like [the baby’s] head was coming out.”
She also expressed that her husband was at work, and she was alone in the house with Aakayla and her 4-year-old son.
Gunn admitted she was nervous about putting the responsibility of birthing a newborn on her 9-year-old, but Aakayla showed up and out for her mom and sister.
“I think in that moment she realized, ‘OK, it’s just me and mommy. I’m going to have to help her because daddy’s not here,'” Gunn recalled, proudly. “It’s kind of just amazing how she did that. She didn’t cry. She didn’t freak out or anything.”
Paramedics arrived at the home shortly after Gunn gave birth. Mom and baby girl were taken to a local hospital where they recovered and are flourishing.
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Responds to Letter Over Sha’Carri Richardson Suspension
On Friday (July 9), the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) released a response letter to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and Congressman Raskin addressing Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension from the Tokyo Olympics and the marijuana rules for athletes. The star athlete received a 30-day suspension after testing positive for THC, an active ingredient in marijuana.
“The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) agrees that Ms. Richardson’s exclusion from the Tokyo Olympic Games is a heartbreaking situation and that the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) rules concerning marijuana must change,” the USADA leaders wrote in the letter.
“Ms. Richardson’s one-month suspension was the absolute minimum sanction that USADA was permitted to impose under the Code,” the letter continues. “Anything less would have resulted in USADA being non-compliant with the WADA Code.”
The letter was signed by CEO Travis T. Tygart, Chair Philip Dunn and Emeritus Chair Dr. Edwin Moses.
USADA’s Response Letter to Congressman Raskin and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortezhttps://t.co/D8fg7bGbzO
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Publicizes Sha’Carri Richardson’s Suspension
According to the July 2 news release, Richardson’s victory at Olympic trials was nullified due to her anti-doping rule violation.
“Richardson’s competitive results obtained on June 19, 2021, including her Olympic qualifying results at the Team Trials, have been disqualified, and she forfeits any medals, points, and prizes,” said U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis T. Tygart in a statement. “Beyond the one-month sanction, athlete eligibility for the Tokyo Games is determined by the USOPC and/or USA Track & Field eligibility rules.”
The controversial suspension fueled an intense debate on social media. Richardson appeared on the “Today” show to share what happened and take responsibility for her actions. She discussed using marijuana as a coping mechanism after learning about her mother’s death.
“It sent me into a state of emotional panic,” Richardson told journalist Savannah Guthrie. “I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time.”
MoveOn Civic Action, a progressive lobbying group, decided to step in and support Richardson. The organization launched a petition to reinstate Sha’Carri Richardson for the Tokyo Olympics. Within a week, the petition amassed more than 500,000 signatures.
“In no world is marijuana a performance-enhancing drug for runners,” the petition read. “And in more places in the United States and around the world, marijuana use is legal. The United States Anti-Doping Agency should drop their penalty and allow Richardson to compete!”
Congressional Members Take a Stand
Richardson’s ban caught the attention of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She teamed up with other Congressional members to request that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reconsider Sha’Carri Richardson’s ban.
“This punishment, which is not supported by any specific evidence, may prevent Ms. Richardson from competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics just after she inspired the country with her performance in the Olympic Trials last month,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter.
Last month, Richardson clocked an incredible 10.86 seconds during the women’ s 100-meter dash, making her mark as one of the fastest women in the country.
“We urge you to reconsider the policies that led to this and other suspensions for recreational marijuana use, and to reconsider Ms. Richardson’s suspension,” the letter from the Congressional leaders continued. “Please strike a blow for civil liberties and civil rights by reversing this course you are on.”
We worked with @RepRaskin and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights & Civil Liberties to formally ask @USAntiDoping to end Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension.
Their decision lacks any scientific basis. It’s rooted solely in the systemic racism that’s long driven anti-marijuana laws. pic.twitter.com/F28c5ScI1D
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) July 3, 2021
The USADA’s response letter to Congressional members confirms that the organization seeks to reduce consequences and risks through education. However, the organization states its inability to change the rules governing marijuana among athletes and will better advocate for rule changes to better address situations like Richardson’s.
