• Lifestyle

by Black Enterprise Shop

June 23, 2021

How Men Can Take Personal, Simple Care Of Their Skin

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When skincare is the second-largest branch of the beauty industry, discerning customers looking for a no-BS line of products that will truly work naturally have a difficult time sorting through options. Geologie is an example of an effective skincare line that utilizes a personalized approach to beat the competition.

Shoppers with an eye for quality can get started with a personalized trial set of its products for as low as $20. Subscribe and save up to 40% off your first purchase — the 30 Day Essential Trial Set is $20 ($30 reg.), and  the 30 Day Complete Trial Set $30 (reg. $50).

Walking up and down aisles of moisturizers and acne creams at your local pharmacy is an uninspiring and half-baked approach to finding a product that works. Instead of grabbing the same face cream as your buddy, or some stranger (neither of whom are likely to share your same skin type), opt for something designed specifically for you. Geologie, for example, uses personalized formulas based on a short questionnaire to provide the right amounts of clinically-proven ingredients to deliver you the results you want.

Those of you who have ever dealt with persistent skin issues know that finding a product that actually makes you feel better — soothes whatever’s uncomfortable, moisturizes whatever’s dry, fixes any blemishes — is difficult. So, it makes sense to seek out a brand or line of products that takes a sensible approach to skincare such as personalizing formulas, and one that’s been praised by the majority of its users.

One happy Geologie customer named Paul E. from Edmonton, Canada wrote, “Geologie is a game changer! Hands down the best skincare products I’ve ever had!” Additionally, it’s earned over 4,000 customer reviews with an average rating of 4.8/5 stars.

To get an idea of how Geologie helps guys win by preventing wrinkles, reducing oiliness, and fighting acne, just head to Geologie.com. Then it’s easy. You just take the quiz, and tell Geologie about your skin and goals, and then their team of dermatologists will design a regimen for you. Then, they will mail you a personalized regimen of four products that take just minutes to apply. And from that point on, Geologie’s customer service team is available for support and specialized skin consultation.

To men ranging from young teens to young adults: your skin matters, and it’s worth treating it well, especially when doing so is so easy. From aiding in a bid for self improvement, to preventing lasting scars and discomfort, to feeling healthier and more attractive — a great skincare line can change your life.

To try one out that’s as well manufactured and effective as they come, give the personalized trial with Geologie a shot for as low as $20.

Jemele Hill has proven that staying busy and “Unbothered” works best for her.

According to Variety, the Emmy Award-winning journalist and Webby Award winner has started her own podcast network called The Unbothered Network, which aims to elevate the voices and stories of Black women.

“The Unbothered Network is more than just a content hub—it’s a space where Black women can hopefully see their full selves,” Hill said in a written statement.

“There’s so much about the lives of Black women that haven’t been fully explored, and so many of our stories have either been dismissed or overlooked. I’m also proud of this network because it not only centers Black women but it’s also run by Black women. We can’t empower Black women if we’re not positioning them in leadership roles.”

Hill will work with longtime rep Evan Dick of Exit 39, as well as a team of creatives and executives to help develop podcasts for The Unbothered Network in collaboration with Spotify.

Courtney Holt, Spotify’s head of studios and video, praised Hill as “an acclaimed journalist, storyteller, podcaster and creative—whose bold and authentic takes on social politics, sports, and culture have shined a spotlight on topics that are often overlooked. We can’t wait for her to continue her podcast, and bring new and diverse talent to her network that amplifies and strengthens the voices of this important community.”

The former ESPN host spoke exclusively to BLACK ENTERPRISE when she was on the verge of launching the Spotify podcast.

“From a value alignment standpoint, that’s something I stand for–boosting the voices of young women of color—it’s something they stand for,” said Hill. “And I’m happy to be a part of a brand where we are very like-minded.”

A graduate of Michigan State University, Hill was a sports reporter and columnist at The Detroit Free Press and The Orlando Sentinel before gaining fame on ESPN.

• Technology

by Black Enterprise Shop

June 23, 2021

Learn How To Create Your Own Cryptocurrency With This On-Sale Bundle

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Cryptocurrency has become a mainstay in the headlines in recent months, largely in part to the wild price swings of the likes of Doge, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. Many have jumped on the bandwagon to make a quick buck, but doing so is dangerous, as it can only lead to devastating losses. Before hopping on board, it’s important to be informed of how it all works, along with the technology behind these digital currencies.

The idea of raking in revenue from crypto is undoubtedly exciting, but blockchain, the very technology that powers these coins offer even more benefits. It facilitates trust, security, transparency, and traceability of data shared across a network. With the Cryptocurrency with Ethereum & Solidity Blockchain Developer Bundle, not only will you understand the fundamentals of blockchain, but you’ll also explore the future of currency and technology on a deeper level with hours of content on blockchain development and Solidity. 

This e-learning package offers a masterclass on building real-world blockchain projects—including creating your own cryptocurrency. You’ll be guided through every aspect of the blockchain development ecosystem, from how it can be used to store a distributed ledger of immutable and verifiable transactions to concepts like accounts and proof-of-work on the Ethereum platform. 

To begin working on your own blockchain projects, you’ll get a thorough introduction to Solidity, a tool often used for developing decentralized apps. You’ll gain a step-by-step blueprint to build all sorts of projects as a blockchain developer. You will even go as far as creating and launching your own initial coin offering upon Ethereum.

With the guidance of web developer Rangel Stoilov, digital product creator and Bitcoin professional, Ravinder Deol, and other seasoned experts, this training package will provide you with a comprehensive overview of blockchain technology and how to wield it to your advantage. 

Get the Cryptocurrency with Ethereum & Solidity Blockchain Developer Bundle for $23.99 (reg. $1,200) with code WELOVEDAD.

Prices subject to change.

Award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones said she will not take a position at the University of North Carolina without tenure.

Hannah-Jones initially agreed to a five-year contract with the private institution, but according to a letter obtained by CNN, “since signing the fixed-term contract, Ms. Hannah-Jones has come to learn that political interference and influence from a powerful donor contributed to the Board of Trustees’ failure to consider her tenure application.”

The letter goes on to state “under these circumstances, any appointment of Ms. Hannah-Jones without tenure is unacceptable.”

The school announced in April that Hannah-Jones would join the university’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism in July. However, it was revealed in May that the position would not come with tenure, as the school considered Hannah-Jones a “non-academic.”

Earlier this month it was revealed that the school’s top donor Walter Hussman, who the journalism school is named after, reached out to at least one Board of Trustees member, a few senior administrators, and at least one other donor to express his opposition to Hannah-Jones coming on board.

Hussman took issue with the New York Times‘ 1619 Project, which was developed by Hannah-Jones and other writers.

Last month, more than 1,500 UNC students and alumni signed a two-page advertisement in The Raleigh News & Observer that called for Ms. Hannah-Jones to be given tenure.

The 1619 Project has faced stiff resistance as lawmakers in more than 10 states have introduced bills targeting the project from being taught in schools.

Hannah-Jones earned her master’s degree in journalism from the university in 2003 and has received several awards for her work, including a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Pulitzer Prize.

UNC-Chapel Hill Vice Chancellor of Communications Joel Curran responded to Hannah-Jones’ letter, telling CNN, “The University has been contacted by attorneys representing Nikole Hannah-Jones. While this remains a confidential personnel matter, as Chancellor Guskiewicz has said publicly, we feel she will add great value to the Carolina campus.”

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 23, 2021

Michigan Cop Fired For Saying He’d ‘Kill Himself’ If He Had Been Born Black

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A Michigan police officer was fired on Tuesday for comments the police department deemed as racist.

Anwar Khan had been previously placed on administrative leave for making racially charged comments on Facebook, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Khan was off-duty when he got into a heated debate with another Facebook user who was reportedly so bothered by their argument that she did an online search and learned he was an officer within the Warren Police Department.

In the post, Khan is accused of saying “Black people are the most racist in the world, they are all lost, Black on Black crime is beyond repair, Black men don’t support their children.” He ending his statement by saying he was glad he “wasn’t born Black because he’d kill himself,” as noted by Click On Detroit.

Facebook user Tamia Brooks was so disturbed by Khan’s comments that she sent a screenshot of the bigoted comments to the Warren Police Department before the post was deleted. She said the department was responsive and moved swiftly on contacting her back.

“I was like ‘Wow, he really said all this stuff and he really thinks this,’” Brooks said. “This is a cop. You are supposed to protect us. I don’t know if it’s just him who really thinks this about us.”

Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer released a statement last Monday saying an investigation was launched.

“The Warren Police Department does not condone the use of racist comments by any employees, whether on duty or off duty,” the statement read. “Statements like this erode civilian trust and confidence in the police department and are not tolerated.”

On Tuesday, the department followed up announcing that Khan had been terminated.

“This behavior is simply wrong and strains police-community relationships and tarnishes the men and women of the Warren Police Department who dutifully go to work every day and serve all citizens with pride and professionalism, regardless of race,” the department said.

• News

by Andrea Blackstone

June 23, 2021

Christopher Columbus Monument To Be Replaced With Harriet Tubman Statue In New Jersey

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A year ago, Newark, NJ, bid farewell to a Christopher Columbus statue. On Thursday, Newark’s Mayor Ras Baraka unveiled the replacement: a design of a Harriet Tubman monument, CBS News reported.

“The Garden State” reportedly was the final Northern state to put an end to enslavement.

Newark NJ is replacing a Columbus statue w/ a Harriet Tubman monument. Appropriate as Newark was the 2nd-to-last stop on the Underground Railroad! Newark’s new George Floyd statue & now this poetic honor represent a changing tide of racial representation! https://t.co/ppQ4U69rUX

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 22, 2021

“Nearly one year after our nation’s racial reckoning and just in time for this year’s celebration of Juneteenth, we are proud to announce the design selected for our new Harriet Tubman monument,” Baraka said in an announcement.

“It is only fitting that we memorialize Tubman’s heroic efforts leading enslaved Africans to freedom via the Underground Railroad at this time of year when we celebrate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Ms. John’s work of public art will be a symbol of hope and optimism for generations to come, not only for our Newark community, but also for the entire country.”

The Harriet Tubman Historical Society notes that the ‘Underground Railroad’s’ conductor’s birthname was Araminta “Minty” Ross. However, ‘she changed her name in 1849 when she escaped.’ Tubman was credited with freeing some 300 enslaved people by leading them freedom. Tubman freed enslaved individuals by using the Underground Railroad, which did include navigation through Newark, according to CBS News.

“Harriet Tubman actually stepped foot here in this property, Christopher Columbus did not,” Baraka told CBS  News. “So, it seems more appropriate to have a statue of Harriet Tubman and talk about the abolitionists’ work that went on that most people in New Jersey don’t even know… fighting against a system that was trying to allow slavery in this state.”

The Architect’s Newspaper reported that Nina Cooke John, who founded an architecture and design practice studio, will design the forthcoming monument. NJ.com reported that Baraka’s office confirmed that “Shadow of a Face” will be installed in Washington Park in 2022.  The monument will appear circular in shape and offer a “multisensory experience,” according to a press release issued by the City of Newark. Amid changes sparked by social justice movements, Tubman’s contributions are not being overlooked by Baraka.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 23, 2021

Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Caught On Camera Tasing 16-Year-Old

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A Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper is under fire after surveillance video captured him repeatedly tasing a 16-year-old biracial boy he assumed was a burglar.

Jack Rodeman was going to visit his girlfriend on June 16 and was standing on her back porch when a state trooper approached him demanding he put his hands on his head, Raw Story reported. Rodeman was reaching into his back pocket to text his girlfriend that he had arrived when Trooper George Smyrnios shouted out, “Put your hands behind your head!”

The entire arrest was captured on camera and shows the confused teen saying he did nothing wrong. But that’s when Smyrnios pulled out his taser and used it on the teen. In his report, the trooper described Rodeman as a suspicious person, WINK reported.

The arrest is reportedly under review by the FHP while Rodeman sits inside a juvenile detention center for 21 days. His mother, Kristina Rodeman, has since hired an attorney to fight her son’s arrest, which she feels only came because of his race.

“I hate it. I just want him to come home,” Rodeman said. “I mean, my son was just standing there on his phone. He wasn’t reaching in his pockets. The officer there was no threat to that officer.”

In the video, Rodeman can be seen falling to the ground and hitting his head on the brick fireplace in his girlfriend’s backyard. Rodeman’s attorney, Derek Tyler, said the teen is in pain because of the fall.

“He is going to have to be X-rayed and looked at for any vertebral fractures without a doubt,” Tyler said.

Smyrnios described Rodeman as a “suspicious person” because he was dressed in black, his report said. It also claimed that when the teen saw the police car he “darted” to hide. However, it’s unclear if Smyrnios’s version of “darting” was just the teen walking to his girlfriend’s backyard.

“If he goes and says, ‘Let’s put handcuffs on,’ then the kid starts to fight and resist, then you have a legitimate reason to use a Taser. But you don’t have a legitimate reason to use a Taser because the kids ignoring him and on his phone,” David J. Thomas, a former police officer and professor of forensic studies, told WINK.

FHP trooper George Smyrnios repeatedly tased 16yo Jack Rodeman as he waited for his girlfriend on her back deck! Smyrnios hasn't been suspended or punished for his unlawful actions against this teen who posed NO THREAT! He should be held accountable for his egregious actions! pic.twitter.com/WP3pBbjdfp

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 23, 2021

Civil rights attorney Benj Crump tweeted out video of the arrest on Tuesday night, bringing awareness to the fact that Smyrnios is still on active duty.

“FHP trooper George Smyrnios repeatedly tased 16yo Jack Rodeman as he waited for his girlfriend on her back deck!,” Crump tweeted. “Smyrnios hasn’t been suspended or punished for his unlawful actions against this teen who posed NO THREAT! He should be held accountable for his egregious actions!”

• Politics

by Derek Major

June 23, 2021

U.S. Lawmakers Continue Push For Overhauling Military Assault System

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Reuters – Members of the U.S. Congress said on Wednesday they would press ahead with efforts to change the law in order to overhaul how the military prosecutes sexual assault and related crimes, while welcoming Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s unprecedented support for the shift.

Democratic and Republican members of Congress announced the introduction in the House of Representatives of legislation to shift prosecution of such cases from the chain of command and make it the responsibility of trained military prosecutors.

Their bill is named for Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, who was murdered after reporting sexual harassment. A companion bill is co-sponsored by two-thirds of the Senate, although it has been held up by opposition from the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Armed Services Committee.

Advocates and lawmakers have been calling for years for commanders to be taken out of the decision-making process when it comes to prosecuting the thousands of cases of sexual assault and related crimes among service members every year.

Senior military officials, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Mark Milley, have stopped short of endorsing the move, despite acknowledging failings in addressing sexual assault in the ranks.

They argue, supported by some members of Congress, that preserving commanders’ authority over prosecutions is vital to maintaining discipline. Backers of the legislation argue that the military has failed to improve the system despite years of promises.

Austin, in a major break from his predecessors, said on Tuesday he supported the change and would work with Congress to make changes.

“That is a huge, monumental step forward to recognize that good order and discipline does not rest on a commander deciding on if a case goes forward,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who has spearheaded efforts to change the policy, told a news conference with House members and members of Guillen’s family.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would bring the measure to the floor soon and it would pass. “I hope that it will succeed in the Senate as well,” she said.

A 2018 Pentagon survey estimated that 20,500 male and female military service members experienced some kind of sexual assault that year.

Guillen, who was based at Fort Hood in Texas, was 20 when she was bludgeoned to death, her body found mutilated and buried in a shallow grave. An investigative panel looking into violent crimes and abuse at Fort Hood, the largest active-duty armored post in the United States, said in December it had found a command structure that was “permissive” of sexual assaults.

“When we have a system that fails victims, everyone is failed,” Republican Representative Mike Turner told the news conference.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Idrees Ali; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Sony Music Publishing has signed Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, actor, and activist Janelle Monáe to an exclusive, worldwide administration agreement.

• News

by Derek Major

June 23, 2021

U.S. House Panel Takes On Big Tech With Slate Of Antitrust Bills

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Reuters -The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday began work on a package of six antitrust bills, many aimed at reining in Big Tech, in what is expected to be a lengthy, contentious session.

U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, in an opening statement called the bills a “historic package of bipartisan legislation” aimed at “reining in anticompetitive abuses of the most dominant firms online.”

There has been a flurry of opposition directed at the most sweeping reform bills, including from the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google.

Apple wrote to committee leaders on Tuesday, arguing that its app store protected iPhone users and that some provisions of the bills “would create a race to the bottom for security and privacy.”

Each bill has Democratic and Republican co-sponsors, and each has sparked opposition or concern from members of both political parties.

Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, said she would not support the most far-reaching measures, saying: “As drafted, the bills fall short.”

A White House official said President Joe Biden believes steps are needed to protect privacy and deal with other problems created by big technology platforms.

The companies have spent nearly the past two years under federal, state and congressional investigation into how they use their clout to fend off competition, extend their dominance into adjacent markets or abuse their dominance.

Two bills address the issue of giant companies, such as Amazon and Google, creating a platform for other businesses and then competing against those same businesses. One would require the competing business to be sold while the other would require platforms to refrain from favoring their own businesses.

A third bill would require a platform to refrain from any merger unless it could show the acquired company does not compete with it. A fourth would require platforms to allow users to transfer their data elsewhere.

The last two would increase the budgets of antitrust enforcers and ensure that antitrust cases brought by state attorneys general remain in the court they select.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington Editing by Matthew Lewis)