FAMU, Florida A and M University, FAMU Board Of Trustees, Dubious Donation

by Keka Araújo

December 2, 2025

$25K Gift Secures Future FAMU Journalists: Alumna Launches Scholarship At Portrait Unveiling

The tribute was immediately followed by Smith’s commitment to the next generation: a $25,000 donation to establish a new student scholarship fund.

Cheryl Smith, a celebrated journalist, publisher, and mentor, was honored as the first representative of the Black press to be inducted into the Thelma Thurston Gorham Distinguished Wall of Fame at Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) School of Journalism and Graphic Communication on Oct. 17.

The tribute was immediately followed by Smith’s commitment to the next generation: a $25,000 donation to establish a new student scholarship fund.

The Cheryl Smith’s Soldiers Without Swords Scholarship is scheduled to award its first recipient in the Fall 2026 semester, 50 years after Smith first set foot on the campus.

Elevating the Black Press and FAMU’s Legacy

During the 90-minute ceremony, Dean Mira Lowe lauded Smith’s impact.

“Adding Cheryl Smith’s portrait … is a powerful testament to her unwavering commitment to truth, equity, and excellence in journalism,” Lowe said, noting that Smith’s work “embodies the spirit and vision” of the school’s founder, Dr. Thelma Thurston Gorham.

Smith recalled her decision to fund a scholarship as soon as she learned of the honor. She presented a $25,000 check to Lowe, emphasizing that alumni support is vital to the institution. “I love FAMU,” Smith said. “And this is not the end,” she said, adding that the university is included in her will.

The funds were raised with the assistance of a group of “Champions” that included family members, sorority sisters, mentees, and professional colleagues.

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A Career Rooted in Mentorship

Smith’s induction recognized not only her accomplishments as a National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Famer and a key figure in the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), but also her decades-long commitment to mentoring young reporters.

Marlon Walker, a managing editor at the Marshall Project, commended Smith for “making sure that our community is well-served and well-informed.”

Royle King, a FAMU graduate and city official in Tallahassee, credited Smith’s mentorship through the Urban Journalism Workshop in North Texas as planting “a seed of excellence in me.”

King demonstrated his gratitude by presenting an initial $1,000 annual donation to Smith’s new scholarship fund.

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president/CEO of the NNPA, called the portrait unveiling a “historical moment,” hailing Smith as a “great publisher and a great freedom fighter.” At the same time, Karen Carter Richards, who heads the NNPA Fund, praised Smith’s “principled guidance of hundreds of young people.”

Smith pledged to continue her mission, citing her own mentors, including the late Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and activist Dick Gregory.

“We must work to help each other and make the world a better place,” she concluded.

by Ida Harris

December 2, 2025

After 20 Years, TI ‘Tip’ Harris Still Shows Love To His Adamsville Community

The rapper is a homegrown gift that keeps on giving

For many on the Westside of Atlanta, Clifford T.I. Tip Harris is a homegrown gift that keeps on giving. The rapper’s annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive, now in its 20th year, continues to feed the very community he was raised in for the holidays. The event brings out hundreds of people who receive turkeys, along with bushels of corn, collards, green beans, eggs, bread, milk, and an assortment of desserts.

While T.I. is the progenitor of this charitable effort through the Harris Community Works foundation, he doesn’t show up all on his own. Every year, Tip brings his family along as well. This year included four generations, from his mother, Violeta Morgan, and his aunties, to his sons, Domani, Buddy Red, and King, and their respective children, who have all been serving since the turkey drive’s inception in 2005 and as long as they each can remember.

“I would say all my life, whether I knew it or not, my family has been giving back and doing all that they can,” Domani Harris told BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“It’s instilled in me. I’m 24, so I would say when I was 4 or 5 years old, I definitely remember being here, giving back, whether it was Christmas toy drives or the turkey drives, but yeah, all my life.”

King, 21, says he’s been serving the initiative for at least 16 years, and his brother, Buddy Red, shared that he, too, has been contributing to the turkey drive since 2006, when he was about 6 or 7 years old.

“You know they didn’t need my help, but I think they just wanted me to recognize what was going on and be a part of it as early as I could possibly be,” Buddy Red said.

In addition to family, T.I. has the help of the city of Atlanta, Humana, Comcast, and local food banks as sponsors and volunteers, and the support of longtime friends like Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and fellow rapper Young Dro, who performed a hip-hop gospel song from his latest project.

“It’s a blessing to be able to give back to a community that has given so much to us,” T.I. told BE.

“Four generations, my grandbabies are here … It’s just a blessing, man, to be able to do what we love and to be afforded the opportunity to pass those blessings on to others, especially in times like now.”

AI, artificial intelligence, trends, A.I., journey, technology, DryMerge, AI, job interview

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 2, 2025

Fanbase Partners With Pocstock So Users Can Be Paid For Training AI

"This collaboration with pocstock allows us to honor that value by making sure users are compensated for the content that helps build the future of AI and the entire social media ecosystem," said Isaac Hayes III.

Fanbase, a social media platform started by Isaac Hayes III in 2018, has partnered with pocstock, a curated diversity stock library owned and operated by Steve Jones.

The two entities have joined up to give content creators, social media users, and followers the opportunity to be paid for participating in training artificial intelligence (AI) on the Fanbase platform.

Fanbase allows users to monetize their content from the moment they sign up. As users are being paid to post, they will also help advance the platform.

“I am really excited about this partnership because this is exactly what Fanbase stands for. We value the cultural and creative contributions that our users make every day. This collaboration with Pocstock allows us to honor that value by making sure users are compensated for the content that helps build the future of AI and the entire social media ecosystem,” said Hayes in a written statement.

“This partnership is about opening the door for creators to the rapidly growing world of AI. AI is changing how our ideas are made and shared, and we want to make sure our community has a real place in the AI economy. Not just as consumers, but as producers. We’re excited to join forces with Fanbase and give more creators access,” said Jones.

Anyone interested in investing in Fanbase can head over to StartEngine to learn more.

The news comes right after an announcement that producer Ty Walker has partnered with Hayes, the son of late R&B singer and actor Issac Hayes, to use Fanbase to create and distribute microdramas in 2026, according to Deadline.

“Fanbase already supports short form video, robust creator tools, and subscriptions, which are key components of this format. Development is already underway inside the app, and we are excited to partner with Braveheart Entertainment, Keisha and Wild Peach,” Hayes said in a statement.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 1, 2025

Paying Homage To 2 Artists Cost T-Pain Some Publishing Money

Using lyrics from Lil Scrappy and Lil Jon in his hit 2007 song, "Buy U a Drank," made T-Pain's bankroll a little smaller.

Florida recording artist T-Pain told Shannon Sharpe that he learned the perils of the publishing game early in his career when when two artists came after him for using familiar phrases from their songs.

On Sharpe’s popular Club Shay Shay podcast, T-Pain explained that he thought he was paying tribute by repeating lines from other songs and artists he respected. Instead, he literally had to pay for his mistakes.

“When I did ‘I’ma ‘Buy U A Drank, then I’ma take you home with me. ‘I got money in the bank.’ As soon as I said ‘Money in the Bank,’ that’s when Lil Scrappy came in and was like, ‘OK. Well, he said a line from my song.’ Lil Scrappy had the song at the time, ‘I got money in the bank. Shawty, what ya thank?’

“So, at the beginning of the song, when I say, ‘Snap your fingers, do your step. You can do it all by yourself.’ Then Lil Jon came in, ‘Well, since this song is doing well, don’t mind if I do.’

“I thought I was paying homage, and then the people who could take advantage of it took advantage of it. But the thing was, they took advantage of the publishing and the master of it,” he told Sharpe.

Although he had to pay for using the lyrics, T-Pain didn’t think the artists initiated the actions; it may have been the publishing entities that pursued him. But it didn’t matter as he was making a lot of money performing the songs. He told Sharpe he was making $100,000 a show.

In 2007, “Buy U A Drank” was released and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart and went triple platinum, according to Genius.

Check out the clip below:

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The Internet’s Fave Thanksgiving Duo Celebrates Decade Of A Wrong Text That Made Them Family

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 1, 2025

The Internet’s Fave Thanksgiving Duo Celebrates Decade Of A Wrong Text That Made Them Family

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench became an internet Thanksgiving staple after a wrong text made them family.

The internet’s favorite Thanksgiving duo is celebrating a milestone in their unorthodox friendship.

In 2016, Jamal Hinton went viral on then-Twitter for a screenshot of a text exchange with the wrong number. Wanda Dench accidentally sent him an invitation to her Thanksgiving, mistaking his number for one of her grandchildren’s.

Skeptical of who sent the message, Hinton asked for a photo to verify if the woman was his own family. The then-17-year-old was surprised to see Dench, a white woman, respond via a selfie. Hinton, a Black person, sent back a selfie of himself, confirming that the two were probably not related.

Despite the mix-up, Hinton asked if the invitation still stood, to which Dench happily said yes. The budding friendship between the two went viral on social media, as Hinton grabbed a seat at his new grandma’s Thanksgiving table. Dench recalled the matter, deeming it fate that she meet Hinton.

“My grandkids were teasing me that ‘we should take technology away from grandma, because she doesn’t know how to use it properly,’” Dench said, according to CNN. “But it wasn’t my fault! My grandson was the one who changed his phone number, and Jamal ended up with it.”

The two turned the mistake into a tradition, and now celebrate together every Thanksgiving to the internet’s delight. The media attention led to brand sponsorships and more, yet the deals could not compare to the genuine care and love for one another.

The two maintained their relationship even as both endured life changes, including the death of Dench’s husband in 2020. Last year, they missed out on a physical reunion as well due to Dench undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Now, the two continue to be each other’s rock during the holiday season. This time, Hinton invited Dench to come sit at his family’s Thanksgiving table.

Dench said no matter how much the attention their unusual relationship receives, including an apparent Netflix film in the works, their bond would stay the same.

“The only thing I can imagine is, our friendship is genuine. It’s not fake,” Dench said. “If all the media went away, and all the hoopla went away, we would still meet together for Thanksgiving every year.”

RELATED CONTENT: Reggae Music Icon Jimmy Cliff Dead At 81

low-income, sickle, cell, Black chilldren

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

December 1, 2025

Kids Who ‘Practice’ Defiance Can Be More Confident Adults, Ivy League Psychologist Says

An Ivy League psychologist says parents should encourage healthy disobedience in their children to help build future confidence.

Experts warn that parents who focus heavily on training their children always to be obedient and respectful may unintentionally undermine their kids’ future confidence and ability to advocate for themselves.

Organizational psychologist Sunita Sah, a professor of management and organizations at Cornell University, appeared on the Nov. 11 episode of the Good Inside podcast, explaining that allowing children a bit of healthy disobedience can help them grow into confident, assertive adults.

“Sometimes, it is bad to be so good, [and] there are situations you want people to be speaking up,” Sah said.

While parents often overemphasize compliance and respect, traits that make parenting easier and earn praise for a child’s behavior, Sah warns that failing to teach kids how to assert themselves in appropriate situations can leave them feeling “awkward [and] uncomfortable” when standing their ground as adults.

Sah explained that children who exhibit healthy defiance by pushing back against adults in the wrong or speaking out against peers bullying a classmate learn to respectfully stand up for themselves, even when someone else, including a parent, has told them they’re wrong.

“If we haven’t learned how to [be defiant], we end up saying ‘yes’ a lot,” Sah said. “We end up either being silent [or] being compliant and getting ourselves in situations that we would rather not be in.”

Sah recommended that children “practice” assertiveness through occasional, intentional “small acts of defiance.” As for parents who take issue with this approach, they need a “mindset shift” in how they define defiance, Sah said. Practicing defiance doesn’t mean a child has to be “loud, bold, and aggressive” or disrupt and harm others, she explained.

“That is really thinking of defiance as a personality trait,” Sah said. “It’s actually just a skill, and it’s one that we can learn [with] this mindset shift … There’s ways to be quietly defiant, where we can live in alignment with our values without having to be aggressive about it.”

“If we are always telling them to obey us, how can they actually then determine what it is that they truly want?” she added.

by Keka Araújo

December 1, 2025

VERDICT: Megan Thee Stallion Wins Defamation Suit Against Blogger Milagro Gramz

The core of the lawsuit focused on Gramz's role in disseminating false and damaging information following Megan Thee Stallion’s testimony against Tory Lanez in a separate criminal case.

A federal jury has delivered a decisive victory for rapper Megan Thee Stallion, finding prominent social media commentator Milagro Gramz, born Milagro Cooper, liable for defamation and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. The verdict concludes a closely watched civil trial that centered on the alleged coordination between the blogger and rapper Tory Lanez to damage Megan Thee Stallion’s reputation.

Following two days of deliberations in Miami, jurors ruled that Gramz intentionally amplified harmful claims and shared a sexually explicit deepfake video of the rapper without her consent, awarding the plaintiff $75,000 in damages. Gramz will also be required to cover Megan Thee Stallion’s legal fees.

The core of the lawsuit focused on Gramz’s role in disseminating false and damaging information following Megan Thee Stallion’s testimony against Tory Lanez in a separate criminal case.

According to testimony, the Houston rapper claimed that Gramz and Lanez worked together to spread damaging rumors.

Crucially, the jury reviewed evidence showing that while Gramz did not create the sexually explicit deepfake video, she used her platform to promote it. On June 8, 2024, Gramz “liked” the video on her MobzWorld X account and instructed her followers to “go to my likes,” a move the suit argued was designed to bypass content moderation and make the unauthorized clip easily accessible to a broad audience.

The jury’s finding of liability for intentional infliction of emotional distress underscores the court’s recognition of the severe, calculated emotional harm caused by the campaign. The verdict signaled a major change, holding social media commentators accountable for their role in organized digital harassment campaigns targeting public figures.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 1, 2025

NFL Star Stefon Diggs Helps Single Mothers Through Foundation

The wide receiver hosted "Game Day of Giving: Gear Up & Give Back" at Gillette Stadium on Monday, Nov. 17.

New England Patriots’ wide receiver Stefon Diggs is showing his appreciation for single mothers.

His organization, Diggs Deeper Foundation, in collaboration with the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative, hosted “Game Day of Giving: Gear Up & Give Back” at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots’ home stadium, on Monday, Nov. 17.

Patriots.com reported that the event will be featured during Dec. 1’s Monday Night Football, when the Patriots visit the New York Giants.

Diggs, an 11-year NFL veteran, was 14 when his father died. His mother raised him and his two brothers.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island residents attended the event at the stadium for a night of entertainment, food, children’s crafts, and family-friendly activities. “Diggs Deep Warm-Up Kits” were distributed to families, packed with coats, hats, gloves, socks, and other cold-weather essentials.

“I appreciate everybody who came out,” Diggs said at the event. “I want you to know that here at the Patriots and the Diggs Deep Foundation like to make sure our initiatives help single mothers, mothers in general, and kids. That’s always the focus.”

Select New England-based non-profit organizations partnered with the Diggs Deep Foundation, including the Patriots Foundation, Sojourner House, Abby’s House, and Cradles to Crayons.

“I’m thankful for a lot,” Diggs said. “Up to this point, coming off an injury and being able to be part of a special community, part of this team, part of an organization that is as serious about giving back as I am. Around the holiday season, you get in that cheerful spirit to pay it forward. I’m blessed for a lot of things.”

Diggs, whose lone season with the Houston Texans prematurely ended due to a knee injury, signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots in March. He has helped the team to a 10-2 record, with some pundits penciling the Patriots as Super Bowl favorites. On the personal side, Diggs and Bronx-raised hip-hop and reality TV star Cardi B recently had a baby together.

Black History, Department of Education, Trump, Linda McMahon

by Sharelle B. McNair

December 1, 2025

Black History Threatened With Erasure Under Trump

The president's attacks against DEI has resulted in moves affecting African Americans and Black history.

In less than a year since Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, his attacks against DEI initiatives has resulted in moves affecting African Americans and Black history.

The administration called for a review of national museums, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture, after labeling the museums as being “out of control” with a focus on “how horrible our country is,” highlighting slavery.

Federal grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been cut in addition to cultural centers at PWIs being shuttered, leaving Black students and students of other races subject to facing adversities without any support.

According to Axios, government websites ranging from the Department of Defense to the National Park Service have erased content related to Black history, including pages educating on Medgar Evers and the Tuskegee Airmen. However, due to the massive backlash, some pages were restored.

Similar efforts took place after Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement.

“When datasets or historical materials disappear, it becomes harder to see and fix racial disparities,” eadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights President and CEO Maya Wiley said. “And every time, they were justified with new language and new fears … The terms change. The strategy doesn’t.”

But there is a silver lining to racism. Leaders like National Urban League president Marc H. Morial feel the backlash surrounding the attempts is only highlighting the importance of keeping Black history alive.

“The attempt to erase history has made all of us more cognizant of the need to tell it,” he added.

In an op-ed for The Guardian, former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and founder and CEO of Onyx Impact, an organization created to amplify Black voices, Esosa Osa, label the protection of Black historical progress as a moral imperative, since “our nation’s future will not arrive on its own.”

Initiatives like The 10 Steps campaign, a nationwide mobilization project geared toward protecting democracy, and Onyx Impact, which give communities the courage and resources to resist false narratives, provide proof that a sense of community is the way to fight back.

“Together, we can preserve opportunity, honor truth and strengthen our democracy for generations to come,” they wrote.

Tracy Morgan, Mark Landesman, comedian. career

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

December 1, 2025

Tracy Morgan Donates Over $200K To Feed 19K Families

"It's fun to get the love and support, but it's better when you give it back."

Tracy Morgan is committed to giving back and supporting those in need. The Saturday Night Live alum recently shared details about his donations to address the food insecurity many American families face daily.

While promoting his new Paramount+ sitcom, Crutch, the Saturday Night Live alumnus shared that thanks to a partnership with the Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation, he donated over $200,000 to help feed nearly 20,000 families.

“I fed 19,000 families,” Morgan told People. “It’s fun to get the love and support, but it’s better when you give it back.”

The 30 Rock star hopes to teach his four children the value of giving back by showing them how he helps feed families in need. “More than a great education, I just want [Maven] and her brothers to be empathic,” he added.

Morgan’s philanthropy arose after ge survived a car crash in 2014 that left him in critical condition and killed his friend James McNair. He later reached a confidential settlement with Walmart over the accident, reportedly around $90 million.

In March, Morgan was escorted out of a New York Knicks game after falling ill and vomiting on the court. The actor later revealed he had suffered from food poisoning. Having faced his share of health scares, Morgan says he now prioritizes family and cherishing time with his children: Gitried, 39; Malcolm, 38; Tracy Jr., 34; and Maven, 12.

“I don’t care about nothing else in this world,” Morgan said.

Now focused on his family and health, Morgan walks 2.5 miles daily, trains regularly with a personal trainer, and has switched from Ozempic to Mounjaro.

“I’m just trying to live good. I’m not worried about how I’m [going to] die. I’m just trying to worry about how I live. I’m living good,” Morgan said.