Although it’s been almost a year-and-a-half since Louisville cops tragically murdered Breonna Taylor during a botched drug raid, the people have not forgotten about her. The young woman’s death breathed new life into the Black Lives Matter Movement. Her passing also sparked political and social change, including Kentucky politicians passing legislation that limited no-knock warrants one year after her death.

Breonna would have celebrated her 28th birthday on June 5. Celebrities, politicians, friends and her family reflected on the day with well-wishes and memories.

“It makes me feel good that she’s helping to change the world, and it also makes me feel good that other people are coming to stand in solidarity with us and knowing that at the end of the day, right is right, wrong is wrong,” her close friend, Alena Battle, told People Magazine.  

Her cousin spoke of Breonna’s lasting legacy and the impact her life had on the world.

“I believe her legacy is going to be known for bringing the community together,” says Trina Curry, Taylor’s cousin. “A lot of people are saying her name. Even though she’s no longer here, she’s everywhere. And to me, that just means that she’s around me every day.” 

Public figures, including Beyoncé, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Viola Davis and others, gave their respective tributes to Breonna on her birthday. 

Happy heavenly birthday Breonna!! We will never forget. We will always keep fighting.❤🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/hgqikJbhrd

— Viola Davis (@violadavis) June 5, 2021

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Breonna Taylor. 🤍https://t.co/V63MffuLAv pic.twitter.com/b7eQhQcDT1

— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) June 5, 2021

Thinking of you today, Breonna. 🖤

Artwork by Amy Sherald pic.twitter.com/9KToPPG1jB

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 5, 2021

Happy Birthday, Breonna Taylor. Today, you would be 28 years old. We must never forget and continue to work towards a more just and equitable society where police are accountable for their actions, and we end police brutality.

You deserve justice. #BreonnaTaylor 💙 pic.twitter.com/B7s7JoW3kp

— Raleigh Bowman for Congress (@RaleighBowman) June 5, 2021

Today would have been #BreonnaTaylor’s 28th birthday. Should should be alive to celebrate it. Our addiction to punishment and disregard for Black women means she is gone and no one is being held accountable for her killing. She deserved better, and so do we all. pic.twitter.com/AXlDStAADe

— Phillip Atiba Goff (@DrPhilGoff) June 5, 2021

Today would have been #BreonnaTaylor’s 28th birthday.

Breonna was an EMT and a first responder. She was killed in March 2020 by Louisville police who broke into her home looking for someone else.

To date, the officers have not been charged. #JusticeForBreonna pic.twitter.com/HSOThn6pRO

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) June 5, 2021

An irreplaceable life cut too short. Today, #BreonnaTaylor would have been 28 years old. We will continue to say her name because she and everyone who loves her deserves justice.

Art: Amy Sherald pic.twitter.com/UIZ3W4MJlR

— Charles D. King (@IAmCharlesDKing) June 5, 2021

Natalia Bryant, the oldest daughter of late NBA icon Kobe Bryant, is heading to her dream school this fall.  The 18-year-old will be attending the University of Southern California (USC) located in Los Angeles. It’s one of the world’s leading private research institutions and home to the Trojans athletic teams.

Before the young scholar starts her collegiate career, she’s celebrating another milestone: high school graduation. This Friday, Natalia graduated from Sage Hill High School of Newport Coast, California. An outdoor ceremony was held to celebrate and acknowledge the Class of 2021. Natalia’s mother, Vanessa Bryant, captured video footage and shared pictures on Instagram.

Vanessa wrote, “Congratulations Natalia! We will ALL be with you every step of the way.”

 

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A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant)

Natalia Bryant Graduates High School

Natalia’s graduation was filled with special moments.

In addition to earning her high school diploma, Natalia was presented with the Sage Hill Compassion Award. Vanessa posted a video of a Sage Hill employee discussing the award and Natalia’s impact.

“No matter what is happening in her own life, she exhibits grace and empathy towards others. As a student ambassador, she has been passionate about sharing the Sage Hill experience with prospective and incoming students. She has worked to lift up other young women as a member of the Girls Empowerment Movement Service Learning group for the last two years,” the Sage Hill employee stated in a video.

 

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A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant)

Natalia also paid tribute to her father, Kobe Bryant, on her special day. Her USC-themed graduation cap included a quote from the Los Angeles Lakers superstar that read: “Everything negative ― pressures, challenges ― is all an opportunity for me to rise.”

Kobe Bryant died alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash last year.

 

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A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant)

 

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A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant)

• Entertainment

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 6, 2021

Swizz Beatz Invites Justin Timberlake to Verzuz After He “Stole From Black Culture”

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Swizz Beatz called out Justin Timberlake during his recent Verzuz match against his co-founder and business partner Timbaland.

The two hip-hop producers took to the stage at Club Liv in Miami for a rematch producer battle, considering their first battle didn’t receive all the theatrics more recent battles have been given. It was during Timbaland’s set when the hitmaker dug into his crate of Justin Timberlake-produced tracks when Swizz gave JT a piece of his mind, Atlanta Black Star reports.

“Until you can get Justin Timberlake on Verzuz, I don’t really wanna hear those vocals,” Swizz said while Timbaland played his 2013 Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake track “Holy Grail.”

Swizz’s words seemingly insinuated that JT has been invited to play his music on the Verzuz platform and has yet to respond to the offer. But as Timbaland continued to pull from his JT library of hits, the Ruff Ryders beatmaker went on to blast the *NSYNC member.

“He gotta admit that he loves the Black culture, and he gotta be on this stage,” Swizz said. “You took from the Black culture! Come to Verzuz and be a part of the Black culture!”

His words sparked a debate on social media with a number of people telling Timberlake that he wasn’t invited into Black culture. There are many who still have issues with the singer due to allegations of cultural appropriation and leaving Janet Jackson high and dry following her “nipplegate” scandal at the Super Bowl. Even though he apologized to Jackson earlier this year, along with Britney Spears, many feel his apology came years too late and was only a result of a recent Britney Spears documentary putting him on blast.

On Tuesday, Swizz and Timbaland spoke on IG Live and Swizz clarified his statements and said he went a little too hard on JT, with Timbaland agreeing, Hip Hop More reports.

But JT held no hard feelings. After getting called out, the “Cry Me A River” singer took to Instagram to post a throwback video of him in the studio with Swizz. “Congrats to @timbaland and @therealswizzz for one year of Verzuz!,” he captioned the post.

 

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A post shared by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake)

Looks like JT might be feeling that pressure to come be a part of the Verzuz culture….not Black culture.

• Career

by Andrea Blackstone

June 6, 2021

Two Black Women CEOs Broke a Record By Making the Fortune 500 List at the Same Time

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ABC News reported that history was made in more than one way when two African American female CEOs made this year’s Fortune 500 list for the first time. Thasunda Brown Duckett of TIAA and Rosalind Brewer of Walgreens Boots Alliance broke barriers with their historical presence in the business world.

According to Fortune, Walmart ranked No. 1 on the list. However, the 500 corporations on this year’s list generated $13.8 trillion in revenues, or some two-thirds of the U.S. economy. The annual roundup ranks America’s largest companies.

“It does not escape me that I am standing on the shoulders of giants, including the cooks and janitors and others who look like me and were first to enter corporate America,” Brown Duckett said to ABC News. “They created the space for me to have this opportunity. My hope is that corporate America realizes that talent is created equally but opportunity is not, and we all acknowledge that there’s still more work to be done.”

Women only make up 8.2% of Fortune 500 CEOs. Women of color comprise a mere 1.2%.,” CBS News reported. Fortune said that Brewer’s Walgreen Boots Alliance ranked No. 16, while Brown Duckett’s TIAA  came in at No. 79.

“Before Duckett and Brewer began their new jobs, only one Black woman—former Xerox chief Ursula Burns—had ever run a Fortune 500 business on a permanent basis,” Fortune also said. “Burns stepped down from that role in 2017, and, with the exception of Mary Winston, who served as Bed Bath & Beyond’s interim chief for several months in 2019, Black female CEOs have been missing from the Fortune 500 ever since.”

Thus, Brown Duckett and Brewer’s simultaneous accomplishment is extremely noteworthy and rare.

NPR added that addressing the long-standing lack of diversity continues to be a challenge for many top American companies, although it is an issue they are attempting to address. Keep in mind, only race is a factor in this instance.

“According to Equilar, a clearinghouse for corporate leadership data, 29.6% of companies on the S&P 500 do not have at least one Black board member. Today, there are five Black CEOs in the Fortune 500. When Ken Frazier retires from Merck next month, there will be four,” NPR said.

• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

June 6, 2021

Founder of Black-Owned Podcast Network Launches Newly Designed Mobile App to Over 3 Million Users

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Meet Bennie Randall, the mastermind behind Bshani Radio which has been named as one of Feedspot.com’s Top 20 Independent Podcast Networks. Just recently, Bennie has proudly launched a new version of the company’s mobile app for iPhone and Android devices. Users can get the app for free from the company’s official website or download it directly from the Google Play Store and Apple’s iOS App Store.

In 2017, Bennie became one of the first entrepreneurs to launch a Black-owned podcast network under his brand “Bshani” – an acronym for “Bennie Sees His Artistic Nature Inside” – with the intention of giving independent entrepreneurs and thinkers a platform to present their expertise. The app emphasizes exclusive and original content as hosts take on a wide variety of topics discussing relationships, business, and everything else that matters to today’s listeners.

Last year, Bshani Radio launched a series of new and exclusive podcasts made available only within the app including What Tanisha Said, Late Night with Bennie Love, Real Talk with AH3, Prayer for Everyone, and Black Entrepreneur Radio. In addition to exclusive content, the new app integrates a slew of new features to enhance the listener experience and encourage feedback and engagement.

The redesigned Bshani Radio mobile app contains new, highly requested features including:

• Instant download of Bshani Radio App, no signup required

• Multi-App usage without interruption allowing users the freedom to scroll through other applications including social, email, and web browsers while their favorite podcast continues to play in the background

• Brand new exclusive and original content

• Enhanced Feedback Features: Listeners can leave a 60-second audio message to their favorite host(s) with just one click within the app

• Use smaller storage space: Only using 23.7MB on iPhones and 2.1MB on Androids

• Airdrop the app to any TV, laptop, or other devices that allow sharing

• In-app alarm clock & weather notifications

• “Favorite” functionalities to keep tabs of episodes and instantly play them back on demand

The four-year-old Bshani Podcast Network has over 4,000 episodes between its two channels. 70% of the listeners are women and 30% are men. The app is a global podcast app that welcomes all listeners, sponsors, and podcast hosts. For more details, visit their official web site at BshaniRadio.com

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 6, 2021

Calm App Supports Naomi Osaka by Offering to Pay The Fines of Players Skipping Press Conferences

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Naomi Osaka just singlehandedly sparked change in the world of sports. It all started after she made an early exit from the French Open to protect her mental health.

The four-time Grand Slam winner was well aware of all the consequences coming her way when she decided to skip out on attending post-game press interviews, Tennis.com reports. She shared a lengthy statement on Twitter explaining her decision to protect her mental health and suggested they donate the money she knew she would be fined to charity.

But after being fined $15,000 for missing her first post-game interview, Osaka opted to withdraw from the French Open all together. The move ignited a debate in the sports world on if athletes’ mental health is prioritized enough. Venus Williams spoke out in defense of Osaka and the Grand Slam leaders even announced plans to address mental health concerns among players.

But no one took as big of a step as the Calm app, which took to Twitter to express its support for Osaka in the form of dollars and cents, People reports.

https://twitter.com/calm/status/1400224962544234500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1400225030160621571%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis.com%2Fbaseline%2Farticles%2Fcalm-app-supports-naomi-osaka-with-donation-offers-to-pay-press-fines

“To support Naomi Osaka’s decision to prioritize her mental health, Calm is donating $15000 to @LaureusSport in France, an organization doing incredible work in the mental health space to transform the lives of young people through the power of sport,” the tweet read.

Calm’s charitable move was exactly what Osaka suggested when announcing her refusal to conduct interviews.

“I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.” she said in her initial statement. “I’ve watched many clips of athletes breaking down after a loss in the press room and I know you have as well. I believe that whole situation is kicking a person while they’re down and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it….I hope the considerable amount that I get fined for this will go towards a mental health charity,” she said in conclusion.

• Politics

by Derek Major

June 6, 2021

Facebook Bans Former President Donald Trump Until At Least January 2023

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Reuters – Facebook Inc on Friday suspended former U.S. President Donald Trump until at least January 2023 and announced changes to how it will treat world leaders who break the company’s rules on postings on its site.

The social media giant suspended Trump’s account the day after the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot, determining he had incited violence. That suspension will last at least two years from the date of the initial block and would only be lifted if the risk to public safety has receded, Facebook said.

Trump criticized the decision as a form of censorship and an insult to his voters.

This new timeline denies Republican Trump a major social media megaphone ahead of the November 2022 national midterm elections, when his party will be competing for Congressional seats. However, it means he may be able to return to Facebook well before the next presidential election in late 2024.

Trump has been permanently banned by Twitter and remains suspended by Alphabet’s YouTube after the riot. The former president, who this week shut down his recently-launched blog, has teased plans to launch his own platform but his team has given little detail.

“Given the gravity of the circumstances that led to Mr. Trump’s suspension, we believe his actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols,” Facebook’s head of global affairs Nick Clegg said in the post.

Facebook’s oversight board, an independent group funded by the company who rule on a small slice of controversial content decisions, in May upheld the company’s unprecedented block on Trump. However, the board ruled it was wrong to make the ban indefinite and called for a “proportionate response.”

In a statement on Friday, Trump slammed the decision and repeated false claims of voter fraud: “Facebook’s ruling is an insult to the record-setting 75M people, plus many others, who voted for us in the 2020 Rigged Presidential Election. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately, we will win. Our Country can’t take this abuse anymore!”

Trump added, “Next time I’m in the White House there will be no more dinners, at his request, with Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. It will be all business!”

Facebook said it would work with experts to decide when the public safety risk had subsided for Trump to be restored to its platforms. It said it would evaluate factors including instances of violence, restrictions on peaceful assembly and other markers of civil unrest.

It also said there would be a set of escalating sanctions that would be triggered if Trump broke further rules that could lead to his permanent removal.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, speaking to reporters, said of Facebook’s decision on Trump that it felt “pretty unlikely that the zebra is going to change his stripes over the next two years, we’ll see.”

POLICY CHANGES

Social media companies have grappled in recent years with how to handle world leaders and politicians who violate their guidelines. Facebook and Twitter have long held that world leaders, politicians and elected officials should be given greater latitude on their platforms than ordinary users.

In a major reversal that also came as part of Facebook’s Friday responses to its oversight board, Facebook said it was “removing the presumption we announced in 2019 that speech from politicians is inherently of public interest.”

The company said it now would weigh violative content from politicians against the potential risk of harm in the same way it does for all users. It will also disclose when it does use its “newsworthiness” exemption. Some of these policy changes were originally reported by The Verge.

However, a Facebook spokesman confirmed politicians’ posts will remain exempt from third-party fact-checking.

Facebook has come under fire from those who think it should abandon its hands-off approach to political speech, but has also been criticized by those, including Republican lawmakers and some free-expression advocates, who saw the Trump ban as a disturbing act of censorship.

The decision and the policy changes could have major ramifications for how Facebook handles rule-breaking world leaders and officials on its services. It said public figures who violate its rules by inciting violence or civil unrest could be restricted for one-month violations, while more serious violations would restrict in longer penalties.

Social media companies have faced calls from some rights groups and activists to be more consistent in their approach to other leaders who have violated or pushed their rules. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Leader Ali Khamenei, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and lawmakers in India’s ruling party have drawn scrutiny.

Facebook, which previously had not shared how many “strikes” users could receive before a suspension, offered more transparency into this opaque system. It said five or more strikes would lead to a 30-day restriction from posting.

The Trump case has been seen as a test for how the company responded to the ruling and recommendations of its recently-established oversight board.

The board also recommended Facebook review its role in the election fraud conspiracy that led to the Jan. 6 siege, which Facebook said it would partially implement through its partnership with academics studying the role it played in the 2020 U.S. elections. Facebook said it was implementing 15 of the 19 board recommendations.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford and Akanksha Rana; Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Susan Heavey, Paresh Dave, and Trevor Hunnicut; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Arun Koyyur and Nick Zieminski)

• Technology

by Black Enterprise Shop

June 6, 2021

Forge A Career In Cybersecurity And It With This Bundle On Sale

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The demand for cybersecurity skills is at an all-time high. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of cybersecurity experts is projected to grow 31 percent from 2019 to 2029, a rate that is much faster than the average for all occupations.

This doesn’t come as a surprise, as these experts are needed to create solutions to prevent hackers from stealing pertinent data or cause problems for computer networks. As organizations continue to build digital infrastructures, they need cybersecurity talent to keep their systems secure.

You can capitalize on this growing demand by forging a career in cybersecurity. Don’t know where to start? The Premium CompTIA & Cisco Networking Certification Prep Bundle can serve as a springboard to a successful cybersecurity and IT career.

For a limited time, you can grab the bundle on sale for 98 percent off.

RELATED CONTENT: Black Security Company In Chicago Investing $500,000 To Expand Into Surging Cybersecurity Industry

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The bundle begins with a primer on the core security functions, where you’ll learn how to identify, analyze, and respond to cybersecurity events and incidents. You’ll then proceed with exploring threat management, discovering the fundamentals of networking technologies, and getting acquainted with cloud computing.

In case you want to dive into networking further, there are additional courses on Cisco, in which you’ll learn how to troubleshoot network connectivity errors quickly. You will integrate and test multiple protocols and master troubleshooting techniques. By the time you finish, you’ll have the skills needed to pass IT certification exams and kickstart a cybersecurity career.

For a limited time, you can get the bundle on sale for only $30, or less than $4 per course.

Prices subject to change.

Earlier this week, Naomi Osaka announced her withdrawal from the French Open.

On Sunday, May 30th, Osaka was fined $15,000 for declining media interviews for a post-match press conference. According to officials, Osaka failed to meet her contractual media obligations. Tennis officials expected her to attend a news conference after her first-round victory against Romania’s Maria Tig. But Osaka announced that she had to prioritize her mental health instead.

“I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes’ mental health,” Osaka wrote in a Twitter post on May 26th.”We’re often sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds, and I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.”

Fans from all over the world supported her decision. But there were many who criticized her decision, citing her obligations as a pro athlete.

Her latest post on May 31st provided more transparency around her struggle with depression.

“The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018. I have had a really hard time coping with that.”

She adds, “I’m gonna take some time away from the court right now. But when the time is right, I really want to work with the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press, and fans.”

pic.twitter.com/LN2ANnoAYD

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 31, 2021

Osaka is the highest-paid female athlete in the world, Sportico reported. She’s also the second-ranked woman in Tennis. The 23-year-old pro athlete has been dominating the court, taking home four Grand Slam championships. But after maintaining a rigorous schedule and frequent media interviews, Osaka wants to devote more time to self-care.

Will Smith and other celebrities are standing by Osaka during this time. On June 3, Smith posted a message of support. “Hey Naomi, You are right. They are wrong! I am with you.”

 

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A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)

The Calm app, founded by a meditation and mindfulness company, announced a $15,000 pledge to a French mental health organization to support Osaka’s decision. The organization has also pledged to pay the fines of any other players who choose not to participate in Grand Slam press conferences this year.

Mental health is health. 🎾

To support Naomi Osaka’s decision to prioritize her mental health, Calm is donating $15,000 to @LaureusSport in France, an organization doing incredible work in the mental health space to transform the lives of young people through the power of sport. pic.twitter.com/C53ptXsks5

— Calm (@calm) June 2, 2021

Grand Slam authorities have promised to address the mental health concerns of its players, ESPN reported.

Osaka has been quiet on social media since making her big announcement. On Saturday, the Tennis superstar tuned back in to express her gratitude to her supporters.

“Just want to say thank you for all the love. Haven’t been on my phone much but I wanted to hop on here and tell you all that I really appreciate it.”