• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 26, 2021

Court Papers Show DMX’s Estate Worth Less Than $1 Million

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Despite being a platinum-selling artist who sold 74 million records worldwide, DMX left behind an estate worth less than $1 million.

The revelation comes as five of the late rapper’s 15 children work to gain access to his estate. Court papers show the “Party Up” emcee’s estate might have been worth less than $50,000, The New York Daily News reported.

The Ruff Ryders frontman, who died April 9 at age 50 following a massive heart attack, appears to have left behind assets in the forms of music rather than dollars and cents. The documents were filed in Westchester County on May 10 from DMX’s daughters Sasha Simmons and Jada Oden. Separate court papers dated May 21 were filed on behalf of his sons Xavier, Tacoma, and Sean Simmons.

Both sets of children are seeking to become administrators of the rap star’s estate. The sisters identified DMX’s estate at $50,000 while his three sons listed it as under $1 million. The rapper’s other 10 children have yet to file paperwork in court, Radar Online reported.

If a deal is made, there could be a battle between his 15 children over the rapper’s trademarks, royalties, and music catalog. The rights to his music are estimated to add millions to DMX’s estate over the next couple of years. His songs skyrocketed to the top of the streaming charts following his death.

The news comes after the rapper dominated the hip-hop scene in the late ’90s and early 2000s. According to Daily Rap Facts, DMX was the first rapper to have his first five albums debut at number-one as well as releasing two number-one albums in the same year, It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.

Following his death, his family released a statement and asked for privacy ahead of the funeral arrangements. ”

We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50-years-old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days. Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end,” the statement read.

RELATED CONTENT: Russell Simmons Admits ‘DMX Saved Def Jam’ Record Label and Wished ‘We Could Have Saved Him’

• COVID-19

by Derek Major

May 26, 2021

President Joe Biden: Intelligence Community Divided On Coronavirus Origin

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Reuters – President Joe Biden on Wednesday said the U.S. intelligence community was divided on the origin in China of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, including whether it came from human contact with an infected animal or a laboratory accident.

Biden said in a statement that he has called for further investigation into the pandemic’s origins.

He said that U.S. intelligence are looking into two different scenarios, that they do not have high confidence in their current conclusions and that they are divided on which is most likely.

“I have now asked the Intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days,” Biden said.

“As part of that report, I have asked for areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China.”

U.S. agencies have been aggressively investigating COVID-19’s origins since the U.S. government first recognized the virus as a serious health risk in early 2020.

Earlier this week, U.S. government sources familiar with intelligence reporting and analysis said a still-classified U.S. intelligence report circulated during former President Donald Trump’s administration alleged that three researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology became so ill in November 2019 that they sought hospital care.

The source of this early intelligence or how reliable U.S. agencies rated it is not known. It remains unclear whether the afflicted researchers were hospitalized or what their symptoms were, one of the sources said. The virus first appeared in Wuhan and then spread worldwide.

RELATED CONTENT: Dr. Anthony Fauci: Coronavirus Will Become ‘Seasonal’ Like The Flu

Intelligence committees of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are investigating how U.S. agencies have reported on and gathered information about COVID-19’s origin, how it spread and how governments have responded to it.

A report issued by House intelligence committee Republicans earlier this month focused particularly on the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The Republican report asserted that there was “significant circumstantial evidence raises serious concerns that the COVID19 outbreak may have been a leak” from the institute, suggested the Wuhan lab was involved in biological weapons research, and that Beijing had attempted to “cover up” the virus’ origins.

However, the origin of the virus remains hotly contested among experts.

In a report issued in March written jointly with Chinese scientists, a World Health Organization-led team that spent four weeks in and around Wuhan in January and February said the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that “introduction through a laboratory incident was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway.”

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Mark Hosenball and Timothy Ahmann; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)

An athlete who participated in the 1968 Olympics and raised his fist in protest on the podium as he received his medal has died at the age of 74.

According to Deadline, Olympian Lee Evans died at a hospital in Nigeria last week. He won two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City that year and was an integral part of the Black protests against perceived United States racism. No cause of death was reported by the USA Track and Field organization.

He was inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in Manhattan in 1983 and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in 1989.

BREAKING NEWS: Olympic gold medalist, world record holder, USATF Hall of Famer and human rights activist Lee Evans died Wednesday at age 74. pic.twitter.com/rngsfNbW90

— USATF (@usatf) May 19, 2021

According to the USA Track and Field organization, “Evans was a leading member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, an organization that called attention to racial inequality and oppression in the United States and abroad. Along with 1968 Mexico City teammates and 200m medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos, Evans worked to inform and educate through his efforts in athletics, and on the award stand following his 400m victory he wore a black beret to symbolize solidarity with other civil rights organizations.”

After Evans captured the NCAA 400m crown back in 1968, he won the final Olympic Trials at Echo Summit with a then-world record of 44.06. He then raced back into the history books at Mexico City with an incredible time of 43.86 to shatter his own world record. That record stayed on the books for another 20 years.

After his competitive days ended, Evans directed the national track and field programs of Nigeria and Saudi Arabia and trained athletes in 18 other countries between 1975 and 1977. In 2002, Evans joined the coaching staff of the University of Washington, and he later served in numerous coaching and advisory positions worldwide.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 26, 2021

George Floyd’s Family Unveils $500K Fund to ‘Give Breath’ to the Minneapolis Community

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On the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, his family announced a $500k fund in his honor.

The family unveiled The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund, a Minnesota-based nonprofit with a mission of “raising up and giving breath to the businesses, individuals, and organizations in Minnesota that have been detrimentally impacted by systematic racism.”

The fund aims to provide grants to business owners, community organizations, and 501(c)(3) organizations that serve the Black community at 38th & Chicago in Minneapolis, Yahoo News reports. The organization’s current board members include four Floyd family members: Terrence Floyd, Bridgett Floyd, Philonise Floyd and Roxie Washington, as well as attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci, L. Chris Stewart, Jeff Storms, and Scott Masterson.

“George’s legacy is his spirit of optimism that things can get better, and our family wants to bring that hope to the community where he died, so that together we can make things better for the Black community in Minneapolis and beyond,” said Terrence Floyd, Floyd’s brother and officer of The Fund’s board.

There are board member spot openings for community leaders from the 38th & Chicago area as well as corporate partners, TheGrio reports. The Fund has released a grant challenge for Minneapolis’ largest companies in efforts to secure financial backing for their philanthropy.

“As we mark the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s horrific death, the family feels deeply that something positive should come from the pain and injustice he suffered,” Crump said. “The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund will be an instrumental, long-term partner to the Black-owned businesses in the neighborhood where he died, where we all have seen the continued negative impact of systemic racism.”

Grants from The Fund will be given out in increments of $5,000, $10,000, and $25,000, with a focus on helping projects that directly serve predominately Black communities. It won’t start accepting applications until fall.

• Education

by Andrea Blackstone

May 26, 2021

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay Receives Honorary Doctorate From Yale University

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Acclaimed, Oscar nominated producer and filmmaker Ava DuVernay is among Yale University’s small group of 2021 honorary doctorate recipients.

In a video, Yale University’s president, Peter Salovey, read a personal citation, calling DuVernay a “pathbreaking filmmaker known for projects that give voice to women and people of color, is widely seen as a champion for representation and justice.’

DuVernay displayed her doctorate on her Instagram account, and thanking Yale University’s special committee for the honor.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ava DuVernay (@ava)

“My mom is over the moon and has taken to calling me Dr. DuVernay. Hope that wears off. But the joy of your high regard will not. A thrill to share this with the formidable Class of 2021 and my esteemed fellow honorees,” DuVernay wrote.

Salovey also described DuVernay as a “creator and critic who portrays the richness and variety of human experience from all angles.

“By elevating others, you bring new stories into focus and amplify voices we need to hear. Hollywood maverick, for challenging us to reckon with our past and our present, and for working to change both an industry and society, Yale is pleased to confer on you this Doctor of Fine Arts degree,” Salovey said.

DuVernay has won Emmy, BAFTA and Peabody awards. Her directorial work includes critically acclaimed works such as Selma, the criminal justice documentary 13th, and Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, which made DuVernay the highest grossing black woman director in American box office history. Additionally, DuVernay has kept busy. She is overseeing production of the TV series Queen Sugar, The Red Line, and an OWN series called Cherish the Day.

The tradition of awarding honorary degrees at Yale University began in 1702. The degrees are conferred by the university’s board of trustees, and recognizes pioneering achievement or exemplary contribution to the common good.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 26, 2021

One Person Injured After Shooting at George Floyd Square On One-Year Anniversary of His Death

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Authorities confirmed that at least one person was injured in a shooting near George Floyd Square in Minneapolis on the one-year anniversary of his death.

The victim was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for injuries that were non-life-threatening, NBC News reported. The shooting occurred shortly after 10:00 am on the intersection of 38th and Chicago, one block away from the memorial known as George Floyd Square, located at the same intersection where Floyd died while under the knee of former officer Derek Chauvin.

The suspected shooter was last seen driving away from the scene. Authorities have not revealed if the suspect was taken into custody. In video footage from the memorial, as many as 30 shots were heard a block away from the intersection, authorities said. Investigators have released no additional information on the suspect or their motive.

People had gathered at the site in honor of the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. There were peaceful protests and rallies held worldwide to commemorate the movement his death helped spark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hU0k5kFLEo

On Tuesday, President Biden met with Floyd’s family at the White House. Floyd’s three brothers and his daughter, Gianna, joined Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Oval Office to discuss Floyd’s legacy through the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that the House passed last summer. The bill remains on hiatus as supporters work with the Republican-led Senate.

“I know the president was very personal, because he got to know this family over the years and he wanted to check on them today of all days to see how they were doing,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, as noted by Yahoo News. To reiterate that they are still doing everything to make sure that his legacy is respected, and that involves us going to meet with senators to continue to press forward for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that he says he is ready to sign any day.”

During the meeting, Gianna raised her first and shouted, “Say his name,” with her family.

• Education

by Derek Major

May 26, 2021

President Biden Drops Student Loan Forgiveness From Annual Budget, To Review Separately

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Since President Joe Biden was elected, Democrats have been pushing him to cancel $50,000 in student loan forgiveness for students. Biden initially showed support for cancelling $10,000 in student debt relief for every year of national or community service for up to five years.

However, neither plan is included in Biden’s budget plan, which is due to be released next week. Instead, the Biden administration will review student loan relief programs separately. The Department of Education will review and potentially overhaul the federal regulation that governs student loan programs, according to Forbes.

Higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz told CNBC the news is not a surprise to him. Those concerned about the future of student loan forgiveness, he added, should focus on the memo Biden requested about the use of executive authority to cancel student loans.

“President Biden is still waiting for the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education to report on their review of his legal authority to forgive student loan debt through executive order,” Kantrowitz said. “Only after he receives that report, which I expect will find that he does not have the legal authority, will the ball be in Congress’ court.”

Many believe the fact that Biden didn’t cancel student debt through an executive order during his first 100 days in office, indicates he doesn’t have the power to do it and the issue will eventually go to Congress.

RELATED CONTENT: Report: HBCU Graduates Are Charged Higher Interest Rates on Student Loans

More than 45 million American collectively owe $1.57 trillion in student loan debt. Only mortgage and auto loans are higher debts. Both former president Donald Trump and Biden paused student loan payments due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they are set to resume in October. The debate is sure to be reignited in a few months when the summer draws to a close and students move back into classrooms for the first time in more than a year.

Student loan debt particularly affects minorities and Black Americans. According to Business Insider, 87% of Black students take out student loans to attend college, while 59% of White students do the same. In 2003 alone, 50% of Black graduates defaulted on their loans within the following 12 years. For White students the rate is 21.5% and for Latino students it’s 36.1%.

Progressive Democrats are still pushing Biden to come through on student debt relief, including Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

According to Newsweek, Ocasio-Cortez punted Biden’s plan of forgiving $10,000 in student loan debt.

“I don’t think that that’s enough,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We need to push him. I believe in full student loan debt cancellation. But we have to push him to at the bare minimum, a floor of $50,000 that Sen. [Elizabeth] Warren and Sen. [Chuck] Schumer have also advanced.”

• Business

by Christian Spencer

May 26, 2021

‘Welcome To Walmart, [N-Word]’: How Walmart’s Official Email Called Millions Of Its Customers A Racial Slur

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“We were shocked and appalled to see these offensive and unacceptable emails. We’re looking into our sign up process to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again,” Blakeman said.

Since May 22, the only recent tweet Walmart has made was regarding the #supermoon, which will not occur until June 24. This tone-deaf tweet has made some users question if Walmart’s official social media has been compromised as well.

https://twitter.com/Walmart/status/1397596465032310784?s=20

Some who opened the email, especially those who identify as Black, said the email’s timing was suspicious considering that it happened on the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death.

“To think the world’s largest retailer could get hacked so easily and sent out some emails like that, it is a little unsettling,” Eric Hudson, one of many subscribers of Walmart, told Click 2 Houston.

With the number of NBA players who have played in the infamous Entertainers Basketball Classic, more popularly known as the Rucker in Harlem, NY, it seems fitting that the planned renovation for the famed concrete asphalt court will be paid for by the union that represents NBA players.

According to Patch, the basketball court that has hosted the famed summer basketball league tournament for several decades is long overdue for a renovation. Thanks to an offer from the National Basketball Players Association, the basketball court, located on 155th Street and 8th Avenue (in the same area where the old Polo Grounds sports stadium once existed) will get a much-needed upgrade.

The NBPA approached the city and offered to funnel $360,000 toward the renovations that are set to start taking place this summer.

RELATED CONTENT: New Basketball League Will Debut in Atlanta, Plans to Pay 16-to 18-Year-Old Players $100,000 Salary

With athletes like Rod Strickland (Washington Wizards), Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Kenny Smith (a veteran NBA guard before his Inside the NBA run), and a bevy of other superstar basketball players making a trip to play in the Rucker tournament, playing one game in the summer tournament became a rite of passage for current and future NBA players.

• News

by Andrea Blackstone

May 26, 2021

82-year-old Widow Needs Fundraiser to Help Save Her Home, Owes $38K in HOA Fees

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Marie Riggins, 82, moved into her corner lot home in Inglewood, CA, with her late husband in 1986, but she filed bankruptcy after losing her spouse to pancreatic cancer 10 years ago. Now, she is in a foreclosure fight over $38,000 in HOA fees.

“The trouble began in 2017 when she began to fall behind on homeowner association dues. Riggins says her HOA is demanding $38,000 that she allegedly owes,” KTLA reported.

Despite experiencing financial hardship, Riggins said “there is no way in the world that she would owe $38,000” for her home located in the community development known as Carlton Square.

“That meant I never paid my property dues,” Riggins also said.

KTLA added that Riggins’ home now sits across from the newly built $5 billion SoFi stadium. Although it is currently worth nearly $1 million, Riggins’ home could be soon to be owned by the bank.

RELATED CONTENT: Black Lives Matter Co-Founder And Marxist Patrisse Khan-Cullors: Black Homeownership Disrupts White Supremacy

Riggins is trying to regain her title back because she did not plan to move, according to KTLA. A GoFundMe page stated that Nissan Thomas, Esq. seeks to raise for  250,000 for Riggins, who lives on a fixed income and faces an increasingly urgent set of circumstances.

“The Los Angeles County Sheriff has placed a lockout notice on her door, and ​within less than 30 days, she will be permanently locked out of the home she has resided in for the past 30+ years. Ms. Riggins has retained our services to negotiate additional time to stay the lockout,” the GoFundMe message stated. “This campaign is designed to assist Ms. Riggins with whatever circumstance that may occur.”

The GoFundMe campaign information explained that Riggins needs resources to purchase her home or to hire movers, relocate,  ​secure storage facilities ​for her personal belongings and find another place to live.

In 2020, Money reported about federal protections weakening in cases of eviction and foreclosure policies. According to the report, California already had extensive laws for those struggling to pay rent. However, questions remained about how program gaps could be filled and the state of emergency ended, even with individuals with mortgages. And in cases like Riggins’, elderly Americans who are in their retirement years experiencing additional financial emergencies could also lose their homes.

If anyone would like to donate to the GoFundMe campaign to help Riggins, please follow this link.