by Jeffrey McKinney

May 24, 2021

54% of Small Businesses Blast Additional Unemployment Benefits For Worker Shortages

A hefty 54% of U.S. small businesses condemn extra unemployment benefits among big factors why they cannot find workers.

The discovery came from Alignable’s May State of Small Business Report. The percentage equates to small business owners who contend government handouts are keeping prospective employees at home. Further, some 30% state the $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit is the greatest obstacle and 24% report the stimulus checks are hindering people from applying.

An online referral network for small businesses, Alignable’s report revealed that 50% of small business employers are struggling with filling vacancies. Restaurants and retailers were cited among those battling with finding workers.

Alignable disclosed in its Road To Recovery Report that 51% of business owners say the employees they can find are demanding higher salaries or hourly rates than they did before COVID-19. They attribute that development to hiring becoming so competitive across many industries.

On the upside, the report showed small businesses have achieved a new, pandemic-era high. Alignable proclaims 88% of those employed before the crisis are now back on the payroll. It states that marks the first time since late last year that the employee percentage went above 82%, reflecting some hope and progress.

Football Champion Keena Turner Graduates From Purdue With His Daughter 41 Years After Leaving For The NFL

Education still matters a great deal to 62-year-old Keena Turner. Earning four Super Bowl rings simply was not enough to leave his dream of completing a memorable academic goal. ESPN reported that the four-time Super Bowl champion and his daughter, Ella both graduated from Purdue University on May 15, 2021. They walked side by side into Ross-Ade Stadium, in West Lafayette, Ind. Turner return to college at Purdue over 40 years after departing Purdue to pursue an opportunity with the NFL, according to ESPN.

Purdue Athletics explained that in 1976, Turner came to Purdue to play football. He also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior and senior while leading the “Junk Defense,” during one of the best stretches in program history, according to Purdue Athletics. When the San Francisco 49ers selected the football player in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft, it left the student-athlete a mere handful of credits shy of graduation. Purdue Athletics also said that Turner initially took advantage of a partnership between the 49ers and the University of San Francisco to finish his degree program and earn his diploma. However, he still desired one from Purdue.

“As a linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers from 1980 to 1990, Turner was an integral part of the dynastic Niners. All he’s ever known is the highest level of achievement, and he was determined to apply it to his return to college at the age of 60,” ESPN said.

ESPN also reported that Turner needed two classes which could be completed virtually to earn his degree in organizational leadership.

“When he learned he could graduate with Ella, who enrolled in 2017, the opportunity was too good to pass up,” ESPN explained.

Turner balanced work obligations with academic endeavors. However, his perseverance prevailed. The 49ers’ website said that Turner is in his 24th season working in the front office of the 49ers. Also, Turner is in his third year as vice president and senior advisor to the general manager.

Despite his achieving public accolades and employment success, Turner is passing on a legacy of hitting the books.

“So proud of you on OUR special day. You will always be my baby girl! ❤️ @ Purdue University,” Turner tweeted, referring to his daughter.

Shaq Provides New Shoes to Elementary School Students in Georgia

by Andrea Blackstone

May 24, 2021

Shaq Provides New Shoes to Elementary School Students in Georgia

On May 22, WSB-TV reported that 100 students who attend Wesley Lakes Elementary School in McDonough, Ga., had an opportunity to meet former NBA star, Dr. Shaquille O’Neal, while also getting new sneakers. As a part of The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, Reebok and Soles4Souls’ mission to distribute 500 new pairs of shoes to kids in need in Henry County by the end of the summer, the NBA analyst made a personal appearance for the celebration, according the report. WSB-TV also said that Soles4Souls told the news station that they have distributed over 61 million pairs of shoes in 129 countries, over the past 15 years. They were “ecstatic” about partnering with O’Neal.

“It’s all about the kids,” O’Neal said, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. “The two things that really hurt me this year were seeing 40 million people out of work, and I hate seeing kids who don’t have what they need.”

Additionally, FOX 5 Atlanta also said that organizers will distribute the remaining pairs of shoes to children in need over the summer. The station added that O’Neal helped provide gifts to children last Christmas with a toy drive in the Henry County area. The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation and corporate partners reportedly helped high school athletes and athletic programs impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. WSB-TV added that O’Neal has a home in Henry County.

O’Neal invests in youth on an ongoing basis through philanthropic work. According to The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation’s website, the organization’s mission is to create “pathways for underserved youth, to help them achieve their full potential.”

Building a highly capable team has been a part of O’Neal’s strategy to give back. Forbes also explained that O’Neal welcomed business leaders to the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation’s new board of directors. They include his uncle and agent, Mike Parris — and Jeanie Buss, the daughter of the legendary Dr. Jerry Buss.

“The greatest leaders are the ones smart enough to hire people smarter,” O’Neal said in the Interview. “We’ll put our resources together — and we’re definitely going to make a difference.”

O’Neal also told Forbes that this is the time to create something to build a brighter future for children.

“Our mission is just to help underserved youth by providing them with resources, and opportunities. You know, a lot of people, especially our kids, our children, don’t have that. These kids need somebody to look up to. They need stuff to do. And we want to provide that,” O’Neal said.

In the interview, O’Neal said that his foundation focuses on assisting children from Atlanta and Las Vegas, because he lives in Atlanta and Las Vegas and can personally show up at any time.

Two Men Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler Finds Gun and Accidentally Shoots 2-Year-Old Sister

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 24, 2021

Two Men Arrested After 3-Year-Old Toddler Finds Gun and Accidentally Shoots 2-Year-Old Sister

Tragedy struck in a Florida town over the weekend when it was reported that a 2-year-old little girl was accidentally shot by her 3-year-old brother.

According to the Associated Press, a 3-year-old boy found a gun that was hidden between cushions in a sofa and he then accidentally shot his 2-year-old sister after discovering the weapon. Authorities have stated that a family friend had hidden the gun between the sofa cushions.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has released a statement pertaining to the situation:

“At about 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, Lakeland Police responded to a two-vehicle crash at Olive Street and Oregon Avenue in Lakeland. One of the vehicles involved was on the way to the hospital with the 2-year-old gunshot victim. A Good Samaritan in the area took the child and 24-year-old Chad Berrien to the hospital. The girl’s mother responded to the hospital and said that the two children were supposed to be at her home, which is in the area of South Wabash Avenue and Ariana Street in Lakeland. Two witnesses, 23-year-old Kevonte’ Wilson, and 23-year-old Rodderick Haynes told detectives that they were watching a basketball game on TV when the 3-year-old child found a handgun and pointed it at the 2-year-old girl and shot her with it. Wilson and Haynes said that they all got into a car to rush the girl to the hospital but got into a crash on the way. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the handgun belonged to Wilson.”

This Wallstreet Trapper Educates Black Families on How to Secure The Bag

When you can turn a negative into a positive, the riches that can be gained are monumental. We, as Black people, are seen in such a negative way that there are certain descriptors that are attached to us that are always viewed a certain way. A trapper is a person who traps wild animals in the “regular” world, but, in the Black community, particularly in the Southern region of the U.S., a trapper is known as a drug dealer and/or hustler out in the streets. Yet, one man has decided to turn that trapper moniker into a positive word that should elevate the financial education of Black people.

Leon Howard also known as Wallstreet Trapper, is taking the knowledge he learned from his upbringing to benefit others looking to become financially viable. He uses that same approach to make sure Black families get into the mindset of making sure the finances they acquire stay within the family for years to come. BLACK ENTERPRISE was able to talk to Howard about the meaning behind his moniker, how important it is for Black families to learn and talk about Black wealth, and a new program he has initiated that will have Black families handling their financial thinking like successful corporations.

You’ve gained quite the reputation with your moniker, Wallstreet Trapper. For those who may not know, why do you use that name and what’s behind the meaning of “From The Trap to Wall Street?”

Wallstreet Trapper was my way of turning the word trapper into something positive. Being from the streets of New Orleans and most likely in every ghetto in America, the word trapper is associated with street activity. Wall Street is immediately viewed as a place where the wealthy of the world dwelled and was off-limits to us (the wealth-deprived). Wallstreet Trapper means I have now turned Wall Street into my trap and normalized wealth-building. The same as the wealthy have normalized investing in stocks. From The Trap To Wallstreet represents those of us who come from nothing (The trap, that part of the ghetto where we are financially suffocated) but are destined to turn our last names into assets. From the Trap To Wallstreet means that just because we are born with a lack of financial literacy — because we are born expected to go to prison, be murdered, addicted to drugs, and underexposed to the true possibilities that life has to offer —we can come from that and still become wealthy and change the dynamics of our family.

You’ve recently introduced The Family S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedures). Could you explain what this is?

Family S.O.P.’s, which stands for Standard Operating Procedures, came to me when I was setting up my business. Every successful business has S.O.P’s. It’s a detailed description of every function of a business. So no matter who comes for this position, they’d have specific guidelines. A light bulb went off in my head. If every Black family had Family S.O.P’s then each generation could follow the exact steps needed to add to the family’s wealth. We can leave our kids money, but without guidance, they’ll blow it. The goal is to turn our last names into assets. The Black family doesn’t know how to build wealth. Every generation is figuring it out as they go but aren’t documenting the process. I put together a blueprint that every Black family can follow and because every family is different, you can add to it and it keeps evolving. Every family has a different set of S.O.P’s, just like every business has a different set but every successful business has them.

How important is it for Black families to learn and talk about wealth? Why do you feel that wealth isn’t a pillar in the average Black family and what must we do to change that mindset?

Honestly, it’s important for the Black family to learn how to produce wealth. This last year alone has shown us that only the Black family can save the Black family. We have to become our own stimulus. That can only take place through normalizing the wealth conversation within the Black home. The reason it isn’t a pillar is that America benefits more from the Black community being consumers. Why would they teach us to sit at the table with them, when we are the catalyst to their wealth? The lion never teaches the gazelle how to get away. The school systems in our communities are designed to keep us as workers. They aren’t designed to make us owners. To change that mindset we must study their blueprint and implement their rules (AKA The spook that sat by the door). We must break free of the consumer mindset and understand that wealth isn’t built overnight. These people have been building wealth for generations.

What can we look forward to from the mind of Leon Howard? Is there anything in the future that we should look forward to? Anything that you’d like to discuss?

Moving forward, my goal is just to keep pushing the message that being wealthy is our birthright. Now that the world is opening back up you will be seeing more workshops geared towards being hands-on with helping the culture build wealth. Also putting a curriculum for the Family S.O.P’s. Just doing my part in assuring and enhancing the wealth in Black America.

For those individuals who want to follow in your footsteps and acquire wealth, how would you suggest they embark on that journey and make their own way?

For those who want to follow in my footsteps, I’d say to get around people who are teaching what you don’t know because what you don’t know is going to be your biggest expense. Building wealth is a revolutionary act.

107-Year-Old Tulsa Massacre Survivor Testified to Congress

Viola Fletcher, 107, is believed to be the oldest survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma, according to Tulsa World. Two weeks ago she celebrated her birthday. CBS News reported that on Wednesday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties heard testimony from three centenarians about a violent mob’s riot 100 years ago. They destroyed the thriving Tulsa neighborhood of Greenwood, then known as “Black Wall Street.” Fletcher said she came to Washington, D.C., for the first time in her life to seek justice about the matter.

“I still see Black men being shot, black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams,” Viola Fletcher, said in the CBS News video. “I have lived through the massacre every day.”

Fletcher said she can barely afford her everyday needs. She informed the subcommittee that everything was lost that day when the Tulsa Race Massacre occurred, including homes and churches in Greenwood. Most of her life, Fletcher said that she worked as a domestic worker serving white families.

“This Congress must recognize us and our history…,” Fletcher said.

CNN reported that Fletcher’s 100-year-old brother, Hughes Van Ellis, in addition to Lessie Benningfield Randle also appeared before the House Judiciary subcommittee.

“We’re not asking for a handout. All we are asking for is for a chance to be treated like a first-class citizen who truly is a beneficiary of the promise that this is a land where there is ‘liberty and justice for all,” Van Ellis said, according to CNN. “We are asking for justice for a lifetime of ongoing harm. Harm that was caused by the massacre.”

Justice For Greenwood previously explained that “the match to the fuel of racial resentment that was lit on the morning of May 31, 1921,” when a White mob attacked the Greenwood district of Tulsa. Additionally, Justice For Greenwood said that nearly 100 years after the massacre, 11 plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the City of Tulsa and six other defendants demanding accountability and restitution for continued harm.

by Jeffrey McKinney

May 24, 2021

Black American Borrowers Obtain Over $14 Billion In PPP Loans, While Others Miss Out As Funding Unexpectedly Ends

Black or African American borrowers this year got over $14 billion of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Under that category, 714,501 loans worth around $14.1 billion were approved as of May 16, U.S. Small Business Administration data show. Asian borrowers garnered 148,406 loans valued at $7 billion. The take for American Indian or Alaska natives was 52,969 loans worth around $2.4 billion.

Among racial groups listed, Whites by far had the biggest share with 866,819 loans approved totaling $42 billion. The variance comes as recent analysis shows businesses in mostly White communities have obtained PPP loans at greater rates than communities of color.

The SBA told BLACK ENTERPRISE last July that it was working to better understand which small businesses benefitted from PPP loans. The federal agency also declared in May that it does not comment on third-party analysis of its data. The SBA runs the PPP with the U.S. Treasury.

Potential borrowers–including Black Americans–were unexpectedly hit hard when the funding from the most recent PPP was exhausted several days before its application deadline of May 31.

The SBA earlier this month reported it will keep funding outstanding approved PPP applications, but new qualifying applications will only be funded through a $9.9 billion set aside for Community Financial Institutions. There was $5 billion left as of May 18.

Soccer Phenom Raheem Sterling Collaborates With New Balance

The clothing apparel company New Balance has partnered with soccer player Raheem Sterling.

This collaboration will go beyond a typical sponsorship as the Jamaican-born English soccer star and New Balance will work on performance and lifestyle products. The philanthropic efforts of both parties played into them agreeing to work with each other.

“Growing up all I dreamt of was playing football. From kicking a ball around in Brent with my mates to my first Champions League Final on May 29 and representing my country at this summer’s European Championships, in my hometown. There’s so much more I want to achieve, both on and off the pitch, and this partnership will provide me with the platform to do so,” said Sterling in a written statement.

Sterling’s debut campaign, “Done Just Talking,” has been released under the New Balance global brand statement of “We Got Now.” It shows mostly teenagers and was facilitated by ReachOut UK, a mentoring charity for young people from disadvantaged communities.

Former NBA Player Kwame Brown Responds to Criticism and He Did Not Come To Play

A former National Basketball Association player has been making more noise recently in the press than he has possibly made in his playing days!

According to the New York Post, former NBA player, Kwame Brown, a former first-round pick of the 2001 NBA draft when the Washington Wizards selected him the top overall pick that year, has been ripping former players who showed disrespect toward his playing skills on a recent podcast. Retired basketball players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, on a recent episode of their “All the Smoke” podcast, were discussing a basketball trade with Los Angeles Lakers’ owner, Jeanie Buss when the Lakers traded Brown to the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol during the 2007-08 season. During that talk, Jackson questioned Brown’s basketball skills. Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas, several weeks before, had also dissed Brown on the podcast.

Brown responded to the three players in a posted video clip. The former first-round pick also took a swipe at sports commentator Stephen A. Smith.

“Stephen A. you bald forehead,” Brown said. “Thinking you tough, talking about ‘Oh, they can come see me.’ … Well, meet me in Seattle where you can have mutual combat. … It’ll look like you had a toupee on the front of your head.”

WARNING: Adult language that some may find offensive.

Kwame Brown has a message for Gilbert Arenas, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes

(h/t @AhnFireDigital) pic.twitter.com/Q5qub7cp3Y

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) May 17, 2021

Full video below

According to Complex, Jackson responded on an Instagram Live video to Brown’s reactions to their discussion about him.

“Aye man, everybody want attention. Say Kwame Brown, bruh, I love you to death. I don’t want no smoke with you. … I wish you the best little bro. Keep doing your thing. But, we not gon’ put you on. You had your opportunity when you was the No. 1 draft pick and laid an egg.”

Warning: Adult language

pic.twitter.com/WLwPLdncsg

— Tobzilla (@tobzillaortobz) May 18, 2021

Part 2 pic.twitter.com/SEnOWxsvxG

— Tobzilla (@tobzillaortobz) May 18, 2021

Barnes also took to Instagram with a response of his own, but then the video clip was deleted.

Full video of Brown’s response:

Cisco Will Donate $150 Million To The Robert F. Smith Student Freedom Initiative To Help HBCU Students

by Derek Major

May 24, 2021

Cisco Will Donate $150 Million To The Robert F. Smith Student Freedom Initiative To Help HBCU Students

Cisco Systems, a multinational technology company will give $150 million to the Student Freedom Initiative (SFI) to aid historically Black colleges and universities.

The Student Freedom Initiative is a nonprofit assisting students of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and HBCUs by providing income-contingent funding for students enrolled at HBCUs and MSIs.

The money will be split in two ways: $100 million will go to networking and security upgrades including ongoing technical support and advancements to HBCU information technology infrastructure provided by American Virtual Cloud (AVC).

The remaining $50 million will allow for the financing of the education of 500 HBCU students every year. The program, known as the Student Freedom Agreement will cover a student’s remaining costs after federal aid and could serve as an alternative to private student loans.

Robert Smith, who founded the SFI, said in a statement the collaboration and Cisco’s financial commitment will free minority students from crushing student loan debt. Each student will receive up to $20,000 and there is no obligation for students to pay the funds back.

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