by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 21, 2021

History Channel Releasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s ‘Fight the Power’ Documentary on Juneteenth

The History Channel will be honoring the Juneteenth holiday by airing a documentary executive-produced and narrated by NBA champion and social justice advocate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Titled Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America, the one-hour documentary chronicles the social justice movements that helped reshape American history, The Root reports. Deborah Morales of Iconomy Multi-Media & Entertainment helped executive produce the project alongside the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.

“One of this country’s greatest strengths is its willingness to listen to the voices of its people – whether at the ballot box or in the streets – and make changes to bring about a more equitable society,” said Abdul-Jabbar.

Highlights include the protests within the 1880s labor movement, the women’s suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, and the current Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ movements as they are “in the American DNA and this documentary gives an unfiltered look at the ways it has evolved the world in which we live,” the History Channel says, via The Futon Critic.

The Juneteenth release date commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. In 2019, all but four states regarded Juneteenth as a holiday, CNN reports. In February, lawmakers came together to make the day a national holiday.

“Protest helped forge American independence in 1776 and continues to serve as a charged impetus for change in the 21st century,” the news release read. “Civil disobedience has always forced our country to take an uncompromising look at itself to judge if we are on the right course and seek to answer the question: does the arc of the moral universe bend toward justice when pressure is applied?”

The documentary includes interviews and firsthand accounts from Abdul-Jabar and others incorporated with anecdotes from historians and authors as historical imagery and current footage help take viewers on a visual journey through time.

LEGO Releasing New LGBTQ+ Toy Set For Pride Month
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 21, 2021

LEGO Releasing New LGBTQ+ Toy Set For Pride Month

On Thursday, the LEGO brand took to Twitter to unveil its new LGBTQ+ inclusive set just in time for Pride month.

The new 346-piece rainbow-colored set is titled “Everyone is Awesome!” and includes a rainbow wall, multicolor figures, and the colors of the transgender flag, Fox News reports.

“We’re super excited to reveal our new set – LEGO Everyone is Awesome! Because we celebrate every LEGO builder,” the Denmark-based company said in ITS Twitter announcement.

https://twitter.com/LEGO_Group/status/1395303326879735811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1395303326879735811%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxbusiness.com%2Flifestyle%2Flego-announces-new-lgbtq-toy-set

The set model was inspired by the LGBTQ+ community’s classic rainbow flag that stands as a symbol of solidarity. Designed by the company’s VP of design, Matthew Ashton, he shared how pleased he was with the new inclusive toy set.

“Incredibly proud to have designed our brand new #everyoneisawesome set,” he captioned a tweet. “I wanted to create a simple little set with a powerful message of love, inclusivity and acceptance… so here it is! #lego love to you all!”

“Over the last few years, there’s been a lot of social struggles in the world and I think that’s really made us reflect as individuals and a society that we could probably all be doing something a little bit more to show empathy and love and acceptance for other people,” Ashton said in the brand’s YouTube video unveiling the new collection.

 

“I wanted to create a model that symbolizes inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love,” Ashton said, CNN reports. “I am fortunate to be a part of a proud, supportive and passionate community of colleagues and fans. We share love for creativity and self-expression through Lego bricks and this set is a way to show my gratitude for all the love and inspiration that is constantly shared.”

Priced at $34.99, the set releases on June 1, the first day of Pride Month, and will be available in stores and on LEGO’s website.

Debt Relief For Black, Minority Farmers Coming In June According to USDA
by Derek Major

May 21, 2021

Debt Relief For Black, Minority Farmers Coming In June According to USDA

Reuters – The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) said on Friday it will start erasing an estimated $4 billion dollars in debt to minority farmers in June, as it seeks to address racial discrimination.

The Biden administration hopes to make right with Black and other minority farmers, who for decades have lost farmland in legal disputes and been denied loans and government assistance.

The American Rescue Plan Act, which became law in March, directed the USDA to pay off all farm debt held by “socially disadvantaged” minority farmers. It faced opposition from some white farmers and concern from banks.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the payments are needed because minority farmers did not have full access to USDA programs over the last 100 years.

“Chances are pretty good that you weren’t able to be competitive with white farmers, in purchasing land and purchasing equipment, having your crop planted at the right time,” he said in an interview.

“In some cases, those policies were designed specifically to remove socially disadvantaged farmers from their land.”

The legislation did not allocate a specific amount, but the USDA estimates $3.9 billion in farm-related debt is owed by minority farmers to the federal government and private banks. Payments will go out to banks and farmers in June after USDA confirms amounts with some 15,000 farmers by mail.

A century of discrimination against minority farmers has been documented since the late 1990s, when a group of Black farmers sued the agency in the case Pigford v. Glickman, later known as the Pigford settlement.

Lucious Abrams Jr, a 68-year-old farmer from Waynesboro, Georgia, was one of the plaintiffs, after the USDA denied and delayed him access to loans. He is frustrated it has taken months to roll out the debt relief.

“Nothing has transpired! This was done three months ago,” he said. “But they’re telling people you’ve got to write in.”

Abrams once farmed nearly 2,000 acres (810 hectares) of Georgia farmland, but has lost all but 600 acres, which he rents to other growers because he cannot get an operating loan, due to around $500,000 in outstanding USDA loan debt.

“I fought off foreclosure two times to keep them from putting me out of my house,” he said. “You were handcuffed.”

The debt-relief plan has drawn criticism from some agriculture lenders, however.

“The vast majority of these lenders are smaller, community banks that were planning on income from these loans,” said Edwin Elfmann, senior vice president of agriculture and rural banking policy at the American Banking Association, in a May 19 letter to Secretary Vilsack.

The payments represent less than 1% of all U.S. farm sector debt, which USDA estimated at $432.1 billion in 2020.

RELATED CONTENT: John Deere Helps Black Farmers Fight Land Grabbers Through LEAP Coalition

Vilsack said the benefits to lenders outweigh the risks, as many farm loans include a prepayment penalty, which protects the lender in the event of an early payoff. He said banks would be paid principle and interest and could loan the money out again.

A non-profit organization called American First Legal, led by former President Donald Trump’s advisor Steven Miller, filed suit against the Biden administration in April, claiming the debt relief provisions “excludes many potential beneficiaries based solely upon their ethnicity or race.”

Vilsack said white farmers have long had opportunities denied to Black farmers and received a larger proportion of the Trump administration’s coronavirus relief payments.

“With all due respect, white farmers have been treated pretty doggone well, especially during this COVID situation,” he said. “They shouldn’t feel discriminated against.”

(Reporting by Christopher Walljasper; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Marguerita Choy)

Police Officer Arraigned For Threatening 14-Year-Old Black Lives Matter Supporter
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 21, 2021

Police Officer Arraigned For Threatening 14-Year-Old Black Lives Matter Supporter

A police officer in Massachusetts was arraigned on Tuesday, May 18 following an investigation into the threats she sent a 14-year-old Black Lives Matter supporter.

The Milton Police Department launched an investigation into officer Patricia Lio last year after she was accused of threatening the 14-year-old Black boy who came to her house in September for a sleepover, Boston Globe reports. Lio was charged with assault to intimidate the teen and assault and battery for allegedly striking her husband after he tried to intervene and stop her from intimidating the child, via The Boston Globe.

Lio denied the accusations during her phone arraignment where Dedham District Judge Michael J. Pomarole ordered her to refrain from contact with her son’s friend and abusing her husband. Her lawyer Kevin Reddington defended his client claiming the incident happened at an “emotional time,” after she welcomed the teen into her home. “I hope that cooler heads will prevail and this matter will be resolved,” Reddington said.

A Westwood police report says Lio confronted the teen with clenched fists asking if he supported Black Lives Matter, NY Times reports. Her reaction reportedly came after one of her sons showed her one of the teen’s social media posts referencing the Black Lives Matter movement’s support of defunding the police.

Lio denied that the attack was racially motivated and testified that notions of defunding the police have made her fear for her life. In her husband’s testimony, he claimed the blood witnesses saw on his face was the result of a work-related injury and not his wife hitting him. The Department of Children and Families investigated the Lio’s home, but the law barred them from releasing their findings.

Lio has been on paid administrative leave since October pending an “active and ongoing” investigation. Her pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 30.

Kansas City Mayor, City Council Introduce Plan To Reallocate Police Funds, Create Community Fund
by Derek Major

May 21, 2021

Kansas City Mayor, City Council Introduce Plan To Reallocate Police Funds, Create Community Fund

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and the City Council have proposed and passed two significant changes to the city’s police department in order to better help and serve residents.

Lucas introduced two ordinances Thursday that were passed hours later. One significantly cuts the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) budget and the other creates a new community fund. The city council passed the measure by a 9-4 vote Thursday.

Kansas City must allocate at least 20% of the city’s general revenue (about $154 million) to the KCPD, although the city typically allocates more to the department. Last year’s KCPD budget was $238 million.

Under the new ordinance, the KCPD will still receive 20% of the city’s general revenue, but all additional funds will now go to a Community Services and Prevention Fund. According to Fox4KC, the KCPD will be able to make requests from the fund, but the city manager and the Board of Police Commissioners have to approve the requests.

Lucas told reporters the moves aren’t about defunding the police but reallocating money and resources to provide better services to city residents.

“What this is really about is not defunding. It’s about accountability. It’s about doing better,” Lucas said according to Fox.

RELATED CONTENT: Chicago Activist Baltazar Enriquez Calls For Mayor Lori Lightfoot To Defund The Police

The four city council members that voted against the ordinances say they were blindsided by the measures. Council members Dan Fowler, Kevin O’Neill, Heather Hall, and Teresa Loar all said Lucas withheld his plans until he announced them Thursday morning.

“This is absolutely the worst piece of legislation I have seen since I’ve been here at City Hall,” Loar, city councilwoman for the 2ndDistrict At-Large told reporters according to KMBC9.

Lucas’ ordinances do have some support outside of the city council.

“This is a refreshing change of course,” Gwen Grant, president and CEO, Urban League of Kansas City and member of the Urban Council told KCMB. “It is time that the KCPD be held to account for their inefficient and ineffective expenditures, which have failed to substantively address the proliferation of violent crime in our community.”

Since last year’s Black Lives Matter resurgence amid the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, police departments across the country have seen their budgets shrink. New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Milwaukee Philadelphia, Baltimore, Minneapolis, and other cities have all made cuts to their police budgets and reallocated the funds, to social services including housing, homelessness, drug prevention, mental health, and broadband internet.

Biden Administration Says It Can Raise $700 Billion If The IRS Targets Tax Cheats
by Derek Major

May 21, 2021

Biden Administration Says It Can Raise $700 Billion If The IRS Targets Tax Cheats

President Joe Biden wants to crack down on rich taxpayers hiding a big chunk of their income from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

President Biden wants to target rich tax cheats to help fund his American Families Plan, which will boost spending for early education, childcare, and paid leave. Underreported income by the wealthy is the biggest reason for the tax gap, the difference between the tax paid and the tax owed.

According to the Treasury Department, the gap was an estimated $584 billion in 2019 and could reach as high as $7 trillion over the next decade.

The Treasury Department said in a release Thursday, Biden wants to provide the IRS with additional resources to address sophisticated tax evasion.

“The first step in the President’s tax administration efforts is a sustained, multi-year commitment to rebuilding the IRS, including nearly $80 billion in additional resources over the next decade,” the release states.

RELATED CONTENT: Ja Rule and His Wife Owe Over $3 Million in Unpaid Taxes, 50 Cent Trolls the News

Biden’s second step is to provide the agency with more information by strengthening third-party information. When the Treasury Department can verify taxpayer filings with third-party information reports, such as the W-2 forms submitted by employers to report wages, compliance rates exceed 95%. Without third-party reporting, the rate falls below 50%.

Finally Biden wants to update the IRS’s technology to help the agency better identify tax evaders. The IRS still relies on systems that date back to the 1960s.

Wealthy tax cheats have a bevy of resources to hide their money, including lawyers and shell companies. Some, like former President Donald Trump, have large banks willing to lend them large funds and keep their true finances hidden.

“The result is decades upon decades of tax administration built upon a system that is written in a programming language that is no longer taught, and where new functions are added in a patchwork rather than integrated manner,” the release states.

In 2019, the IRS admitted it cannot go after wealthy tax cheats because it doesn’t have the resources.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 21, 2021

Dave Chappelle: ‘Paul Mooney Will Be Sorely Missed and Wildly Remembered’

After comedian Paul Mooney’s death earlier this week, people have been commenting on the legendary career of the writer of several iconic television shows, including The Richard Pryor Show, Pryor’s Place, Saturday Night Live, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and In Living Color.

According to TMZ, comedian Dave Chappelle who employed Mooney on Chappelle’s Show, said he’ll be “sorely missed and wildly remembered.”

“I want to shout out every comedian on Earth, one of the best that ever did it, paved the way today, his legacy will live forever. He did everything from Richard Pryor Show to Chappelle’s Show, he’s one of the first Black people ever in the Writer’s Guild. Paul Mooney will be sorely missed and wildly remembered. I’ll see to that.”

Other prominent people in the entertainment world took to social media to acknowledge the greatness of the comedian, who succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 79..

Byron Allen’s Big Mac Attack: Suing Company for $10 Billion For Racial Discrimination
by Christian Spencer

May 21, 2021

Byron Allen’s Big Mac Attack: Suing Company for $10 Billion For Racial Discrimination

Byron Allen, the founder of Allen Media Group, which owns Entertainment Studios Networks, Inc, the parent firm of theGrio and the Weather Group, LLC, is suing McDonald’s for racial discrimination.

He claims McDonald’s does not offer the same treatment on advertising spending on his platforms as the company does with White-owned media, theGrio reported.

Allen, the comedian turned billionaire, claims that his and other Black-owned news media entities, like BLACK ENTERPRISE or Roland Martin’s Nu Vision Media, are being shortchanged, only receiving $5 million out of a spending budget of about $1.6 billion on ads.

To put this in perspective, McDonald’s has an annual revenue of $100 billion, and franchises are dependent on Black communities looking for cheap and convenient food, according to Slate. It is also worth noting CEO Chris Kempcsinski’s $11 million annual salary is greater than the budget used to advertise to arguably McDonald’s best demographic.

“This is about economic inclusion of African American-owned businesses in the U.S. economy,” Allen wrote in an open letter, which was signed by several Black media executives, including Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr., the president and CEO of BLACK ENTERPRISE. “McDonald’s takes billions from African American consumers and gives almost nothing back. The biggest trade deficit in America is the trade deficit between White corporate America and Black America, and McDonald’s is guilty of perpetuating this disparity. The economic exclusion must stop immediately.”

Read More: Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group acquires seven stations from Gray TV for $380M

“Chris, the very definition of systemic racism is when you are ignored, excluded and you do not have true economic inclusion. Black-owned media companies have become extinct from the lack of ad support from companies like McDonald’s,” Allen added, addressing Kempcsinski.

In his letter, the mogul said the Black news executives pointed out this issue “of economic exclusion and systemic racism” to McDonald’s chief marketing officer at time, but “the issue was ignored and not corrected.”

“We are not surprised that both Black employees/executives as well as the Black franchisees are suing McDonald’s for racial discrimination and unfair treatment. And now you are being sued for $10 billion by Black-owned media. Why?? Because we all firmly believe the culture at McDonald’s is racist and very toxic,” the letter continues.

Two NYPD Officers And A Racist Retiree Got Busted in Corruption Probe
by Christian Spencer

May 21, 2021

Two NYPD Officers And A Racist Retiree Got Busted in Corruption Probe

Two current New York Police Department officers and a retired officer, all from the 105th Precinct in Queens, are facing criminal charges for an alleged heroin trafficking operation.

The officers in question are Heather Busch, Robert Hassett, and Robert Smith. The latter, retired since March 2020, has been exposed as being the group’s racist ringleader, NBC News reported. They were arrested Tuesday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of bribery and drug trafficking.

“As alleged, the defendants shamelessly violated their oaths of office and the public trust by trading their badges for cash payment,” Attorney Mark Lesko for the Eastern District of New York said.

Officials say the officers face five counts of using interstate facilities to commit bribery and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Travel Act, which focuses on the use of communications and travel facilities to perform the unlawful activity.

Smith, 44, and Hassett, 36, recruited Busch, 34, to join the scam after Smith entered into retirement.

RELATED CONTENT: DAUGHTER OF FORMER NYPD OFFICER SAYS LETTER IMPLICATING FBI AND NYPD IN MALCOLM X’S DEATH IS FAKE

In private text messages, Smith allegedly used racist language and admitted to pulling his gun on Black people to intimidate them.

“Bro, I point my gun out the window now at [n-words] and watch their reaction and drive away. Hilarious,” Smith wrote, according to a government memo opposing bail for Smith.

“Smith’s unabashedly racist and hate-filled language in his communications included regular references to Black people as [n-words] and numerous references to the Ku Klux Klan, including one — just after retirement — in which he wrote, ‘Now the real [S]mith will shine. I even shaved my head. Klan,” the memo stated.

Smith was detained under police custody until his bail hearing last Friday.

Busch and Hassett were released on $200,000 bonds. They are both suspended without pay, according to NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, who said, “there is no tolerance for the alleged corruption.”

First Black Woman Appointed Top Editor of Harper’s Bazaar Does The Important Work at an ‘Unprecedented Time’
by Andrea Blackstone

May 21, 2021

First Black Woman Appointed Top Editor of Harper’s Bazaar Does The Important Work at an ‘Unprecedented Time’

In 2020, Harper’s Bazaar hired its first-ever Black editor-in-chief to lead the American fashion magazine, not long after protests flared over George Floyd’s death. Samira Nasr introduced herself by video on her Instagram account, while integrating support for Black Lives Matter.

“At this particular moment in our nation’s history, I am honored to be at the helm of such an iconic brand. As the proud daughter of a Lebanese father and Trinidadian mother, my world view is expansive and is anchored in the belief that representation matters,” Nasr said in the video. “My lens by nature is colorful, and so it is important to begin a new chapter in Bazaar’s history, by shining a light on all individuals who I believe are the inspiring voices of our time.”

Nasr also said that the position places her in a particular intersection that she does not take lightly. During her Instagram message, Nasr also mentioned that ‘great style is about more than the way we wear our clothes. It is also about how we see and occupy space in the world around us.’

Instagram photo credit- @samiranasr

Continuing to build Harper’s Bazaar’s tradition of being at the center of fashion, while also covering art, music, pop culture, and learning about important issues women are facing today were other goals for the magazine that Nasr shared. The fight for human rights, reproductive rights, and the fight for equity in the workplace were other noted topics.

CNN pointed out that Nasr’s appointment as the fashion magazine’s first Black editor-in-chief was the first time it happened in its 153-year-history. According to CNN, the employment shift marked Nasr’s return to Hearst. She previously served as fashion director at Elle—another of the company’s titles.

The New York Times added that Nasr also previously worked as the fashion director of the Condé Nast magazine, Vanity Fair. While employed there, Nasr oversaw the magazine’s presentation of celebrities. According to The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Nasr is primed to bring a new dimension to Harper’s Bazaar’s legacy, while joining the magazine at an unprecedented time.

“The global pandemic has hit the fashion industry from every angle, and the killing of George Floyd has sparked global outrage and a call for all industries, including fashion, to implement changes for true equality,” CFDA said.

 

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