by Keka Araújo

May 8, 2021

For The Culture: A Nia Long Appreciation Post On Twitter Was The One Thing We Didn’t Know We Needed

Since the onset of the pandemic, Black folks on social media have begun giving their faves their flowers while they’re still alive. 

This week was no exception. On May 6, Twitter exploded with an appreciation post to forever young actress Nia Long. The 50-year-old beauty trended on the social media platform after Twitter user @AuxGod posted a side-by-side photo of Long at ages 25 and 50– with virtually no difference.

“Nia Long at 25. Nia Long at 50,” the caption read.

 

Long’s time-defying beauty could not be denied. Of course, responses to her unofficial appreciation day ranged from hilarious to thirst-trapping, and we loved every minute of it.

Here are some of the best tweets.

The three-time NAACP Image Award-winning actress and director has a career spanning 35 years. Long, born in Brooklyn, got her start on NBC’s 227, starring veteran actresses Marla Gibbs and Jackée Harry. She went on to star in Black movie classics like Love Jones, Friday, Boyz n’ The Hood and The Best Man. 

In 2000, Long was named People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People. The pop culture icon now lives in Los Angeles with long-time love former NBA star Ime Udoka and her two children.

 

by Charlene Rhinehart

May 8, 2021

28-Year-Old Entrepreneur Went From Welfare to Millionaire to Retire His Mom

After growing up on welfare and living in one of Miami’s poorest neighborhoods, Entrepreneur Alfred Nickson was determined to become financially free so that he could retire his mom. He started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 19 and became a millionaire by age 25. Now, Nickson spends most of his time coaching and empowering others in the financial literacy space.

“Humble beginnings drove me to do something different,” Nickson shared during an interview with Black Enterprise. “That’s what fueled me to become successful. I had to break the chains of poverty. I always knew I wanted to become successful but just didn’t know what it was going to be.”

Entrepreneur Goes From Welfare to Millionaire

Nickson always had a vision of living a life that was greater than the welfare lifestyle that he saw every day.

The young visionary grew up in a two-bedroom apartment with 14 people and 1 bathroom. For the majority of his childhood, he remembers waking up around 4 am to ensure everyone could take a shower and get to work on time. Watching his mom struggle and witnessing his family tackle multiple jobs was enough motivation for him to get on the path to entrepreneurship.

Shortly after graduating high school, Nickson was introduced to the home-based business profession by his mentors. That’s when he received his foundational entrepreneurship training and learned valuable leadership lessons that he still leverages today. But Nickson says that the beginning years of his entrepreneurial journey were far from easy.

“I made $1500 [total] in my first three years,” says Nickson. “Just imagine going hard for three years and only earning $1500. But I tell people that it was in those three years that really gave me my roots. I learned more there than what we are doing now. It was the building stages that propelled me to where I’m at.”

After those three years of training, he dived into the financial industry. Alfred noticed a lack of financial knowledge in his community, specifically around life insurance, wills, trusts, and taxes. He became passionate about educating his community through his home-based business. Within his first four months of building his business, he reached a high five-figure income. Within four years, he made his first million dollars.

Although he’s earned over $10 million from his businesses, his greatest accomplishment is retiring his mom and helping thousands of other people to reach their first six and seven-figure revenue goals.

Millionaire Success Tips 

Nickson found his success as one of the youngest leaders ever inducted into the Network Marketing Hall of Fame. He believes that it’s important for others to consider home-based business options to jumpstart their success journey. More importantly, Nickson shares that you need to have a why strong enough to motivate you to keep going and growing through the learning phase.

“I couldn’t turn around, go home, and tell them [Mom and Dad] it was too hard,” says Nickson. “I was around successful people who were willing to show me the way but I just hadn’t paid the price yet. My first three years were me grinding and learning. My mom was my reason why [I kept going]. I tell people all the time that when your why is strong enough, the how doesn’t matter.”

Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine to Be Authorized for 12-to-15-year-olds By Early Next Week
by Andrea Blackstone

May 7, 2021

Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine to Be Authorized for 12-to-15-year-olds By Early Next Week

According to CNN, an anonymous federal government official said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine in children and teens ages 12 to 15 by early next week.

In a different report, CNBC said that the two-dose vaccine is already authorized for use in youth 16 and older. However, additional requests have been made to permit younger children to receive it.

“Earlier this month, Pfizer and BioNTech asked the FDA to allow their COVID-19 vaccine to be given to kids ages 12 to 15 on an emergency use basis,” CNBC reported.

According to CNN, although Pfizer has applied for emergency use authorization for its coronavirus vaccine for teens and children ages 12 to 15, the FDA must amend the emergency use authorization for the vaccine. The process should be straightforward. The official who provided the information requested anonymity, because authorization to speak about the process publicly was not given. CNN also stated that The FDA is currently reviewing data submitted by Pfizer to support the extended use of the vaccine.

“Pfizer said at the end of March that a clinical trial involving 2,260 12-to-15-year-olds showed its efficacy is 100% and it is well tolerated,” CNN reported.

This finding explains why older children are authorized to receive Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine.

However, NBC News noted that federal government plans to shift the way vaccine doses are allocated to states. Some governors would be permitted to reject doses they do not need or desire. At the same time, President Joe Biden is pushing to get at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 70 percent of American adults by July 4. Governors have been told that if a state doesn’t want all of its allocation, the vaccines will go into a pool and be redistributed to states that need them, a senior administration official said, according to NBC News.

“To meet those goals, the U.S. plans to administer an additional 100 million doses in the next 60 days, a significant slowdown in the pace of vaccinations compared to the last 100 days,” NBC News also reported.

Elderly Racist Woman Throws Whopper At Burger King Employee
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 7, 2021

Elderly Racist Woman Throws Whopper At Burger King Employee

Now, this isn’t what Burger King meant when they said “Have It Your Way.” An elderly woman in Florida has been arrested and charged after she went on a racist tirade and threw a Whopper at a Burger King employee.

Judith Black, 77, made headlines over the week after she attacked a Black Burger King employee due to her frustration over how thick the tomato was, Village News reports. The Village of Pine Ridge resident was arrested on Friday, April 30 after she approached a Burger King staffer and started “yelling” over her burger’s juicy tomato, a statement from the Wildwood Police Department said.

The worker tried to get Black to calm down and told her she couldn’t help her unless she calmed down. But when she turned around, Black threw the Whopper sandwich at her back, Insider reports.

“Shut up you Black bitch,” Black shouted at the employee. The police report says she continued to use the N-word before storming out of the fast-food chain. The store’s manager, another worker, and a customer all shared the same account with the police.

After another employee captured the license plate of the white Dodge Ram Black drove off in, cops were able to track her down and take her into custody, NY Post reports. She told cops that she was “angry” that the employee was not “fixing the issue,” the police report said. She also admitted that she “had the burger in my hand and tossed it at her” and it hit the worker in the back.

“Ms. Black also stated that she called the victim a ‘stupid black b***h,’” the report said.

Due to the racial epithets used in Black’s attack, “this enhances the charge of battery from a misdemeanor of the first degree to a felony of the third degree under Florida State Statute 775.085,” the arrest report said.

The racist elderly Burger King criminal was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting a $2,500 bond.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 7, 2021

The NFL Returns as Sponsor For the 2021 HBCU Battle of the Brains

The National Football League will be helping historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) for a fifth straight year!

The NFL has announced that the fifth annual HBCU Battle of the Brains (HBCU BOTB) will be taking place starting Wednesday, Oct. 20, and going until Saturday, Octo. 23, 2021, in Austin, Texas. As they have in the past, the NFL will be serving as the title sponsor of the event.

“Showcasing the immensely talented students that populate our nation’s HBCUs has been a central focus of the HBCU Battle of the Brains,” said Gregory Gibson, founder, and executive director, HBCU BOTB in a written statement. “The commitment of the NFL illustrates its shared belief in the product of our HBCU institutions.”

RELATED CONTENT: NFL Hall Of Famer And Jackson State Head Coach Deion Sanders Furious No HBCU Players Selected In NFL Draft

This year’s HBCU BOTB will once again be placing various teams of the best and brightest STEM and Business students from HBCUs across the country. With the theme #MoreToBattleFor, the event will pit the teams against each other as they compete for more than $50,000 in scholarships. Each individual team will be given 24 hours to try to develop a solution to a proposed business challenge live in front of an audience. They will be judged on analysis, a business/technology solution, a presentation, and Q&A, with crowd participation constituting one of the final votes.

“The NFL is excited to once again sponsor the HBCU Battle of the Brains event,” said David Jurenka, senior vice president, NFL Media & General Manager, Los Angeles. “We have seen countless examples of how this event continues to shine a light on the incredibly gifted young minds that will undoubtedly have an impact on the future of various industries. The creativity and enthusiasm surrounding this event is truly inspiring, and we always cherish the opportunity to engage and interact with these students.”

RELATED CONTENT: Steelers NFL Pick Najee Harris Sponsored Draft Party at Homeless Shelter Where He Once Lived

“The HBCU Battle of the Brains event is one we look forward to participating in each and every year,” said Michelle McKenna, NFL senior vice president & chief information officer. “Engaging and working with the dedicated HBCU community remains an important priority for the NFL, and we are excited to continue to grow our relationship through events such as the Battle of the Brains.”

For more information about the event, you can visit hbcubattleofthebrains.com and follow on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram at @hbcubotbrains. #HBCUBotBrains #MoreToBattleFor.

Service File Reveals Officer Who Killed Daunte Wright Had Very Little Training
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 7, 2021

Service File Reveals Officer Who Killed Daunte Wright Had Very Little Training

As cases of fatal police shootings continue to dominate headlines, many are wondering what kind of training police officers are receiving. When reviewing the service file of the officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright, it turns out her training history is particularly scarce.

Kim Potter resigned shortly after mistaking her Taser for a gun and killing Wright. But with her being charged with second-degree manslaughter, Potter’s service file during her 26 years as an officer has been under review, the Associated Press reports.

Her file, released by the City of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on Wednesday, showed little to no training details from her police career, CBS News reports. Potter did however receive a commendation involving a 2007 incident with a suicidal man and his 2-year-old daughter, and a few reprimands for driving mishaps.

“Your actions assisted in the safe release of the child and the apprehension of the suspect without incident,” her commendation for the 2007 suicide incident read.

Another commendation came in 2006 after a resident called the police station and praised Potter and three other officers for “how professionally they conducted themselves during a high-risk stop and not like what he sees on the T.V. show COPS,” the statement read.

In the year 2000, Potter was given a four-hour suspension after she missed an in-person training. In 2007, Potter was given a verbal reprimand for her work as part of a team looking into violent robberies in part of the city. In the write-up, a supervisor accused Potter of not doing enough to make direct contact with people in the area.

Potter was also disciplined for a number of on-the-job driving mishaps in 1995, 1996, and 1998, as noted by News One. The latest findings point to a possible argument against Potter and the debated issue on whether or not police officers have been properly trained to combat issues, particularly with people of color. Her next scheduled court appearance is on May 17.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 7, 2021

Rapper Mase: ‘The Weakest Thing a Black Man Can Do Today is Join a Street Gang’

With the continuous plight young Black boys and girls face regarding their upbringing and lack of direction, if they aren’t being led down the correct path, the onus usually falls on influences outside the homes. We all have seen or heard the stories of kids being taken in by gangs due to their influence in some neighborhoods. A rapper turned preacher has brought attention to something that is often discussed but not necessarily approached in the Black community.

Former Bad Boy rapper Mason Betha, who many ’90s hip-hop fans know as Mase, took to social media to speak to his followers for a series he is doing entitled “#22days of speaking my mind.” On the third day, the man behind “Feels So Good” made a bold statement referring to the gang’s influence in the neighborhood. The rapper, originally from Harlem, NY, stated in his latest Instagram post that “The weakest thing a black man can do today is join a street gang.”

“I know what I’m about to say is unpopular but it still needs to be said. The weakest thing a black man can do today is join a street gang. The person who you’re riding for today ends up getting a bag to kill you or sending you to jail. Think about it what type of person would ask you to hurt your own people and take an oath to be there for your gang only to end up not being there for your children and family. I NEVER UNDERSTOOD THAT. Maybe that’s why I NEVER THOUGHT PEOPLE IN GANGS WERE TOUGH! If you’re thinking about becoming one don’t! I RESPECT A MAN THAT CAN STAND ON HIS OWN. #Day3 of #22days of speaking my mind. #mase“

 

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A post shared by MA$E (@rsvpmase)

California School District Regrets Offering A ‘Support Circle for White Students’ After Chauvin Trial
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 7, 2021

California School District Regrets Offering A ‘Support Circle for White Students’ After Chauvin Trial

In the latest episode of “you tried it,” a California school district is apologizing after they offered a support group for white students after the Derek Chauvin trial.

Despite Chauvin being convicted of murdering an unarmed Black man, the Piedmont school district invited white students to come together and talk about how the George Floyd case “impacted” them, the Daily Beast reports. Now school officials in Piedmont, California, are apologizing after they received backlash for holding a “support circle for white students.”

While the initiative was aimed at offering support to their students following the Chauvin trial, the assistant superintendent of the Piedmont Unified School District reached out to students and staff to take part in “restorative community circles” that were segregated to include only white students. Now, the school’s assistant superintendent Cheryl Wozniak is under public scrutiny after her email inviting white students to “discuss how the trial, verdict, and experiences related to the George Floyd murder are impacting you,” was shared by SFGate.

In the letter, Wozniak said two school counselors would be available “for our White students to process [and] share… to one another.”

There were other support groups held for BIPOC students but the damage had already been done. Wozniak was forced to acknowledge that the white support group left “our students of color…feeling hurt and disrespected by district administration,” she said.

“A poor choice of words in the subject line of the invitation to white students led to the perception that white students needed the same kind of ‘support’ as our BIPOC students,” Superintendent Randall Booker said on the school’s website. “Students of all racial backgrounds rightfully pushed back on that idea. We agree, and we want to affirm in the strongest terms that our commitment is to give all students a place to express their feelings and to learn how to engage in important issues.”

The district is passing the failed move off as a poor choice of words. Maybe they’ll hold an inclusive support group and let their students address the matter.

Naomi Osaka Becomes Sweetgreen’s Youngest Investor And Ambassador
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 7, 2021

Naomi Osaka Becomes Sweetgreen’s Youngest Investor And Ambassador

Tennis champion Naomi Osaka just expanded her investment portfolio with a partnership with health-driven fast-food chain sweetgreen.

The Haitian and Japanese tennis pro became the company’s first national athlete ambassador and their youngest investor to date, sweetgreen announced on its website.

“I’m proud to join forces with sweetgreen to change the way the world thinks of traditional fast-food sponsorships,” Osaka said in a statement. “As an athlete, what I put into my body directly correlates to how I perform and eating delicious, healthy foods fuels my daily routine.”

Her investment in the company comes as more people start to turn to healthier food options when dining on the go.

“Our goal is a big one: to change the way brands and athletes speak to future generations about the importance of what they eat,” said Nathaniel Ru, Sweetgreen co-founder and chief brand officer. “Sweetgreen is honored to partner with Naomi because she stands for what she believes in and uses her platform to educate and inspire the next generation.”

Osaka took a break from competing in the Madrid Open in Europe to hop on Twitter and express her excitement for her newest business venture, Tennis Tonic reports.

“Anyone that knows me knows I’ve been into @sweetgreen for a while (I eat it three times a week when I’m training/at shoots), which is why I’m excited to share that I’m their newest partner and youngest investor,” she tweeted.

As a professional athlete, Osaka is mindful of the food she puts into her body. With her new investment, the tennis star will work with Sweetgreen’s culinary team to customize a bowl that is set to debut nationwide on May 20.

 “I’m excited about the work we’re doing together to create a positive impact,” SAID OSAKA.

The Naomi Osaka Bowl includes warm quinoa, baby spinach, cilantro, tomato, tortilla chips, raw carrots, goat cheese, blackened chicken, lime-cilantro jalapeno vinaigrette, avocado, and sweetgreen hot sauce.

As part of the new venture, 100% of The Naomi Osaka Bowl proceeds will go to The Asian American Foundation in their effort to advance equity in the AAPI community.

Racist White Woman Tried To Stop Black Amazon Worker From Doing His Job
by Christian Spencer

May 7, 2021

Racist White Woman Tried To Stop Black Amazon Worker From Doing His Job

A white woman started an altercation with a Black Amazon delivery driver because she thought he was driving too fast in her neighborhood in Berkeley, California.

On April 18, 35-year-old Julie Walrand picked a fight with a Black Amazon driver, and, for what it was worth, she lost after getting arrested herself, according to People magazine.

Charged with battery, false imprisonment, and hate crimes for using offensive words and making threats based on one’s skin color, Walrand, and her boyfriend were allegedly the ones who called Berkeley Police Department first, the San Francisco Gate reported.

Walrand, her boyfriend, and the victim were both driving. The victim said that Walrand and her boyfriend called him the N-word, and despite him peacefully leaving the scene, they allegedly followed him and called 911.

Kendall McIntosh, the Black victim, said that Walrand jumped into his car and attempted to grab his steering wheel, according to KRON-TV.

Related stories: WHITE WOMAN FIRED FOR BEING RACIST; CALLED NEIGHBOR THE N-WORD, CALLED THE POLICE ON HER

“She instantly just started cursing me out like, first sentence I’m getting cursed at,” McIntosh said. “Very derogatory language, you know I was getting constant F bombs thrown at me. I was getting just racially profiled from the jump.”

Neighbors filmed the altercation.

“What constantly was running through my mind was you know it could be me in handcuffs instead of her so no matter what the situation is, just protect yourself. If you feel like you have to videotape it or anything, definitely do that because I felt like if there wasn’t a video… she probably could’ve gotten away with saying this,” McIntosh said, The Independent reported.

The police arrived and saw what really happened, which allegedly shows Walrand using “force to prevent the package delivery person from leaving and used hateful language disparaging of people of color.”

Walrand is out on bond, but records show that she is not represented by an attorney in her case. She also has not entered a plea agreement.

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