Bill Cosby Compares Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s ‘Devastating’ Death To His Son’s Murder
Bill Cosby is mourning the sudden loss of his former "Cosby Show" co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
Bill Cosby is mourning the “devastating” death of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who rose to fame playing his son Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show.
After news broke of Warner’s accidental drowning while vacationing in Costa Rica, Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, revealed that the comedian’s reaction “reminded him of the same call he received when his son died,” People reports. Cosby’s only son, Ennis William Cosby, was murdered during a botched robbery in 1997.
Ennis, according to Wyatt, used to “play with Malcolm” when they were younger, and called Warner’s death “devastating.”
“He found a way to talk about Malcolm even though he was sad,” Wyatt said of Cosby. “…They spoke all the time. He said, ‘Malcolm was changing humanity.'”
Wyatt shared that Warner’s death has deeply affected the cast of The Cosby Show, with Cosby and Phylicia Rashad, who played Jamal-Warner’s TV mom, connecting by phone to reminisce about the late actor. The former co-stars spent time “embracing each other over the phone about a dearly beloved friend,” Cosby told CBS News’ Jericka Duncan in a phone interview.
“He was never afraid to go to his room and study. He knew his lines and that he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of a being a teenager,” Cosby added, noting that he last spoke to Warner “three months ago.”
Their last conversation centered around Warner’s Art in Motion concert alongside the Minnesota Orchestra, which Cosby noted was “something [Warner] was very proud of.”
Warner never publicly defended Cosby amid the sexual assault and misconduct allegations that have tarnished his reputation. Still, he consistently stood by The Cosby Show’s legacy, praising its lasting impact on both the Black community and American culture.
“Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, I’m still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on—first and foremost, Black culture—but also American culture,” Warner said in 2023.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, 54, drowned while swimming in Limon, Costa Rica, on July 20, authorities confirmed. He left behind his wife and daughter, whose identities he chose to keep private.
Lloyd Howell Resigns From The Carlyle Group After Quitting As NFLPA Executive Director
Questions had surrounded his roles with both companies
Lloyd Howell Jr. has resigned as a consultant with The Carlyle Group, several days after he relinquished his position as executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).
According to ESPN, no reason was given for Howell’s resignation, as he was an operations executive with Carlyle’s aerospace and defense investment team. An issue had re-emerged regarding his dual role at The Carlyle Group, as the company is one of a select group of firms approved by the league to seek minority ownership in NFL franchises. It was viewed as a conflict of interest for Howell to hold the roles at both organizations, given the possibility that Carlyle might invest in franchises for the league.
Howell did not state that he was resigning from The Carlyle Group, but he did release a statement when leaving the NFLPA.
“It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day,” Howell said in a written statement. “For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players, effective immediately. I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.”
According to an earlier report from the media outlet, it was reported that Howell started working with Carlyle in March 2023, three months before being hired by the NFLPA as the players’ chief representative in relations with the league. In August, the league announced that it had named three private equity firms and a consortium of firms, including Carlyle, to a list of approved funds that can invest in minority franchise stakes, not to exceed 10%. Sources stated that a senior union lawyer spoke to Howell and questioned whether it was appropriate for him to continue his dual role with both organizations.
He was advised to resign from The Carlyle Group to mitigate the appearance of a conflict of interest if the company were to acquire an ownership stake in an NFL team. He declined to do so at the time.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the FBI was investigating the NFL Players Association and the MLB Players Association for their deals with the multibillion-dollar group-licensing firm OneTeam Partners. The report led the players’ union to hire Ronald C. Machen of law firm Wilmer Hale to review Howell’s activities as executive director. The FBI investigation, in conjunction with the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office, is ongoing, according to sources.
Trump Administration Proposes Over 60 Rule Changes To Deregulate Workplaces
The proposed changes still have a few steps to go through before taking effect, including public comment for each one.
Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor plans to rewrite or repeal more than 60 “obsolete workplace” regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements for specific industries to the standard for governing exposure to harmful substances.
The Labor Department stated that its goal is to reverse “the costly and burdensome rules imposed under previous administrations.” The department noted that the proposed changes would also fulfill President Donald Trump’s commitment to restore American prosperity through deregulation, and mark the most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government.
“One of President Trump’s very first actions was directing his cabinet to dismantle the mountain of outdated rules that have held back American workers and businesses for far too long,” Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. “The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity. These historic actions will free Main Street, fuel economic growth and job creation, and give American workers the flexibility they need to build a better future.”
Critics, however, argue that the 63 proposals would put workers at a greater risk for harm, and women and minority workers will feel the impact the most.
“People are at very great risk of dying on the job already,” Rebecca Reindel, the AFL-CIO union’s occupational safety and health director, told The AP. “This is something that is only going to make the problem worse.”
The proposed changes still have a few steps to go through before taking effect, including public comment for each one. Here’s a look at some of the proposed changes.
Proposed Changes to Labor Department Regulations
Paying Home Health Workers Under Minimum Wage
Some of the rollbacks would include paying home health care workers below the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour. Some of these workers, who care for the elderly, people with disabilities, and those with medical conditions that limit their mobility, would also be ineligible for overtime if there were no state laws that would prevent employers from doing so.
According to The AP, this would reverse changes made in 2013 under President Barack Obama and revert to the regulatory framework from 1975. According to the Labor Department, by lowering labor and compliance costs, the revision may expand the home care market and enable those in need to remain in their homes longer.
However, opponents argue that before the 2013 regulations, home care workers would often work 50 hours or more without receiving overtime pay.
Rolling Back Protections For Migrant Farm Workers
Under the Biden administration, the Labor Department finalized rules that provided protections to migrant farmworkers who held H-2A visas. The current administration says most of those rules are unnecessary and costly to employers.
The new proposal would rescind the requirement for most employer-provided transportation to have seatbelts for agricultural workers.
Protecting migrant farmworkers from retaliation would also end, as the department is proposing to reverse a 2024 rule that protects migrant farmworkers from retaliation for filing a complaint or testifying or participating in an investigation.
Lighting For Construction Spaces
Another proposed change concerns the provision of adequate lighting at construction sites. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) intends to rescind the requirement for employers to provide sufficient lighting at construction sites. OSHA argues the regulation doesn’t substantially reduce the risk.
OSHA says if employers fail to provide adequate lighting at construction worksites, the agency can issue citations under its “general duty clause.”
These Black Money-Making Streamers Are Worth Millions
The rise of live streaming has become a pathway to success for individuals in today's digital age
The rise of live streaming has become a pathway to success for individuals in today’s digital age. Streaming has propelled careers forward and is a lucrative source of income worth millions of dollars for numerous creators from the Black community. These streamers engage their audiences through platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, or Kick for entertainment purposes. These content creators showcase a range of content spanning from humor and social commentary, to gaming and reaction videos. As they establish their own digital domains, they accumulate wealth along the way. Let’s delve into the profiles of some streamers who are making significant earnings through their online presence.
iShowSpeed
Darren Watkins Jr., also recognized as iShowSpeed, kicked off his streaming career back in 2017. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, the streamer concentrates on playing Fifa and Fortnite games. Currently iShowSpeed engages viewers on YouTube with Watkins’ responses to gameplay and real life antics along with music content. He has amassed a net worth of $10 million through ads revenue stream, merchandise transactions, music launches, and brand collaborations.
Darius Dwayne Granberry Jr., also recognized by his moniker DDG, originates from Pontiac, Michigan. He started his journey on YouTube back in 2014, by crafting video diaries, daring pranks, and lively reaction snippets. Fast forward to 2018, DDG officially inked a deal with Epic Records, which was followed up with establishing his very own Zooted Music production house in 2020. Currently, DDG focuses his creative energy on live streaming activities, predominantly on his Twitch platform. The streamer engages with supporters, does impromptu musical pieces, and offers intimate glimpses into various aspects of his life, like the joys of parenthood. DDG himself mentions his net worth as being near $8 million.
Kai Cenat, hailing from the Bronx, moved from making videos to engaging Twitch broadcasts with a lot of energy around 2021. As a member of AMP, his reputation stems from teaming up with different celebrities, conquering video game challenging feats, and presenting challenges to his fans. His remarkable subscriber numbers reflect his appeal. His estimated fortune of about $53 million underscores his achievements. He mainly earns through subscriptions, gatherings ads, selling merchandise, and forming partnerships with brands.
From Virginia, but currently living in Los Angeles, Kiera first gained fame on social media sites such as Vine and Tumblr before fully embracing live streaming in 2020. Her online presence covers a wide array of subjects such as cosplay, gaming, manga analysis, and promoting mental health awareness. This distinct blend of topics has helped her amass a worth of $2 million, mainly from Twitch activities, sponsored partnerships, and voiceover projects.
Since 2013, Flight23White has impressed fans with basketball reactions and gameplay on YouTube, along with his commentary that often turns into memes. His success in the world of streaming and YouTube has led to a reported estimate worth of around $7 million.
Josh, also known as YourRAGE, started his streaming path in South Florida. The streamer garnered fame in 2020, for his entertaining reaction videos and gaming content with witty commentary on top. Currently active on platforms such as Twitch and Kickstreams, YourRAGE actively interacts with his viewers in the virtual realm, and has an estimated net worth hovering around $3 million adds to his story.
BruceDropEmOff, from Atlanta, Georgia, became known for funny commentary and casual chatting sessions on Twitch streams. The streamer briefly tried out Kick in 2023, but returned to Twitch, where he continues to charm his audience with his style. It is estimated that he’s sitting on a net worth of $2 million.
In 2016, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Zias and B.Lou started out by making reaction videos and freestyle content. Through the years, they evolved into entertainers and known personalities on Twitch. Zias is said to be worth around $ 2.5 million. B.Lou $ 2 million.Their great bond, humor and fruitful partnerships within the hip-hop community have firmly established them as players in the world of livestream entertainment.
Black-Owned Bookstore Turned Community Hub In NYC Faces Risk Of Being Shelved
Sister's Bookstore and Cultural Center has served the communities within uptown Manhattan for 25 years.
In uptown New York City, a Black-owned bookstore that has lasted for decades now worries for its future.
Owned by Janifer Wilson, Sister’s Uptown Bookstore and Cultural Center opened in 2000. Through the years, its offerings have expanded as it transformed into a community hub, with Sister’s dedicated to amplifying reading from and by diverse communities. Now, new challenges could lead to its closing unless a new audience turns the page.
The bookstore typically hosts events surrounding literacy and community involvement, such as workshops, book clubs, and sourcing from local authors. However, its sales have slowed down tremendously, leading Sister’s to fall several months behind on its rent.
According to Patch, the woes started during the pandemic, as gentrification, the rise of online book retailers, and other factors led to the decreased customer traffic. Wilson also believes political pressures amid an anti-DEI movement have also disrupted her bookstore’s stability.
“Our history is trying to be eradicated, between banned books and closing institutions. They are just trying to write us off, as if we don’t exist or we don’t belong here. So, I’m holding on — I’m holding on for dear life,” explained Wilson.
Currently, Wilson has opted to crowdsource funding to keep the bookstore open, while finding new ways to reach a wider audience of book-lovers. With the store’s motto of ‘Knowledge of the self is key to our growth,” she hopes that marketing to children will promote the necessity of reading to families.
“If you don’t know from whence you came, you’re going to have a difficult time moving forward into becoming who you are and finding what your purpose is,” the business owner added.
A #SaveSisters party will also take place July 25, simultaneously celebrating the bookstore’s 25th anniversary. Filled with games, live music, and food, the fundraiser hopes to save what they consider the only Black-owned bookstore in Manhattan.
Calling Sister’s a “labor of love,” Wilson hopes to keep the bookstore alive as a testament to its legacy and place within the Black community of uptown New York City.
Essence Fest Sees Booking Decline As Tourism Faces Hit From Broader Economic Struggles
Essence Fest's visitor drop in 2025 points to a broader hit to the tourism industry.
Essence Fest 2025 saw a decline in hotel and short-term rental bookings, which industry experts attribute to broader macroeconomic challenges beyond New Orleans.
Held in New Orleans over the Fourth of July weekend, visitor turnout for this year’s four-day Essence Festival of Culture dropped noticeably from last year, NOLA reported. Hotel bookings were down about 15% from Friday through Sunday, and short-term rental stays fell 12% to 17% each night from Thursday through Sunday, compared to 2024.
Local tourism experts say it’s still unclear whether the decline in visitors stems from issues specific to Essence Fest or from broader challenges in the travel industry. Some point to a natural cooldown after last year’s 30th anniversary celebration, when hotel and short-term rental bookings increased by more than 50% on key days.
“Certainly Essence was off this year,” said David Piscola, general manager of the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. “At the Hilton, we did not see the demand nor ultimately the volume we have seen in years past. It was still a very busy weekend and a great celebration but softer than normal.”
Piscola noted that while the Hilton experienced a noticeable dip over the Fourth of July weekend, it still ranked as one of the hotel’s busiest weekends of the summer. The decline has industry experts wondering if New Orleans is beginning to feel the ripple effects of a looming economic slowdown, compounded by a dip in international tourism due to the federal government’s stricter immigration policies.
“I don’t have a single reason for the softness,” said Jim Cook, general manager of the Sheraton New Orleans, one of the biggest downtown hotels. “It’s gotten harder to determine. But based on the visitors we had, the spending behavior is similar to past years, so I wouldn’t attribute it to macroeconomics without data.”
Data revealed a slowdown in tourism spending following the post-pandemic surge, with Americans slashing summer vacation budgets by roughly 25% compared to last year. The dip had been looming, as federal data from early 2025 signaled fewer international arrivals, particularly from Canada and Europe, and a decline in visitor spending, driven by a mix of economic strains and political tensions.
“These shifts in consumer spending, such as increased competition from alternative accommodation like short-term rentals, may have contributed to the weaker hotel performance for this year’s Essence event,” said Colin Sherman, an analyst at CoStar.
Sherman pointed to data from Tourism Economics, which showed consumer confidence dipping across several areas, including job outlook and business sentiment, prompting travelers to tighten their budgets and opt for more cautious spending on trips. The outlook is expected to worsen, with the travel industry bracing for an even softer turnout heading into late 2025 and early 2026.
“I believe the second half of the year, including July, will prove more difficult for hospitality, not just in New Orleans but nationwide,” Piscola said. “Most major research organizations, such as Smith Travel Research and LARK, predict a much weaker second half, primarily due to macro economic issues beyond New Orleans.”
Fact Check: Jacksonville Police Report Labels Black Man As ‘Verbally Combative’ In Viral Traffic Stop Video
The police report claims the victim reached for a large knife
Things are heating up in the case involving a viral video of a Black man being assaulted by officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as a police report claims the victim was being “verbally combative,” First Coast News reports.
BLACK ENTERPRISEreported on the video showing William McNeil Jr., 22, being violently pulled out of a car during a February traffic stop where officers accused him of driving in intense weather without his headlights on. Officers were seen violently punching McNeil’s window out — after he revealed it didn’t work. With McNeil recording the whole ordeal, he was then seen being dragged out of the car with his hands up, and punched in the face while officers apprehended him.
The police report spins the narrative that the officers were just in their violent approach since he “quickly opened” the driver’s door and immediately became “verbally combative.”
At one point, an off-camera officer can be heard telling another officer to “go for it” as a green light to break the window. The report claims McNeil was “reaching for the floorboard of the car where a large knife was sitting.”
However, the video shows McNeil sitting upright with his seatbelt still on when officers punched the window in, followed by a violent punch to the face.
Following the backlash, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters spoke out during a press conference, stating that the viral video is portraying a tale of something that didn’t happen.
“Social media is not reality. One video clip devoid of context can be very misleading. Given that McNeil never brought this incident to JSO’s attention but rather pushed the cell phone camera footage that he had in his possession since March 5th out on social media, one could only assume, and I’m saying I assume that he intended to inflame the public,” Waters stated.
“The administrative process is still ongoing, and as such, I will neither defend nor commend Officer Bauer’s response to resistance until all the facts are known and the investigation is completed.”
Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels have been hired to represent McNeil. Daniels labeled the ordeal as “disgusting,” but highlights not being surprised given Jacksonville’s alleged reputation of police brutality against Black people. “I am absolutely disgusted by the actions of these officers, but, unfortunately, I’m not surprised,” Daniels said.
“The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has a long history of this kind of needless violence and brutality.”
While the report claimed officers found three and a half grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in addition to the alleged knife, Crump says his client wasn’t acting erratically and “wasn’t a threat to anyone.” “He was calmly exercising his constitutional rights and they beat him for it,” Crump added.
State lawmakers agree. Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami Gardens called the video “deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable,” according to Florida Politics. He says the video is a “sickening reminder of the systemic issues that plague our law enforcement.” “This incident is not isolated; it is part of a painful pattern that further erodes trust between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect,” the senator said.
“We must demand accountability for this officer’s actions and work tirelessly to reform our justice system to ensure such egregious acts never happen again. My heart goes out to the victim, and I stand in solidarity with all those who demand justice and an end to police brutality.”
Howard University Steps Up To Place Its Graduates In Lucrative Finance Careers
Mentorship, practical experience and a supportive networking community are among resources graduates from Howard University contain as they enter the business world.
The HPS Center for Financial Excellence (HPS-CFE) at the Howard University School of Business has a lofty goal: Become a major player in positioning its graduates in the potentially lucrative financial services industry.
The HBCU aims to be viewed in the same light as other powerhouse business schools by helping to secure above-average finance roles for its graduates within the next four to five years. That is a desire for Curtis Kidd Telemaque, Ph.D., and director of HPS-CFE.
“The HPS Center was created to intentionally correct the skew from back office only positions to client-facing roles that require a highly technical skillset. As such, the center’s strategy has been to merge theoretical financial concepts taught in class with practitioner-led extra-curricular modules.”
LOCATING STUDENTS IN ROLES THEY HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED FROM
The Washington, D.C.-based school is boosting efforts to help HBCU students land future careers in investment banking, alternative finance, and asset management. Black students, especially those from HBCUs, have long not been equally represented in such high-paying roles.
Research shows that graduate hiring at global banks, like those based in New York, has just 0.5% of senior investment bankers who are Black. Another report reveals that minority- and women-owned firms manage just 1.4% of the roughly $82 trillion in U.S. assets under management, despite performing on par with industry averages.
Now, Howard‘s business school wants to help change these statistics.
SCORING HIGH-PAYING JOBS NEAR TIMES SQUARE AFTER GRADUATION
Helping change the narrative are Dylan Thomas and Jessica Barnes. They are now earning or about to earn “six-figure” salaries working at mega companies near Times Square in New York City.
After completing an internship at Barclays last summer, Thomas joined one of Wall Street’s most influential investment banks. He was just hired as an investment banking analyst at Barclays, stating his pay is “definitely more than I have ever made.”
“Essentially, if a tech media or telecommunications company finds itself in debt, they call my team, we lend them some money, and then we charge them for that money that they borrowed,” Thomas told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
He says HPS-CFE supplied him with mentorship, exposure, and experience to help find his footing in the financial services industry.
Photo credit: Myles Dawson
Thomas reflected on how current and future students can benefit from a $10 million gift announced in 2021 by HPS Investment Partners and The Kapnick Foundation to create the HPS-CFE. You can learn more about the center and investment here. The project remains in progress, as Dr. Curtis Kidd Telemaque, who became the HPS-CFE director in 2021, continues to work with students.
The young analyst shared how the gift could help reduce the recognized disparity between blacks and whites, as well as others working in the industry. “HPS Investment Partners wants to do their part to take some of that load off us and to invest in our learning and our growth, said Thomas.”
He added, “Any young black professional aspiring to a career in financial services should seriously consider the value in the HPS-CFE as it is.”
Thomas and Barnes are among the first members of the graduating cohort of 13, receiving their degrees in May 2025 from Howard. Ten of those individuals have since secured high-finance employment roles in financial services and management consulting.
Photo credit: Myles Dawson
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Barnes, 22, will begin working full-time this October as an enterprise strategy and value associate at Strategy&, the global consulting arm of accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers. Her job: Helping power utility and aerospace companies create strategies for sustaining growth, reshaping costs and business structures, along with integrating IT and digital operations. She will start her new role after completing three corporate internships.
GAINING THE RESOURCES TO FLOURISH IN THE HIGH-FINANCE SPACE
Barnes says CFE helped enhance her new career journey in many ways. For one, she developed some skills she will truly need professionally. And she says she founded the Howard University Women In Finance Initiative. The community largely connects Black women in the high finance sector.
“It gives women the power of representation and community to achieve their goals in a space that predominantly doesn’t have Black women.”
She added that the CFE gave her courage to take on the world. “We really got the backing to just feel like we are equipped with the skills and resources that maybe even if you don’t have the answer now, I know I can rely on the network that I was given to get it.”
Students from CFE have secured jobs with several high-finance companies, including Partners Capital, Bank of New York Mellon, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, PwC, Vanguard, EY Parthenon, Carlyle, Union Bank of Switzerland, Truist, and MasterCard.
Kidd Telemaque added that, generally, they have landed high-paying positions immediately after graduation, with an average starting salary for the most recent cohort at $89K and approximately $10K in bonuses.
WORKING WITH BLUE-CHIP COMPANIES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Additionally, HPS-CFE is stepping up efforts to boost the low representation of HBCU graduates in high finance. The center partners with a broad range of firms that offer a wide range of services, including private credit management, investment banking, and asset management, to facilitate change.
Kidd Telemaque says the firms include HPS Investment Partners, Vanguard, CFI, Goldman Sachs, and Warburg Pincus. “Our position is that companies are able to directly assess talent when they provide instruction or are otherwise involved in enhancing students’ practical finance skills.”
While disparities are not new to HBCUs, they have led to an outpouring of support for certain HBCUs to attract high-performing talent. “Due to this support, we can not only expose our students to all areas of finance but also provide practical, hands-on expertise before graduation.”
Still, actions to help uplift graduates are not obstacle-free. Kidd Telemaque says one of the center’s challenges is overcoming industry perception of HBCU graduates as being less qualified.
The HPS-CFE’s future ambition to place more HBCU graduates in elevated finance roles stems from the recent success of five Howard students, who won a $1 million grant for the school after winning the fifth annual Goldman Sachs Market Madness competition. It was disclosed that the money will be invested in infrastructure and academic programming for the university.
An HPS-CFE participant, Barnes offered some advice to existing students or those considering attending the center.
“Knowledge is power. “Learn what you don’t know and then strive to be excellent. I think that sometimes it’s so rare.”
Black Woman-Founded Gather Ventures Invests In African Climate Startups With Rihanna’s Help
The impact fund supports these women-led businesses through grants, loans, and more.
A new impact fund invests in environmentally focused startups across Africa, backed financially by Rihanna.
Gather Ventures has a lofty mission in mind: to support African women founders championing environmental relief and climate resilience. Gather has its own women founder, Jo Opot, to thank for its purpose.
Born in Kenya, Opot understands the struggle and perseverance of African women as they forge their own livelihoods. Her upbringing drives her current mission to amplify these businesses, while keeping the environment in mind.
“In Kenya, women’s constitutional right to inherit property was only legally recognized in 2012,” Opot explained toAFROTECH. “Many women build assets with their partners or families, but if their partners pass away, that wealth often goes to the man’s family, not the woman who contributed. We want to move beyond income to real asset ownership for women so that they can build intergenerational wealth.”
Backed by Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, Gather Ventures seeks to support “ventures that both create climate resilience and drive asset creation for women and girls across Africa.” Launched in 2021, the Impact Fund supports women founders across various sectors, including agriculture, construction, technology, education, and workforce development.
The fund primarily supports women-led businesses that promote environmental sustainability, accounting for 80% of its investments. One business client includes Mobility for Africa, which provides tricycles for transportation that better fit the needs of women riders. Another company, Giraffe Bioenergy, transforms cassava, a drought-resistant plant often grown by women, into a hearty food source and converts it into clean ethanol cooking fuel.
“More capital needs to go to climate adaptation and resilience, not just mitigation,” added Opot. “Low-income communities facing drought didn’t cause it, but they suffer the most. Second, gender needs to be mainstreamed in climate finance because investing in women is proven to be highly effective.”
Both companies have been able to expand their operations and products through Gather Ventures. What this help looks like, however, varies, with the fund tailoring its services for each businesses’ needs. Whether offering grants, loans, or other resources, Gather Ventures provides sustainable support to help these companies grow.
“We’re instrument agnostic, providing grants, working capital, equity, or debt as needed, helping entrepreneurs avoid taking the wrong capital for the wrong reasons,” Opot continued. “We focus on agriculture — the largest employer of women — and also on construction and tech, the fastest-growing sectors with the fewest women. To improve gender equity, we must get more women into growing sectors to ensure long-term, viable careers.”
Opot hopes that Gather Ventures promotes more women visionaries in Africa to obtain green assets. She encourages others interested in climate justice to first connect with the local communities they wish to impact.
Starbucks Denies Water To Black People In Sweltering Heat, This Time To A USPS Worker
A USPS worker in Texas passed out and died on a record-breaking 104 degree day.
Coffee conglomerate Starbucks is being accused — again — of denying people free water in the time of need, only this time, the accuser is a Black USPS driver.
The July 8 incident went viral after the driver, who goes by the handle @melaninglowesthetics on TikTok, posted a short clip claiming she was denied water at a local Starbucks. “Imagine working out of a tin can in 100 degree heat, trying to stay alive and walking into a Starbucks for a cup of ice water, and they tell you NO!,” she wrote in the video that has close to 200,000 views.
As the video grew in popularity, the postal worker decided to make another video explaining what happened, with close to 80,000 likes. She claims she walked into a Starbucks to request a cold cup of free ice water after delivering a package when the barista behind the counter told her that wasn’t possible without a purchase. In order to stay hydrated, the delivery worker did just that — purchased a bottle of water.
But she claims that’s not the point of her posting the video, not looking for sympathy but more so for awareness about the lack of humility during this current climate. “I am human. I show up everyday in extreme heat, in my uniform in a truck with no AC. I love my job, I love my customers and I love my route,” she said.
“But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have bad days. So to everyone who is saying ‘well come prepared, bring your own water, nobody owes you anything,’ I come prepared everyday, I always do. But some days I run out. That doesn’t make me irresponsible, it makes me human.”
While the driver never identified which Starbucks location was responsible for the denial this time, other locations have been accused of the same behavior. In mid-June 2025, a Black couple from Richmond, Virginia claimed they were denied water during an emergency situation when Kevin Key, who is battling stage 4 kidney failure, suffered a scary medical episode.
His wife ran into the coffee shop for some water after Kevin passed out, and was told she had to wait in line. According to Complex, Starbucks once offered the free service but in 2024, reversed its “open-door policy,” now requiring a purchase but still training employees to react with “empathy and kindness,” especially “in the event the circumstance calls for it—either due to extreme weather, medical emergency or other extenuating factors.”
Drivers for the postal service, once labeled as essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been highlighted for having to deal with grave conditions in extreme weather. A comment from one TikTok user pointed out how a carrier died from the heat and “we need to show each other more compassion.”
USPS has been accused of not taking drivers and delivery workers’ safety seriously after a worker in Dallas, Texas passed out and died on a record-breaking 104 degree day. The driver in the video even showed how hot it can get in her delivery truck versus standing outside for viewers to get an idea of what USPS drivers are forced to deal with.
