by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 21, 2025

Shannon Sharpe Accuser Quits OnlyFans One Day After Settlement Seemingly ‘Retires’ Her

The woman announced her retirement nearly 24 hours after the settlement news dropped.

Shannon Sharpe’s accuser, who filed a $50 million lawsuit against the NFL legend for sexual assault, has retired from OnlyFans one day after settling her lawsuit.

Gabriella Zuniga, whose identity was revealed in a response to the April lawsuit by Sharpe’s legal team, recently announced her retirement from the content subscription service. The ShadeRoom reposted her news, where the 20-something shared that she won’t be off her fans’ screens for too long.

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“Thank you for the incredible support you’ve shown me over the past few years,” wrote Zuniga in the July 19 post. “This community has given me a life I could have never imagined. I’ll still be active on social media and have several new projects in the works that I can’t wait to share.”

While offered for any creator subscription, OnlyFans has become notably used for sexual content. Zuniga also posted explicit content on the site.

Zuniga filed the jaw-dropping lawsuit in April, leaving the internet stunned by her accusations of assault and battery against Sharpe. The 57-year-old former football player’s legal team also wrote a response defending their client, calling her lawsuit a “shake down” to extort the sports show host, and that the attempt will not succeed.

However, Zuniga’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, announced July 18 that the two parties had settled. He stated that both called it a “consensual and tumultuous relationship,” which reportedly left Zuniga a richer woman.

JANE DOE V. SHANNON SHARPE

On April 20, 2025, The Buzbee Law Firm filed a complaint in Nevada making several allegations against Shannon Sharpe on behalf of our client. Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship. After protracted and respectful…
— Tony Buzbee (@TonyBuzbee2) July 18, 2025

“Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship,” detailed Buzbee to X. After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed-upon resolution. All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”

Zuniga’s efforts for her semblance of justice succeeded, leading her to quit the life she had with Sharpe. The internet quickly deduced that Zuniga made enough money from the settled lawsuit to leave the adult hustle behind. Many on social media began suggesting that Sharpe gave her an out to retire early from OnlyFans.

“Check cleared. Hello, early retirement,” commented one user.

Another added, “Got that bag and dipped out. Black men, we gotta be smarter! Smh.”

A third commenter mentioned that the woman had gained retirement money that could have gone to Sharpe’s own family.

“Shannon out here, retiring people that ain’t his mama [face palm emoji.]”

Even some celebrities joined in on the clowning. Summer Walker commented with a laughing emoji to show her feelings toward “Unc’s” messy love life. However, with the lawsuit officially closed, Sharpe may return to his temporarily paused hosting gigs with ESPN.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 21, 2025

Memphis Mom Not Charged After Shooting Alleged Intruder

Video shows a woman warning the trio before shooting.

A woman defending her children will not be charged for shooting one of three people who allegedly broke into her home in Memphis last week, according to Action News 5.

The video shows the woman, who was not identified by authorities, retreating into a room. She can be seen yelling at the three people in her home to leave after informing them that she has her children with her.

Kimari Burnham and Nala Kelley, both 21, and 22-year-old Dejwan Payne were arrested. Burnham, who was shot, was originally listed in critical condition.

Investigators with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said they responded after receiving a shooting call at the woman’s home on Wednesday, July 2. Authorities say the three suspects entered the residence without permission just before 10 p.m. When police officers arrived, they found Burnham injured. Officials believe that the incident appears to be domestic.

All three suspects were charged with aggravated burglary; Burnham and Kelley were also charged with misdemeanor vandalism. After detectives collected evidence from the scene, they determined the mom acted in self-defense.

Here’s video of the incident. Viewer discretion is advised.

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FOX 13 reported that Burnham and Kelley were being held at Jail East; Payne was released on his own recognizance. The suspects are due in court this week.

“In Tennessee, you can defend your home with deadly force,” defense attorney Brandon Hall told FOX 13. “So once they cross that threshold and they’re inside your house, that’s enough to assume there’s a presumption made that they’re there to do you harm.”

Hall said the same law applies even if the intruders are not armed.

by Daniel Johnson

July 21, 2025

New Book Traces Remarkable Rise Of Virgil Abloh In The Fashion World

'Make It Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh' is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Robin Givhan.

Although the architect of “Off-White,” Virgil Abloh, was only 41 when died in 2021 from a rare form of cancer, the designer, who studied architecture before breaking big in the fashion world, has remained a figure of interest.

According to Gothamist, Abloh’s story is being revisited through The Washington Post‘s senior critic-at-large Robin Givhan’s biography Make It Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh.

The book from the Pulitzer Prize winner explores the factors that shaped the designer and to make him a singular figure in the world of fashion, a world that historically excluded Black people from exercising power and real creative control. Abloh, as the book’s title alludes to, made it his instrument.

In Givhan’s book, a tremendous amount of time is spent engaging with Abloh’s 17-year-old self.

As the author told WNYC’s Alison Stewart, “Virgil talked a lot about doing things to impress the 17-year-old version of himself. He spent a lot of time celebrating 17-year-olds, teenagers, young people, and expressing how he valued their point of view. He valued their sense of style, so I knew that any biography that tried to explore his fashion origins really needed to start with the 17-year-old Virgil.”

Abloh grew up in Rockford, Illinois, a working-class town between Chicago and the Iowa border, that was still very much segregated in the 1990s, when Abloh came of age.

He studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology for Architecture, almost out of a sense of obligation for the sacrifices his parents made to come to America from Ghana. According to Givhan, he saw architecture as a bridge between something concrete and something creative.

Abloh got his start in fashion by taking deadstock Ralph Lauren rugby shirts and silk-screening them with the words “Pyrex 23.” With this simple modification on a $30 or $40 product, he turned around and sold them for well over $500. He realized that his own ingenuity and creativity could open doors that others were turned away from.

For Abloh, the infamous “Malice at the Palace” fracas in 2004 provided an alleyway into the world of the NBA, where Black players who were banned from wearing anything remotely resembling Black cultural dress on team business were also unwittingly given an impromptu fashion runway by the league itself—the tunnel area of NBA arenas—which the players subsequently used to build their own brands independent of their on-court play.

Abloh later parlayed a collaboration with Nike—the now iconic “Off-White” collection—into becoming the artistic director at Louis Vuitton, a position now occupied by Pharrell Williams.

In part, it happened for Abloh because Louis Vuitton saw how dynamic Abloh’s work with Nike had become. As a pop culture-centric brand, Louis Vuitton believed that Abloh could do the same thing for them.

Givhan’s book, which was released on June 24, has been well received. According to a starred review in Publishers Weekly, the book functions as a lasting testament to Abloh’s influence on the fashion industry writ large.

by Daniel Johnson

July 21, 2025

Trump-Era HUD Moves To Close Civil Rights Probes Into Housing Complaints From Black Communities

The housing discrimination and environmental pollution cases involve complaints from Black communities and other communities of color.

The Trump administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is reportedly preparing to close several housing discrimination and environmental pollution cases, including some that have been under investigation for years and involve complaints from Black communities and other communities of color.

According to ProPublica, the allegations suggest that state and local governments in regions from the South to the Midwest may have disproportionately placed industrial facilities or low-income housing in minority neighborhoods, while steering similar developments away from predominantly white areas.

Furthermore, a HUD staffer familiar with these investigations told the outlet that in at least four of the seven investigations, they believe that civil rights violations have occurred.

Four additional HUD staffers told ProPublica that there is no precedent for abandoning civil rights investigations wherein it has been established that there have likely been civil rights violations visited on vulnerable populations. The staffers all spoke to the outlet anonymously out of fear of retaliation from the Trump administration.

According to one staffer, “No administration previously has so aggressively rolled back the basic protections that help people who are being harmed in their community. The civil rights protections that HUD enforces are intended to protect the most vulnerable people in society.”

One of the cases involves the relocation of a General Iron facility to neighborhoods on the South and West Sides of Chicago, areas with significant populations of Black residents and other people of color. The move raised concerns about increased air pollution in those communities, while reducing such impacts in more affluent, predominantly white areas of the city.

As a result, HUD investigated the facility and determined that a binding agreement for Chicago to change its zoning and land use policies was necessary, but the Chicago City Council has not yet taken any action on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s “environmental justice” ordinance.

HUD raised another Chicago issue, this one revolved around City Council members vetoing the construction of affordable housing units in their wards, which HUD noted was “instrumental in creating Chicago’s patterns of segregation,” in a letter they sent to the City Council.

HUD continued, noting that the councilmembers’ use of their aldermanic prerogative veto power “disproportionately harms Black and Hispanic households who are far more likely than white households to need and qualify for affordable housing.”

Although HUD seemed close to an agreement on housing like the one it reached regarding the plant, no such agreement was reached, and as Patricia Fron, the executive director of the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, told The Chicago Sun Times, HUD’s decision to abandon its civil rights investigations has no appropriate grounds.

“We condemn this decision by HUD and it flies in the face of decades of civil rights law, regulation and legal precedent,” Fron said. “This is a gut punch to every individual who has been directly harmed by the loss of affordable housing units due to discriminatory decision making. There are no material grounds for which HUD can dismiss this case.”

Muses & Masterpieces, Atlanta, Reyes, B-Roc(k), youth, teens, Fulton Aviation Center,

by Kandiss Edwards

July 21, 2025

Inside Manifest Destiny’s Summer Showcase: Founder Mario Reyes On Empowering Atlanta Teens Through Art And Healing

Educators spent two weeks teaching Atlanta teens how to harness their inner power and channel it into visual and lyrical art.

On July 18, the nonprofit organization Manifest Destiny held its second Muses & Masterpieces Summer Internship showcase. For the program’s second year, Manifest Destiny partnered with Fulton County Arts and Culture to nurture the spirit and talent of 13 young Atlanta artists.

Founded by Mario and Chanel Reyes, Manifest Destiny promotes education, inspiration, and healing through the implementation of multiple programs, including a men’s mental health group, a mommy-and-me painting experience, and the Muses & Masterpieces Internship. Mario says the “goal is to bring art therapy to underserved kids in Atlanta” and help students commoditize their work and avoid exploitation. Mario spoke to BLACK ENTERPRISE about his goal for the program and the overall mission of Manifest Destiny.

“We go everywhere from the root to the crown. I know teenagers may not understand that, so the goal for this internship is to sneak in the medicine with the candy. I wanted to really communicate to the kids that character is more important than accomplishment.”

When asked if he’d accomplished his goal, Mario believes he did.

“I think it came across very well, one of our members is on the spectrum. I got to watch the kids without us prompting them in a very, very sincere way, encouraging to the point where there was a healing that transpired.”

Educators spent two weeks teaching Atlanta teens how to harness their inner power and channel it into visual and lyrical art. Student pieces ranged from textile creations to acrylic and watercolor, and a combination of all three.

Spoken word instructor B-roc(k) says his goal was a simple one: “My goal is like any other goal, and that is to make them feel more confident in themselves than they did before they walked in,” B-roc(k) said.

Each child displayed their prowess in spoken word by producing poetry at the instruction of spoken word artist B-roc(k). At the Fulton Aviation Museum, the students shared their final art pieces and their inner thoughts and musings. The atmosphere was one of joy made evident by the claps, snaps, and stomps of the crowd.

Manifest Destiny has garnered large partnerships over the course of its work. BMW, Buckhead Art & Culture, and The Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta. While all donations, big and small, are accepted, Mario believes that pointing the organization to the needs of the community is just as important.

“You can give Manifest Destiny 100 thousand dollars. That’s cool. But I’d rather you say, ‘Hey, I know someplace. I know someone, I know a group, and this is where I want you to be.’ “For me, that’s the most rewarding.”

If you are interested in donating or volunteering with Manifest Destiny, visit the organization’s official website. Upcoming events include a back-to-school drive and the men’s mental health group, which meets twice a month.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 20, 2025

NAACP Challenges Elon Musk’s xAI Facility In Memphis Over Health Risks To Black Residents

"We will not allow xAI to get away with this," said Derrick Johnson, NAACP's president.

The NAACP is leading the fight against Elon Musk’s xAI startup in Memphis. The organization has teamed up with environmental groups to appeal a permit allowing Musk’s company to run natural gas-burning turbines that power the facility.

According to CNBC, the groups filed the paperwork for the appeal July 15.

Musk established the plant last year, going relatively under the radar by deeming the turbines as temporary. However, nearby residents quickly noticed adverse effects to the area and to their health—specifically a noted stench and a decline in the air quality—creating what the NAACP considers a case of environmental racism.

The turbines also omit pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde. According to the outlet, high exposure to the nitrogen oxide can lead to higher risk of death from respiratory disease.

Despite this, local governance has allowed Musk to continue using the turbines. Its most recent permit, approved by Shelby County Health Department on July 2, says the tech entrepreneur can use up to 15 of them, agreeing with Musk’s initial claim that they are small enough to be “nonroad engines.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center, representing the NAACP and local environmental group Young, Gifted & Green, argued that the health department wrongly categorized the turbines. It further claimed this not only ignores residents’ concerns, but violates the Clean Air Act.

xAI called the appeal “baseless” and “politically driven, telling CNBC that it felt “disheartened (but not surprised)” by the move. The company said is compliant with all levels of the law.

The NAACP had previously spread awareness on xAi’s ongoing negative health impact toward Memphis’ Black population.

“All too often, big corporations like xAI treat our communities and families like obstacles to be pushed aside,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson in June. “We cannot afford to normalize this kind of environmental injustice—where billion-dollar companies set up polluting operations in Black neighborhoods without any permits and think they’ll get away with it because the people don’t have the power to fight back. We will not allow xAI to get away with this.”

The groups have already threatened to take further legal action with a lawsuit.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 20, 2025

Atlanta Rapper Ca$h Out Found Guilty On RICO, Sex Trafficking Charges

The rapper's mother and cousin were also found guilty of various charges.

An Atlanta rapper was found guilty on multiple racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

John Michael Gibson, known in the local music scene as Ca$h Out, was found guilty on several counts, including rape, pimping, and aggravated sodomy. Prosecutors in Fulton County claimed he, his mother, Linda Smith, and cousin, Tyrone Taylor, operated a sex trafficking enterprise for several years in Atlanta.

“This has been going on for seven years,” said Fulton County prosecutor Earnell Winfrey, according to WSB-TV. “This ain’t just straight pimping—this is trafficking.”

Gibson was also found guilty of two additional counts of sex trafficking but not on a third count. The jury also acquitted him of a sexual servitude count, aggravated assault, and a place of prostitution.

The rapper was arrested and detained during a prostitution sting in June 2019. He initially faced even more charges, including aggravated assault, simple battery, human trafficking, pandering, and obstruction of law enforcement officers, according to jail records obtained by Atlanta News First.

The verdicts came after a weeks-long trial over whether the defendants used their record company, Pyrez Music Group LLC, for sex trafficking. Prosecutors claimed that the trio kept the women in a “house of horrors,” using force, coercion, and deception to lure and trap the women.

Victims of their enterprise claimed that they were forced into prostitution by Gibson while his mother and partner took their earnings. Witnesses also recalled being trafficked by the two men after being raped by them. Another said she was only granted food if she engaged in sexual acts.

Following the trial, Smith was found guilty of one trafficking count, evading two more for trafficking and prostitution. Taylor, however, received a guilty verdict on all counts except for pimping. Gibson’s attorneys tried to argue that his record label had no connection to the trafficking. All three defendants were found guilty on racketeering charges.

Prosecutors used phone call logs and text messages about the sexual transactions to prove their case. The call from an incarcerated Gibson detailed him asking his mother to meet with a victim to prevent her from speaking with police.

“Sure, they were pimping, for sure,” added Winfrey. “But force and cohesion is what makes it trafficking.”

All three will be sentenced by a Fulton County judge on July 21 at 10 a.m.

Florida, DeSantis, Black voters, redistricting

by Daniel Johnson

July 20, 2025

DeSantis Redistricting Map Upheld By Florida Supreme Court; Critics Say It Dilutes Black Voting Power

The redistricting map proposed by DeSantis is expected to give Republicans a 20-8 advantage in congressional elections.

On July 17, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a redistricting map endorsed by Governor Ron DeSantis, ruling that it does not violate the equal protection guarantees of the Florida Constitution.

The court, which has a conservative majority, includes several justices appointed during DeSantis’s tenure.

According to The Associated Press, the court ruled that restoring the map to a condition that would unite Black communities across the state, in an area encompassing 200 miles stretching from Jacksonville to just west of Tallahassee, would constitute impermissible racial gerrymandering.

“The record leaves no doubt that such a district would be race-predominant. The record also gives us no reasonable basis to think that further litigation would uncover a potentially viable remedy,” Chief Justice Carlos Muniz wrote in the majority opinion.

The Florida Supreme Court upheld the redistricting map proposed by DeSantis, which is expected to give Republicans a 20-8 advantage in congressional elections. The previous map had enabled the election of former Democratic Representative Al Lawson, who is Black, but the new map divides that district into three separate Republican-leaning districts.

This arrangement was criticized by Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation, one of the organizations that filed the lawsuit challenging the map as potentially unconstitutional due to concerns over partisan gerrymandering.

“The Florida Supreme Court’s refusal to enforce state law, allowing an unconstitutional map to remain in place, is alarming,” Jenkins said. “The court is abandoning the most basic role of the judiciary: to provide justice for the people. This decision shamefully dismisses the fact that the state’s map actively diminishes the voting power of Black Floridians. Make no mistake, the fight for fair maps in Florida is far from over.”

Justice Jorge Labarga, the lone dissenter in the case, argued in his opinion that not allowing the plaintiffs to produce an alternative map actually allows an unconstitutional election map to remain in place.

The outcome of this case could have implications for other Southern states, where voter ID laws and redistricting practices have drawn scrutiny and legal challenges over concerns about fair representation and access to the ballot.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has faced criticism from Houston Democrats regarding his plan to proceed with redistricting following the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner. Abbott’s approach, which aligns with President Donald Trump’s preferences and resembles the redistricting strategy used by DeSantis, has been described by some Houston Democrats as a politically motivated effort.

“This attempt to get rid of majority minority districts will have far reaching effects on people within this district, and so much more,” Amanda Edwards, one of many candidates to replace Turner, said in a news conference, according to KHOU 11.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 20, 2025

‘Cowboy Carter’ NFL Halftime Show Scores Emmy Noms For Queen Bey—and Ocean of Soul

The 'Beyoncé Bowl' earned four Emmy noms for the showcase of Black Southern culture and HBCU tradition.

Beyoncé’s highly-lauded “Cowboy Carter”-inspired NFL Christmas halftime show earned four Emmy nods. Since the superstar included Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul Marching Band, that means the HBCU has also been honored.

The National Battle of the Bands congratulated TSU and Beyoncé on social media.

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The much-ballyhooed “Beyoncé Bowl” garnered recognition in the Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special, Outstanding Choreography (Variety/Reality,) and Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special categories.

The Ocean of Soul marching band played a major role in the televised halftime show, which took place Christmas Day during the Texans vs. Ravens game in Houston’s NRG stadium. Aired on Netflix, the show attracted 27 million viewers, a record, according to Atlanta Daily World.

Now, Beyoncé and TSU could add “Emmy winners” to their long list of accolades. The decorated singer and actress now has 10 Emmy nominations. She previously received nominations for her other Netflix special, Homecoming, which showcased her 2018 Coachella performance that paid homage to HBCU marching bands.

TSU’s Ocean of Soul also has a tremendous reputation in HBCU marching band history, performing at Super Bowl halftime shows and award ceremonies. The Ocean of Soul will return to NRG stadium on Aug. 23 for the National Battle of the Bands showcase.

Beyoncé and Ocean of Soul’s nominations also keep the spotlight on the HBCU tradition. Previously, Beyoncé gave a $100,000 grant to the band. The funding will aid the marching band’s artistic talents through scholarships and upgraded resources.

As for whether the band and Beyoncé become Emmy winners, fans of both will have to wait until the Sept. 14 ceremony.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

July 20, 2025

Wife Of NY Man Fatally Sucked Into MRI Machine By His Chain Recalls Horrifying Medical Tragedy

The man died after being sucked into the MRI machine.