NFL Running Back Gale Sayers Dies At 77
by Derek Major

September 24, 2020

NFL Running Back Gale Sayers Dies At 77

Former Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers has died at the age of 77 Wednesday due to complications from dementia.

Although Sayers only played six seasons in the NFL, he was regarded by many as one of the best running backs in NFL history. As a rookie in 1965, the Bears running back amassed 14 rushing touchdowns, six receiving touchdowns, and two touchdowns on punt and kick returns.

“The NFL family lost a true friend today with the passing of Gale Sayers. Gale was one of the finest men in NFL history and one of the game’s most exciting players,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Wednesday. “Gale was an electrifying and elusive runner who thrilled fans every time he touched the ball,” added Goodell, noting that “we will also forever remember Gale for his inspiration and kindness.
Sayers is also known for the 1971 made-for-TV movie Brian’s Song. The movie highlighted the friendship between Sayers and Brian Piccolo, a White teammate who was diagnosed with terminal cancer early in his career. Although the two men grew up in dramatically different backgrounds, they formed a special bond, even becoming the first interracial roommates in NFL history.
During his six years in the league, Sayers was named to the NFL Pro Bowl four times and was the Pro Bowl MVP in 1966, 1967, and 1970. The Kansas Comet, as he was known in college, once held the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a season with 22 and is still the last non-QB player to score six touchdowns in a game. Sayers retired before the 1972 season due to injuries to his knee and ankle. In 1977 the Kansas Comet became the youngest player ever inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame at the age of 34, a record he still holds.
In 1984 during his post-NFL career, Sayers founded an IT company by the same name. In 2009, Sayers Inc. made Black Enterprise’s Top 100 list of the nation’s largest Black businesses.
Sayers also worked in the athletic department at the University of Kansas, his alma mater, from 1972 through 1976. The former running back also served as the athletic director at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 1976 through 1981.
Black Women Tech Leaders Share How They Defied the Odds and How You Can, Too
by Selena Hill

September 24, 2020

Black Women Tech Leaders Share How They Defied the Odds and How You Can, Too

Day two of BLACK ENTERPRISE’s inaugural Women of Power Tech virtual summit was just as invigorating as the first!

A number of dynamic leaders shared insights and perspectives about how they scaled their way to the top of the tech industry in a variety of sessions, panels, and workshops. Hosted by Ally, the digital conference also included professional coaching to help Black women identify new trends and opportunities and gain the tools and skills necessary to advance in tech-driven industries.

During a session titled, “C-Suite Confidential: Top Tech Execs Who Defied the Odds and How You Can, Too” hosted by Verizon, Silicon Valley leader Shellye Archambeau and Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer Rose Stuckey Kirk talked about the sacrifices they made in order to succeed and why it was worth it. Archambeau, who sits on the board of directors of Verizon and Nordstrom, also shared nuggets from her new book, Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms.

Here are a couple of gems from the session.

Find your path to power

After graduating from the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Archambeau revealed that she took a job in sales at IBM while many of her peers landed roles in investment banking. However, she explained that she saw the opportunity as a stepping stone to reach her ultimate goal to run a corporate business.

“I took a first job in sales coming out of Wharton. Nobody does that,” she said.

“My friends were going off to be investment bankers, right, P&G product managers, and international finance people and I was going in to sell computers. But I had done that because I was joining IBM—which, at the time, was like the Apple or Google of its day—I did my research. Every single CEO at IBM started out in sales. So, I said that must be the path to power, so I’ll start out in sales.”

The tech veteran added that all of her career decisions were also calculated based on her long-term goals.

Own Your Career

Archambeau, the Board Director and former CEO of Metricstream, also stressed the importance of being intentional about your career journey.

“It’s really important as you’re building your career to realize that you own your career. You do, not anybody else. Not your boss, not your manager, not your employees, not your spouse, not your mentors. You own it,” she said. “It’s important to take charge of what you own.”

Watch the “C-Suite Confidential: Top Tech Execs Who Defied the Odds and How You Can, Too” session at the Women of Power Tech Summit below.

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 24, 2020

Founder Zanade Mann Has Built a Community for Black Women Entrepreneurs

Featuring a broad cross-section of women who have distinguished themselves across a rich variety of careers, our Portraits of Power series is a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Black Enterprise, and of Black women. It’s a place for today’s businesswomen to share their own favorite images and their own stories, in their own words. Today’s portrait is the founder of the Black Women’s Business Collective, Zanade Mann. 

Zanade Mann

Founder and Managing Director of the Black Women’s Business Collective

My first job was Macy’s! I loved the customer service aspect of being a salesperson. I learned how to sell by listening to the pain points of our customers.

My big break came when I secured a CNN segment for my very first client using the power of social media and a few tweets.

I’ve had to work hardest at creating systems and processes for the businesses that I’ve managed. Just because you are the leader does not mean you get a pass to do things haphazardly. I went from being a one person show to being comfortable delegating tasks and using project management systems. And, when I am working solo on a project, I still follow systems that I have set up for my team.

I never imagined I would have the audacity to continue dreaming big when the world seems to be caving in. I have managed to see the reward and opportunity in this moment. I never imagined that I would build a community for Black women entrepreneurs at the same time where the push for Black ownership was at its highest. What I have imagined has finally actualized itself.

I wish I’d learned sooner how to be still.

The risk I regret not taking is moving—the one time I let fear of the unknown influence my decision.

If I could design my fantasy self-care day, it would be spent floating in a hot spring in Japan.

The vision that God gave me keeps me up at night.

When I’m struggling, I say to myself, take a break, breathe. Is there someone who can support you through this challenge?

I am unapologetically driven.

Portraits of Power is a yearlong series of candid insights from exceptional women leaders. It is brought to you by ADP.

Former Correction Officer Creates Largest Virtual Gathering of Social Workers To Address Racism
by Dana Givens

September 24, 2020

Former Correction Officer Creates Largest Virtual Gathering of Social Workers To Address Racism

The Black Lives Matter protests have encouraged many to create new platforms to address systemic racism and discrimination within their respective industries. One former corrections officer decided to use her voice to transition into a new career of social work and created a virtual gathering to address racism and prejudice within their field.

Deona Hooper is the founder of SWHELPER, a news platform dedicated to social justice. Hooper says she got inspired to create the website after working in law enforcement and social services. “When I first started SWHELPER, I was writing and trying to get published with existing social work outlets which focused heavily on clinical practice and interventions,” said Hooper in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE. 

“As a macro social worker, I was more interested in writing about advocacy for the Affordable Care Act before it becoming law, social justice issues,  and system changes. After many rejections, I starting to self-publish, and social media helped me to develop an audience and grow a platform,” Hooper added.”I wanted to create an affordable option for BIPOCS and helping professionals to get access to speakers and networking opportunities usually achieved at a national or global level conference. But, the truth is, I got mad and created my virtual summit because I felt shut out.”

In light of the recent protests against police brutality, Hooper used her platform to create a virtual gathering through her social media platforms to address systemic racism in social work. Though Hooper started the summit since 2017, the virtual gathering was critical to have in light of the political climate amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I told the PR firm and the host committee that this feels like discrimination because not only am I the only Black publisher in the social workspace,” said Hooper. “I am the only POC publisher around the world in the social workspace. Although I complained, my concerns fell on deaf ears. My platform has had press access for White House events and a lot of the major ComicCons around the world, but I couldn’t get press access to a conference in my profession.”

Ex-Cop Says Atlanta Police Worked With Land Developers to Arrest and Evict Black Residents
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 24, 2020

Ex-Cop Says Atlanta Police Worked With Land Developers to Arrest and Evict Black Residents

After finding out the Atlanta Police Department was working with local building developers to arrest and evict Black residents, a white Atlanta police officer decided to give up his job, according to Mother Jones.

The 49-year-old ex-Atlanta police officer, Tom Gissler, was employed with the department from April 2017 until July of this year. He told Mother Jones that he left his position because he didn’t want to help gentrify the area by arresting Black tenants in the area.

In the article, Gissler says that after gaining a premier spot on the day shift, he was assigned to a beat in Bedford Pines. According to him, he was instructed to police the area and was given strict instructions on how to do so.

Atlanta police Bedford Pines
(Image: Apartments.com)

“We really want you to start policing this section of Boulevard and Ponce de Leon Avenue, basically the Bedford Pines Apartments,” Gissler recalled. “We think there are dope boys in there. We think there’s a lot of illegal activity happening and we want to really focus there. So we’re gonna put up signs that say you can’t park on the street. I want you to go and write tickets on every single car that’s on the street and I want you to get those cars out of there; if they don’t move, tow ’em. I want you to start running checks on everybody standing on the street; if they have got warrants, I want you to lock ’em up.”

Because he wasn’t used to such strict policing, he decided to do some investigative work on his own time.

“It made me very curious. So on my own time—I live in Atlanta, I live in the zone I policed, which is super rare—I drove over there and had a conversation with some people. I was like: “Hey, this is what I’m being asked to do. Why do you think that is? What’s going on?”

He stated that a homeowner in the area was very direct when speaking to him. He was told that the guys who own Bedford Pines received their tax bill last year, and that “their taxes were assessed based on all the gentrification that’s happening in the area. And so they wanted to move everybody out of these apartments and knock ’em down and rebuild these nice expensive apartments and the government said no.”

So, the guys who own Bedford Pines approached the police department and said: “We want you to police in here, and we’re going to give you a section of Bedford Pines to actually have office space. And I want you to lock up as many people as possible so we can make these apartments vacant and we can knock ’em down.”

So, realizing the moral dilemma he was involved with, he decided to quit instead of ruining people’s lives based on the sketchiness of the police department and the owners of Bedford Pines.

by Dana Givens

September 24, 2020

The House of Representatives Pass Anti-Hair Discrimination Bill, The CROWN Act

Hair discrimination is a common workplace issue for Black men and women in the corporate environment. After many have come forward to share their experiences with discrimination on the job, politicians have begun creating new legislation across the country in different cities to protect Black Americans wearing natural hairstyles. This week, the House of Representatives announced that it has passed the CROWN Act nationwide.

Earlier this year, a group of politicians including Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) introduced the new legislation to protect Black women from job discrimination and keeping corporations from enforcing policies that prevent Black workers from wearing their natural hairstyles while at work.

The movement for the bill started in 2019 when a coalition of beauty companies including Dove, the National Urban League, and Color of Change came together to create a bill that would protect Black Americans from this type of discrimination and prejudice.

Many took to Twitter to express their joy over the milestone including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Miss.) who wrote in a message that the move was “long overdue,” but noted that it is an essential step in fighting racial discrimination. “For far too long, Black women have been penalized for simply existing as themselves—that ends today.”

The bill will now be heading to the Senate where they will require a majority ruling of 100 U.S representatives to approve the legislation being signed into law. Several states including California, Washinton, Maryland, Colorado, New Jersey, and New York have already adopted the bill into law on a state level.

Comcast and Sean Combs’ REVOLT To Expand Network’s Availability To 30 Additional Markets
by Derek Major

September 24, 2020

Comcast and Sean Combs’ REVOLT To Expand Network’s Availability To 30 Additional Markets

Comcast and REVOLT, the hip-hop content platform owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs, have announced an agreement to expand the network’s availability to new markets.

According to a press release, beginning Sept. 29, REVOLT will be added in high definition to the Xfinity Digital Starter package in Philadelphia, Northern New Jersey, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Charleston, and Augusta.

Additionally, in markets where REVOLT is available in standard definition, the network will be moved to high definition. Combs said he is excited to see REVOLT grow with Comcast.

“As one of very few Black-owned media platforms, it is important that we can reach our audiences wherever they are. We are excited to continue to grow with Comcast and deliver our content to millions of additional homes,” said Combs, the chairman of REVOLT Media & TV. “Comcast was one of the first television distributors to carry REVOLT to millions of its customers when it launched in 2013, and we are very pleased to bring its creative music- and social justice-focused content to even more Xfinity TV customers across the country,” said Dana Strong, president, Xfinity Consumer Services.

As part of the agreement, both entities will also collaborate to create cultural content. One program, titled “Black Voices on Mute,” will feature original content bridging the past and present to highlight the importance of voting and the history of voter suppression in the Black community.

Black Stories, a collection of curated content featuring a wide variety of movies, documentaries, TV series and more will be available on Xfinity X1, Stream, and Flex. The content is designed to educate and drive awareness to the country’s long history of racial discrimination and injustice. Black Stories will also feature several of the most recent efforts to attain social justice and movements toward equality.

“There is no better time than now to amplify Black stories and content, and we are excited to bring new programming from Revolt to our platform and recently launched content collection, Black Voices. Black Stories,” Keesha Boyd, executive director, Multicultural Video & Entertainment, Xfinity Consumer Services said in a statement.

With the Presidential election just a few weeks away, REVOLT will air it’s second “State of Emergency” virtual town hall on Thursday, Sept. 24. The event will include Dr. Cornel West, Kerry Washington, Tamika Mallory, Jeff Johnson, Cordae, Vic Mensa, and others.

What You May Not Know About Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s Republican Ties
by Derek Major

September 24, 2020

What You May Not Know About Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s Republican Ties

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron may not be known to many outside of the Breonna Taylor case, but a look into Cameron’s past shows significant GOP ties.

Cameron, a Black Republican, previously served as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s legal counsel from 2015 to 2017. During that time, Cameron was in charge of the confirmation process for conservative federal judges, including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Last year, Cameron defeated State Senator Wil Schroder in the Republican primary. Cameron was then endorsed for the Attorney General post by President Donald Trump and the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police. Cameron defeated former Attorney General Greg Stumbo in the November 2019 general election, becoming the first Black Attorney General in the state.

On March 27, two weeks to the day after Breonna Taylor was killed, Cameron called on Kentucky’s top health official to put a stop to abortions in the state due to the coronavirus pandemic. This happened days after Planned Parenthood sued the state of Texas for implementing a similar policy.

“Kentucky’s current ban on elective medical procedures exists to further the mandated policy of social distancing and to help conserve medical resources for use in fighting COVID-19,” Cameron said in a statement at the time. “Acting Secretary [of CHFS Eric] Friedlander is on the front lines of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am confident that he understands, better than anyone, the necessity of ending abortion procedures during this health crisis. His certification will immediately trigger action by our office to stop elective procedures during the pandemic.”

In April, the Kentucky legislature gave Cameron the power to regulate abortion clinics, but the legislation was vetoed by Gov. Andy Beshear.

The Daily Mail reported that the investigation into Taylor’s death was still ongoing when Cameron invited his mentor, McConnell, to his wedding last month.

Cameron was also a guest speaker at the GOP convention last month, where he declared himself a “proud Republican and supporter of President Donald Trump.”

President Trump also placed the Attorney General on the shortlist for a seat on the Supreme Court, which a professor at the University of Louisville, Cameron’s alma mater, called ridiculous.

“Meaning no disrespect to the attorney general, I think putting him on a list of potential Supreme Court nominees over the next four years is preposterous,” Samuel Marcosson, a professor at U of L’s Brandeis School of law, told the Courier-Journal,

“A nominee for the Supreme Court should have a wealth of legal experience,” Marcosson wrote in an email. “The attorney general lacks any meaningful experience practicing federal law, which is the entirety of the Supreme Court’s docket.”

Citigroup Report: Racism Has Cost U.S. Economy $16 Trillion Over the Last 20 Years
by Derek Major

September 24, 2020

Citigroup Report: Racism Has Cost U.S. Economy $16 Trillion Over the Last 20 Years

Citigroup has figured out just how much money systemic racism in the United States has cost the country: $16 trillion over the past 20 years.

The total is the combined cost of racial disparities in wages, education, investment in Black-owned businesses, and the housing market.

“Racial inequality has always had an outsized cost, one that was thought to be paid only by underrepresented groups,” Citigroup Vice Chairman Raymond J. McGuire told Yahoo News. “What this report underscores is that this tariff is levied on us all, and particularly in the U.S., that cost has a real and tangible impact on our country’s economic output. Now, more than ever, we have a responsibility and an opportunity to confront this longstanding societal ill that has plagued Black and brown people in this country for centuries, tally up the economic loss and as a society, commit to bring greater equity and prosperity to all.”

Days after Citigroup released the report, the financial giant announced it will commit more than $1 billion to close the racial wealth gap. In January, Citigroup launched a $150 million fund to support minority businesses.

Citigroup is the latest company that has tried to quantify the economic impact of systemic racism.

According to the report, Black workers in the U.S. have lost $113 billion in potential wages over the past two decades because they couldn’t get a college degree. The housing market lost $218 billion in sales because Black applicants couldn’t get home loans. The study also found about $13 trillion in business revenue never flowed into the economy because Black entrepreneurs couldn’t access bank loans.

Citigroup added the U.S. could add $5 trillion in gross domestic product over the next five years if the gaps were closed today.

“Closing the wage, housing, education, and business investment racial gaps can help narrow the wealth gap, which is significant for facilitating homeownership, business, and job creation, plus establishing a pipeline for intergenerational wealth accumulation,” the report states.

CBS News reported McKinsey & Co. conducted a similar study released last year and concluded the U.S. GDP — the total value of goods and services — could be up to 6% higher by 2028 if the racial wealth gap is closed.

“The country has over a trillion dollars to gain from the effort,” the McKinsey study concluded.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 24, 2020

Chance the Rapper: ‘Ask Your Mom Who to Vote For. Vote For Who She Say’ Twitter Responds

Chance the Rapper caused quite a ruckus earlier this week when he took to Twitter to try to encourage people to vote. But, the twist is, he advised people to “Ask your mom who to vote for. Vote for who she say,” prompting Twitter to respond to the rapper in ways he may have not anticipated.

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