by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 14, 2020

Black Husband, Wife and Son Launch Online Course on Investing in the Stock Market

Kevon Chisolm, Esq. founder and president of Black Wallstreeter Consultation Services, is teaming up with his wife, Kim, and their 13-year old son, Kamari, to launch a weekend series that teaches African American families financial literacy skills and how to invest in the stock market. The weekend series is geared towards encouraging families and individuals to build generational wealth together while also learning about African American history and culture.

The goal is to continue the success that they had with the Junior Wallstreeters Summer Camps. One parent wrote: “I just wanted to thank you for the educational and impactful experiences you provided through the Jr Wall Street camp. I appreciate the tools used to empower our children through the convergence of African American history while teaching strategies and the importance of building future wealth.”

Kevon comments, “In addition to topics like budgeting, establishing and maintaining good credit, banking, and investing in the stock market, the weekend series teaches generational wealth building through investment clubs.”

Saturday’s series is titled: Empowering Youth & Parents with Financial Wellness. The Sunday’s series is titled: Empowering Youth & Parents with Financial Wellness and African American History and Culture. Both sessions will provide life-long financial education and resources, which can be applied to address the lack of generational wealth in the African American community.

“Our goal is to teach financial knowledge to eliminate the wealth gap by showing young people and their parents how to properly use money as a tool,” he adds. The online series will primarily be taught by Stanley Anderson and Isaiah Cromwell, a high school teacher who helped Kevon develop the curriculum.

The weekend series will be held every other Saturday (11am-1pm EST) and Sunday (1pm-4pm EST), starting on October 3rd and 4th. All ages are encouraged to attend the series, but youth under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must have a computer with Internet access. The cost of the Saturday series is just $250. While the cost for Sunday’s series is $350 because it is an hour longer and includes additional materials. This fee includes course materials such as an electronic student handbook, Junior Wallstreeters Envelope Budgeting System with tracking sheets, and a Stock Tracker Lite Notebook.


Limited spaces are available.

Register online for the SATURDAY series at:
www.theblackwallstreeter.com/shop/weekend-series-saturday

Register online for the SUNDAY series at:
www.theblackwallstreeter.com/shop/weekend-series-sunday

This article was originally published by BlackNews.com.

by Ben Jealous, President of People For the American Way

September 14, 2020

The Key to Motivating Young Voters? Young Candidates

One of the most exciting parts of this year’s Democratic National Convention for me was the keynote speech delivered collectively by a group of young progressive elected officials, many of them Black. They showed us the potential for a promising future once we have gotten past the presidency of Donald Trump.

They also showed us how to get there. One way to make sure we remove Donald Trump from the White House and his enablers from Congress is to support exciting candidates at all levels who can energize Democratic voters—especially progressive young people—to vote.

The mass mobilization we have seen in the Black Lives Matter protests is an essential tool for turning energy into political will and bringing pressure on public officials. Ultimately, though, voting is the only tool we have for putting people who are committed to making the changes our country urgently needs into positions of power.

Many of the problems that have been with us for far longer than the current administration—including systemic inequity in health care, education, housing, and policing — can and must be addressed at local and state levels.

That’s why transformational local candidates are a key to building progressive power and making progressive change. And getting elected and serving successfully in local office is often the first step to higher office.

Look at Virginia, where intense organizing over the past few election cycles turned the former capital of the Confederacy blue. Candidates from underrepresented communities—young people, people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQ candidates—helped Democrats take control of both chambers of the state’s General Assembly. And that has meant the power to make huge changes for the people of Virginia—expanding access to health care, addressing gun violence, and more.

Opposition to President Trump helped drive change in Virginia and will motivate many people to get to the polls in November. But energy doesn’t come just from the top of the ticket. It runs both ways. In fact, exciting local candidates can generate enthusiasm among people who might see national politics and candidates as far removed from their lives and concerns.

People For the American Way’s Next Up! project supports young candidates running at the state and local level, many of them from communities that have long been denied their fair share of political power. The enthusiasm for their candidacies can boost progressive prospects up and down the ballot.

There’s Arizona, for example, where Democrats have an excellent chance of picking up the U.S. Senate seat now held by the appointed Republican senator Martha McSally. We’re excited about supporting two local candidates Whitney Walker and Jevin Hodge, both young Black people who are engaging their communities by challenging Republican incumbents on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

How about Michigan, a battleground state that helped put Trump in the White House? Chokwe Pitchford is generating excitement as a 21-year old Black man running to flip a seat in the statehouse.

Young voters have been going to the polls in higher numbers in recent elections. We must do everything in our power to keep that trend rising. If you know a young community-oriented person who ought to run for public office in the future, encourage them. We need their voices and energy to keep turning citizens and activists into voters.

And between now and November, do what you can to support young candidates who have stepped up. They are running in a year when public health restrictions make traditional campaigning harder and when disinformation and voter suppression campaigns are trying to keep Black people from voting. We can and will move this country toward a more just future—and we can’t let anyone convince us to take our eyes off that prize.

For reliable information on voting, visit the League of Women Voters or Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

 

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation. Jealous has decades of experience as a leader, coalition builder, campaigner for social justice, and seasoned nonprofit executive. In 2008, he was chosen as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the NAACP. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he has taught at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.

 

 

COO of Girls Who Code Tarika Barrett, Ph.D., Is Named To McGraw Hill’s New Board of Directors
by Dana Givens

September 14, 2020

COO of Girls Who Code Tarika Barrett, Ph.D., Is Named To McGraw Hill’s New Board of Directors

McGraw Hill is one of the country’s leading companies providing resources for youth to learn more about science and technology. This week, the company announced that Tarika Barrett, Ph.D., has joined ita board of directors. Dr. Barrett will provide counsel in creating world-class content for its digital learning platforms.

“I have long admired McGraw Hill for the quality of its products and its purpose-driven culture,” Dr. Barrett said in a press statement about her new role. “I am honored to join the board and look forward to working with Larry, Simon, and the other directors to continue to drive innovation that will benefit students and educators.”

Dr. Barrett currently works as the Chief Operating Officer for Girls Who Code, an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in the technology sector including running its Summer Immersion Program and after-school Clubs Program that brings in over 300,000 girls from around the world.

“Tarika brings extensive leadership experience and a record of achievement in the education sector,” says Apollo Global Management Senior Partner and Chairman of the board of McGraw Hill, Larry Berg, in a press statement. 

“She will work closely with me, Simon Allen, and the company’s other board members to provide counsel on numerous strategic, and operational matters that will help position McGraw Hill for continued success.”

“Tarika’s deep knowledge of the education sector and her strong background in the use of technology in the classroom will be of great benefit to us as we continue our digital transformation,” said Simon Allen, Chief Executive Officer of McGraw Hill, in a press statement.

“She shares our values and sense of purpose, and I look forward to working with her as we continue to improve student outcomes through a focus on the science of learning.”

British Company Apologizes to John Boyega For Replacing His Role in an Ad He Directed With An Asian Actor
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 14, 2020

British Company Apologizes to John Boyega For Replacing His Role in an Ad He Directed With An Asian Actor

A fragrance company had to publicly apologize to actor John Boyega after he was edited out of a commercial that he conceived, directed, and starred in, according to Variety.

Jo Malone London, a British perfume and scented candle brand, named Boyega as its first male global ambassador last year. However, the company apologized to the Star Wars: The Force Awakens star after the commercial he created for the brand was redone for the Chinese market replacing him with a Chinese actor. The original commercial, titled “London Gent,” featured Boyega walking around London’s Peckham neighborhood and featured a multicultural cast. The commercial won The Fragrance Foundation Virtual Awards 2020 for Best Media Campaign.

The Chinese version of the commercial replaced Boyega with local actor Liu Haoran and didn’t feature a multicultural cast.

“We deeply apologize for what, on our end, was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign,” Jo Malone said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction. The concept for the film was based on John’s personal experiences and should not have been replicated.”

“While we immediately took action and removed the local version of the campaign, we recognize that this was painful and that offense was caused,” the statement added. “We respect John, and support our partners and fans globally. We are taking this misstep very seriously and we are working together as a brand to do better moving forward.”

This is the original commercial that the Chinese did over.

Boyega told Women’s Wear Daily last year that he used the campaign to highlight his background.

“There’s a mixture of things you see me do in the film, you see me in a professional environment on a film set, then with family and it’s about breaking free of the concept of ‘going back or returning to your roots’ but more about the roots existing with this new side of my life,” he said. “It’s not a chapter that stops.”

by Dana Givens

September 14, 2020

Black Entrepreneur Teamed Up With Beer Breweries To Make His Own Granola Bars

A Black entrepreneur living in Virginia Beach turned his beer brewing hobby into a small business by making healthy granola bars.

Bryan Daniels is the owner of All Good Granola Bars, a newly launched business producing granola bars made from the same leftover grains used to brew beer. Daniels used his connections in the Southeastern Virginia beer community to get enough grains to supply his growing orders.

“I started brewing beer as a hobby with a couple of friends in 2017.  Part of the brewing process includes rinsing malted barley with hot water,” said Daniels in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE. “The liquid produced from this process continues to make beer. But the wet barley, known as mash or spent grain, is usually thrown away. Every time we got around to throwing out the spent grain I wished that there was something else I could use it for because it just smelled so good!”

“Knowing that so much of the spent grains were going to waste, I began researching ways to salvage them. In doing so, I learned they could be used for making a bead, spent flour and granola bars,” he added.

“The granola bar idea stuck with me for two reasons: first, cooking is not my specialty so they seemed easy enough to make. Secondly, as a fitness professional and overall busy person, I love having food that’s quick, delicious, and healthy.”

Even though the spread of COVID-19 has created unique challenges for Daniels business, he remains optimistic.

“The pandemic has definitely made things difficult. The hardest part has been trying to grow while raising a 4- and 6-year-old at home,” said Daniels. “But this experience has made me more disciplined and focused. And using this time to step back and see the bigger picture has prepared me for what I think will be a crazy year ahead.”

 

Exonerated Five’s Korey Wise Helps Combat Food Insecurity In Harlem
by Dana Givens

September 14, 2020

Exonerated Five’s Korey Wise Helps Combat Food Insecurity In Harlem

Food insecurity has become a growing problem around the country, including in New York City. According to a report done by NPR, earlier this year, 1 in 4 residents was facing food insecurity in light of the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, pandemic.” We’re dealing with an unprecedented crisis,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing in May. “Before the coronavirus, we thought somewhere around a million people were food insecure and needed food. Now we think that number is 2 million or more.” This week, Korey Wise of the Exonerated Five hosted a food drive to help residents in need.

PIX 11 reported the famous Harlem resident, along with Harlem District Leader Keith Lilly, distributed over 700 boxes of groceries to residents in partnership with nonprofit organizations Robin Hood and the Migdol Family Foundation. Wise hosted the food drive at the King Towers Senior Center in Harlem. According to the Robin Hood Foundation,1 in 3 parents of small children say they are skipping or reducing their meals to have enough to feed their children. In a Poverty Tracker study, 30% of residents reported having trouble securing enough food in light of the massive layoffs as a result of COVID-19.

Hundreds of residents came out for the event, including senior citizens and families looking for some extra help during these challenging times. “We need extra food. We are on food stamps. We just don’t get enough assistance,” said Odetta Clark, a local senior who received a box from the food drive to PIX 11. District Leader Lilly says that they are among some of the hardest hit by the viral outbreak. “Folks are struggling, especially our seniors,” he said.

“I hope it ends soon,” said Wise to PIX 11. Both organizers said that they plan on hosting more of these food drives, hoping that things start to turnaround soon for residents in Harlem.

Rapper T.I. Fined $75,000 For His Involvement in Cryptocurrency Scam
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 14, 2020

Rapper T.I. Fined $75,000 For His Involvement in Cryptocurrency Scam

Rapper and successful businessman Clifford “T.I.” Harris Jr. has been charged with helping to promote an “unregistered and fraudulent initial coin offerings (ICOs),” according to a press release from The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The SEC has announced charges against Harris, film producer Ryan Felton, and three other Atlanta-based people. They are each charged with promoting one of Felton’s two unregistered and fraudulent initial coin offerings (ICOs). FLiK and CoinSpark, the two companies controlled by Felton, was also charged by The SEC. Aside from Felton, all of the individuals have agreed to settlements to resolve the charges against them.

The SEC’s complaint has alleged that Felton promised to build a digital streaming platform for FLiK, and a digital asset trading platform for CoinSpark. Felton had allegedly misappropriated the funds raised in the ICOs and the complaint also alleges that Felton secretly transferred FLiK tokens to himself and sold them into the market. By doing so, he pulled in an additional $2.2 million in profits, and that he participated in manipulative trading to inflate the price of SPARK tokens. Felton then allegedly used the funds he misappropriated and the proceeds of his manipulative trading to buy a Ferrari, a million-dollar home, diamond jewelry, and other luxury goods.

For T.I.’s involvement, the SEC concluded that T.I. offered and sold FLiK tokens on his social media accounts, falsely claiming to be a FLiK co-owner and encouraged his followers to invest in the FLiK ICO. T.I. also asked a celebrity friend to help promote the FLiK ICO on social media and provided the celebrity with verbiage for posts, stating that FLiK was T.I.’s “new venture.” It is also alledged that T.I.’s social media manager William Sparks, Jr. offered and sold FLiK tokens on T.I.’s social media accounts, and two other Atlanta residents, Chance White and Owen Smith, promoted SPARK tokens without disclosing they were promised compensation in return.

“The federal securities laws provide the same protections to investors in digital asset securities as they do to investors in more traditional forms of securities,” said Carolyn M. Welshhans, Associate Director in the Division of Enforcement. “As alleged in the SEC’s complaint, Felton victimized investors through material misrepresentations, misappropriation of their funds, and manipulative trading.”


The SEC’s order against T.I. requires him to pay a $75,000 civil penalty and he is no longer allowed to participate in offerings or sales of digital-asset securities for at least five years.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia brought criminal charges against Felton in a parallel action.

Biden For President And Democratic National Committee Announce New Features On IWillVote.com
by Derek Major

September 14, 2020

Biden For President And Democratic National Committee Announce New Features On IWillVote.com

Joe Biden’s official campaign website and the Democratic National Committee have announced new features on IWillVote.com, the DNC’s voter participation website.

The new features will help voters easily request and return their ballot by mail, as well as learn important information about the voting process in their state as they make their plan to vote. Previously, the site could only be used to check or update their registration and find voting locations.

Now, the site will guide a voter through the entire vote-by-mail experience including the best voting-by-mail option based on a voter’s state and county regulations.

“Voters have more options than ever to cast their ballots this year. IWillVote.com is a one-stop shop for voters to get information on flexible ways they can vote, and directly submit ballot requests to their local County Board of Elections.” said Biden for President Campaign Manager Jen O’Malley Dillon. “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can’t do it alone. We are building an unprecedented effort to ensure that voters can make a plan now to vote.”

Users of the site will also be able to request a ballot online or by email, print or mail their request and request a prepaid return envelope. The site is also completely available in Spanish at VoyaVotar.com.

Additionally, IWillVote.com has been updated with new state-specific voter education pages and resources — to help voters easily find their states’ deadlines to vote by mail, early, or in person, as well as other important information about their states’ voting process.

“However a voter chooses to cast their ballot, the updated IWillVote.com site makes it easy for Americans to exercise their right to participate in our democracy and ensure their voice is heard in this critical election,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez.  “The stakes for our country have never been higher, and we’re making sure Americans have all the information they need in order to make their plan to vote and send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House.”

Voting by mail will be the preferred method of voting during the coronavirus pandemic as people try to social distance. However, President Trump has said that voting by mail will be rife with corruption and Republicans will lose every election, although he’s provided no evidence to back his claims.

White Cop in Georgia Fired After Beating Black Passenger For Not Having ID
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 14, 2020

White Cop in Georgia Fired After Beating Black Passenger For Not Having ID

An unarmed Black man from Georgia was caught on video being pummeled by white police officers late last week. The confrontation began because the Black man didn’t have identification. One of the officers seen on the video has been fired, according to NewsOne.

The victim was identified as Roderick Walker. The vehicle he was riding in was stopped by police officers from the Clayton County Sheriff’s office last Friday because of a broken taillight. After asking for Walker’s ID, he stated he didn’t have any and the interaction quickly escalated.

The beating took place in front of Walker’s children. As with most incidents dealing with law enforcement and their misdeeds, the incident was filmed by multiple bystanders. From the viewing of videos, a helpless Walker was beaten and choked to the point that he said, “I’m gonna die!” and “I can’t breathe!”

 

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2 white cops assault an unarmed black man in front of his kids

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After immediately suspending the officer and promising an investigation of what took place, the sheriff, who was not named, was terminated from his job, according to a statement by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, GA.

“The Deputy who repeatedly struck Roderick Walker is being terminated from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office by order of Sheriff Victor Hill for excessive use of force. This is the administrative action. The criminal investigation of this matter will be turned over to the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office.

“The Sheriff ordered a signature bond courtesy for Mr. Walker 48 hours ago. Unfortunately, Mr. Walker has a felony probation warrant out of Fulton County for Cruelty to Children, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and a Failure to Appear warrant out of Hapeville which resulted in Magistrate Court denying him a bond. Mr. Walker’s legal counsel will have to resolve these issues to secure his release.


“Mr. Walker has received medical treatment to include x-rays (no fractures detected) of his head and is being monitored at the jail hospital by a doctor.”

 

 

President Trump Says He’s ‘Entitled’ to a Third Term in Office and Adds Democrats Will ‘Rig the Election’
by Derek Major

September 14, 2020

President Trump Says He’s ‘Entitled’ to a Third Term in Office and Adds Democrats Will ‘Rig the Election’

Speaking to a packed, mask-less, crowd in Nevada Saturday night, President Trump said he is “probably entitled” to a third term in office.

“Fifty-two days from now we’re going to win Nevada, and we’re going to win four more years in the White House,” Trump told a crowd of 5,000 people in Minden, Nevada. “And then after that, we’ll negotiate, right? Because we’re probably—based on the way we were treated—we are probably entitled to another four after that.”

Trump also once again accused Democrats of trying to “rig the election,” despite Biden leading in polls for months and Trump appointing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to disrupt the United States Postal Service from the inside, according to critics.

“The Democrats are trying to rig this election because that’s the only way they’re going to win,” Trump said, according to Slate.

During the rally, Trump characterized mail-in voting as “the greatest scam in the history of presidential politics” and said Democrats are sending ballots “to dogs” as part of his effort to raise questions about the integrity of the vote.

“Everybody is getting ballots,” he said. “Probably everybody but Republicans.”

Democrats harshly criticized Trump and his campaign for putting people at risk of contracting the coronavirus.

“After intentionally misleading the American people for months on end about the threat of the coronavirus, Trump continued to endanger Americans’ health by holding multiple in-person campaign rallies across the country, ignoring the White House’s own public health recommendations,” said state Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II.

Trump’s rally took place on the tarmac of Nevada’s Minden-Tahoe Airport after his campaign was forced to make last-minute changes due to restrictions on large gatherings imposed by Gov. Steve Sisolak, who Trump also attacked.

“He tried to stop us. He couldn’t, and now he’s in charge of the election,” the president said. “He can rig the election.”

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