Popular and controversial Texas rapper Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, who is riding on a wave of a big hit and video with fellow rapper Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, also known as Cardi B, has been in the news lately due to her being shot several weeks ago while hanging out with Canadian rapper Daystar Peterson, who is better known as Tory Lanez.

There had been talk on social media and in the streets that Tory Lanez actually shot her but she had never admitted nor discussed the details of what happened on that particular night on July 12th in California. She had been extremely elusive about talking about the mishap until last week. Megan took to Instagram to publicly admit for the first time that the Tory Lanez, did, indeed shoot her.

Now her fans, supporters, and other artists and notable celebrities have come out in defense of her and in disgust of Lanez’s role in the shooting. Except for former NFL player, Larry Johnson according to Madame Noire.

Johnson didn’t actually come out in defense of Lanez but went after Megan for her choice in who she chose to hang out with. He took to Twitter and basically said that Megan should have made a better choice based on what Lanez has created as a recording artist.

Ladies, if you date a man who coined the term “Demon Time,” and you get shot by him during Demon Hours, be accountable for YOUR stupidity. #toreylanez

— Larry Johnson (@2LarryJohnson7) August 21, 2020

Maybe she should of taken a course in Behavioral Sciences. 🤷🏾‍♂️

— Larry Johnson (@2LarryJohnson7) August 21, 2020

Of course, the response was swift to his post as people responded by reminding him that he was once in trouble with the law himself.

This you? pic.twitter.com/FLEE99mdka

— che (@LCWigg) August 21, 2020

You are also an abuser, of course you would blame the woman for being attacked unwarranted pic.twitter.com/XWRdjcH2DD

— call me by whore name (@mrblackademic) August 21, 2020

yeah.. sit this one out https://t.co/BciCeTsiFc

— kc (@KatelynLaceta) August 21, 2020

Don’t you beat women? We ain’t forget bruh

— Akosua – Flawed and Flawless (@maracharese) August 21, 2020

you’re definitely getting the right vibes pic.twitter.com/ckygaH2cTn

— Plumb Daffy. (@_vannahyo) August 22, 2020

It doesn’t sound like those six months of mandatory counseling for domestic violence you had to take is working.

— Clarkbryant (@OfficialCBryant) August 21, 2020

As HBCUs continue to find a way to survive amid various institutional problems, many are showing their support by continuing to advocate for the importance of these historical educational establishments by teaching their history to the next generation. This week, an Indiana teenager made waves when he discovered that he was accepted to over 60 different colleges and universities and announced that he will be choosing to continue his education at Howard University.

Eighteen-year-old Taran Richardson had a lot to celebrate at the end of the school year. As the salutatorian at Charles A. Tindley Accelerated High School, Richardson had to choose from 65 college acceptances with over $1 million in scholarship offers. After a month and a half of going back and forth, he ultimately chose to attend Howard University in Washington D.C.

Richardson says that his decision came down to the fact that Howard felt the most welcoming  and he felt the most at home during his visit to campus.”I could see myself in that place,” Richardson told IndyStar. “I pictured myself going there since Day 1. The young student was able to make the Dean’s List and graduated with a 3.7 GPA while he was working part-time at Walmart in addition to participating in community service organizations like the Lions Club and Boy Scouts. Richardson was also known to be very involved with extracurricular activities including show choir, competing in four sports, and serving as his class president. He volunteered with Stop the Violence Indianapolis to construct a social media broadcast studio as part of his capstone project to combat gun violence in the community.

He ultimately says that his support circle including his mother helped accomplish this huge milestone. “Obviously I wouldn’t be in the situation or the place I am right now without all those people that helped me get to where I am,” Richardson remarked to Indystar. “And I want to do the same for others.”

• Education

by Selena Hill

August 25, 2020

Black University Professor Says She and Her Brother Were Harassed by Campus Security

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Santa Clara University (SCU) in California is conducting an investigation after a Black assistant professor says campus security racially profiled her brother and then harassed her in her own home.

Danielle Fuentes Morgan, an Ivy League-educated English professor at SCU, says the incident occurred Saturday morning after campus security spotted her brother, Carlos Fuentes, in the area. Morgan says he was sitting outside with his books and computer for a work meeting when he was approached by security. She says her brother, a Black classically-trained musician, complied with the orders but was still followed to her home.

Santa Clara University security just harassed me and my brother and forced me (a faculty member) to show my campus ID to prove I live in the house WHERE I OPENED THE DOOR. A thread. (1/n)

— Danielle Fuentes Morgan (@mos_daf) August 22, 2020

“Campus security came up to my brother in the midst of his meeting and told him to move along. He’s been Black his whole life so he said OK. They followed him,” she wrote on Twitter detailing the encounter. “He moved toward the street which he thought was no longer on campus. They told him to leave. By this point there were four campus security cars.”

Morgan went on to describe the ordeal in a Twitter thread Saturday afternoon that has since gone viral. She tweeted that security escorted her brother to her campus residence so that she could vouch for him. Morgan added that they told her that her brother looked “suspicious,” that he was “in the bushes,” and that they thought he may have been homeless.”

But it gets worse.

I asked what the issue was and he said my brother was “in the bushes” and it was “suspicious” and they thought he may have been homeless. I asked why I needed to show ID at my own home. He said “Well, it’s not your home. The University owns it.” (9/n)

— Danielle Fuentes Morgan (@mos_daf) August 22, 2020

The professor went on to reveal that the campus security also demanded that she show her ID to prove that she was a resident at the campus.

“One of the officers said to me, ‘You don’t own this house. This house doesn’t belong to you,”‘ she explained during an interview with ABC7 News.

Morgan says she called for her husband, who is white, after the officer “aggressively demanded” to see her campus identification.

“He asked to see my ID, and my husband said that I wasn’t obligated to show it. The guy called his supervisor,” Morgan tweeted.

“My husband asked why they brought four cars. They said for safety. He asked for whose safety. They said ‘the officers’s safety.’ He told them that he didn’t care about their safety and was concerned for his brother-in-law’s safety,” she wrote.

“At this point, they told us they didn’t have any guns on them, so my brother wasn’t in danger. I was aghast that they explained he wasn’t in danger because they weren’t armed, not because he wasn’t a threat or because they wouldn’t hurt him, but because they COULDN’T,” she continued.

I told them that I was one of 7 Black faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences and that our student body population is 2% Black. I told them that the anti-Blackness they espouse and practice is part of the reason why. (10/n)

— Danielle Fuentes Morgan (@mos_daf) August 22, 2020

In response, University President Kevin F. O’Brien issued a statement late Saturday, revealing that he spoke with Morgan and her family and that the incident was being investigated. He added that the school’s campus safety officers will receive ongoing training on racial profiling.

“Racial bias or profiling has no place on our campus. This is our home. Only when we can all feel at home here can we all thrive and realize the promise of our mission,” he said.

Morgan summed up the incident, which comes amid ongoing national protests against racism and police violence against the Black community, as “the reality of Black life in the United States,” reports ABC7.

• News

by Derek Major

August 25, 2020

Kamala Harris: Donald Trump ‘Will Never Speak The Words Black Lives Matter’

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Vice presidential nominee, Kamala Harris sat down for an interview with ABC News Friday and was quick to slam President Trump’s inability to say “Black Lives Matter.”

“Listen, when Joe and I talk about … the state of America, he has a deep sense of awareness and knowledge about racial disparities, inequities and systematic racism,” Harris said in response to a question about Biden’s ‘you ain’t Black’ comments that went viral earlier this summer. “Joe speaks the words and actually knows how to say the words ‘Black Lives Matter.’ Contrary to what … the current president of the United States does, which is to sow hate and division full-time and has never spoken those words and will never speak the words ‘Black Lives Matter.’”

In recent months, Harris has marched with protesters in support of Black Lives Matter and those who want justice for Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Harris said Taylor’s death is a sign that Black women are underappreciated.

“It is a travesty what happened to Breonna Taylor and we need to speak her name and we need to demand justice for her.” Harris told Essence. “So I will continue to speak the name of Breonna Taylor and fight for the right for justice in her memory, justice for her mother and justice for that community.”

Harris also said in the interview that her and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are aligned on bringing justice to Black communities, insisting Biden understands the inequities that persist for African Americans and will be a president who “does something about it.”

Harris also added the Biden-Harris ticket also plans to deal with the staggering rates of low homeownership in the Black community and invest in Black entrepreneurship and education.

Biden, who was also in the interview, gave credit to Black voters for pushing him to being the Democratic nominee and Harris said his policies reflect a man who understands that Black lives matter.

“He has been outspoken on those issues and continues to talk about disparities,” Harris asserted. “And I know where his heart is. I know where his heart is.”

When New York Mayor Bill de Blasio commissioned a Black Lives Matter mural outside of Trump Towers, the president called the mural “A symbol of hate.”

• Business

by Derek Major

August 25, 2020

White House: Opportunity Zones Drew $75 Billion In Two Years

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A White House study shows Opportunity Zones have generated $75 billion in private investment across the U.S. in the last two years.

Opportunity Zones are part of an investment program created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, allowing for certain investments in lower-income areas to have tax advantages. One of the benefits for investors is the ability to defer capital gains taxes.

The study comes from the Council of Economic Advisers showing private investment in Opportunity Zones has increased. However, the study doesn’t show the coronavirus’ effect on the zones.

“This $75 billion in two years is remarkable because as the program was put together, Secretary [Steven] Mnuchin and his group predicted $100 billion over 10 years,” Housing and Urban Development Sec. Ben Carson first announced on Mornings with Maria. “The Council of Economic Advisers also predicts that that will lift one million people out of poverty.”

In addition to the funds it has brought in, Opportunity Zones have led to a 29% increase in economic investment from the second quarter of 2018 to the fourth quarter of 2019, according to Carson.

“It’s having a profound effect, as far as property values are concerned, they go up 1.1% just with the announcement of you being in an Opportunity Zone,” he said. “So these things are actually working extremely well.”

Opportunity Zones are meant to turn a low-income community into one with businesses, apartments, and parks, but the tax incentives that come with them accelerate gentrification. The process of improving an area to the point where the previous residents can no longer afford to live there.

Gentrification has affected large areas such as New York City where people in Brooklyn and Queens have had to relocate (in some cases outside the city). Gentrification also affects rural areas where homelessness is rapidly increasing and states lack the social services to deal with the issue.

There are more than 8,760 Qualified Opportunity Zones in the U.S., including in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories, according to the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

In order for an area to qualify as an Opportunity Zone, a community has to be nominated by a state and has to be certified by the Treasury secretary.

• News

by Derek Major

August 25, 2020

Wisconsin Governor Releases Statement On Jacob Blake Shooting As Riots Continue

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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers released a statement on the shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back seven times by Kenosha police officers Sunday.

Evers’ statement shows support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the end of police brutality. However, it may fall on deaf ears in a summer that has seen the uprising of an anti-police movement, that has yet to see benefits.

“Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha. Kathy and I join his family, friends and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries,” Evers said according to BET. “While we do not have all the details yet, what we know for certain is he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or in our country.”

https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1297721479711334401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1297721479711334401%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bet.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2F2020%2F08%2F24%2F-wisconsin-governor-tony-evers-statement-jacob-blake-shooting-kenosha.html

In a video that has gone viral, Blake was walking away from Kenosha, Wisconsin police officers and heading toward his vehicle while police trailed him with their guns drawn. As he attempts to get in his vehicle, police opened fire hitting Blake eight times.

Blake’s father, who goes by the same name, said his son has “eight holes” in his body and is paralyzed from the waist down, though doctors don’t know if the paralysis will be permanent. It’s also being reported the police who shot Blake were not wearing body cameras.

“We stand with all those who have and continue to demand justice, equality and accountability for Black lives in our country — lives like those of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Denise Hamilton, Earnest Lacy, and Sylville Smith,” Gov. Evers continued in his statement.  “And we stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.”

Gov. Evers ended his statement saying: “I have said all along that although we must offer our empathy, equally important is our action. In the coming days, we will demand just that of elected officials in our state who have failed to recognize the racism in our state and our country for far too long.”

The city of Kenosha has a Black population of less than 12%. Celebrities, athletes, and politicians have spoken out across social media about the incident.

In Milwaukee, which is about 40 minutes north of Kenosha, athletes on the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks spoke on the situation. Bucks point guard George Hill said the situation has made him rethink the NBA’s playoff games in Orlando.

“We can’t do anything [from Orlando],” Hill told Yahoo Monday. “First of all, we shouldn’t have even came to this damn place, to be honest. I think coming here just took all the focal points off what the issues are.”

Blake’s shooting has set off two days of protests and civil unrest in the town. Protesters have burned cars, the Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole building and businesses expressing their outrage.

Wisconsin joins Kentucky, Georgia, Seattle, and other cities as the home of a police shooting this summer which has led to social unrest and riots. Gov. Evers instituted a curfew and called in the National Guard to help keep the peace in the Wisconsin city, but it has not stopped residents from expressing their anger.

The incident is being turned over to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation.

• News

by Dana Givens

August 25, 2020

Vanity Fair Honors Breonna Taylor With New Cover By Black Artist Amy Sherald

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The death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, has become the latest polarizing account of police brutality toward Black Americans within this country with millions across the country using social media to make a call for justice and for the arrest of the police officers responsible. Now, Vanity Fair has announced they will be dedicating its September issue to the slain woman.

The new polarizing cover features Taylor painted by artist Amy Sherald, the same painter who found fame when she was selected to paint the portrait of Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery. In an article written by journalist and New York Times best-selling author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, titled “The Beautiful Life” about the social movement around this woman.

“People are getting real antsy, and he doesn’t want them to set the city on fire. They are tearing up the city, and he wants me to come and tell the people to stop,” wrote Coates in his piece. “But I don’t do it. Because I know the people don’t want to hear from me. They want to hear from him. They aren’t looking for me. They want to talk to him. That’s his fight, not mine.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Breonna Taylor is an “American girl, she is a sister, a daughter and a hard worker,” says Amy Sherald (@asherald), who, for over 20 years, has been putting the narratives of Black families and people to canvas. “Those are the kinds of people that I am drawn towards.” Sherald—who painted Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery in 2018—took extraordinary care in reimagining Breonna, drawing inspiration from things she learned about the 26 year old: that she had been a front-line worker in the fight against COVID-19; that her boyfriend had been about to propose marriage; that she was self-possessed, brave, loving, loved. Those heartbreaking details appear in the painting, from the gold cross on a chain necklace to the engagement ring she would never get to wear. “I made this portrait for her family,” Sherald says. “Producing this image keeps Breonna alive forever.” At the link in bio, Sherald explains the elements of the painting—the blue hue, her subject’s strong pose—that conjure the details and stories of Breonna’s full life. Photograph by Joseph Hyde. Interview by @milesapope.

A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Aug 24, 2020 at 4:16am PDT

Black leaders are defending President Donald Trump despite his history of racist rhetoric and action. Add a former Heisman Trophy winner to the list.

Retired NFL player Hershel Walker snared a speaker spot at the Republican National Convention (RNC) to shill for the Republicans and to clarify that President Donald Trump isn’t a racist, according to The New York Post.

“It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people call Donald,” Walker said in a televised speech Monday night. “I take that as a personal insult, that people would think I’ve had a 37-year friendship with a racist.”

He continued, “growing up in the Deep South, I’ve seen racism up close. I know what it is and it isn’t Donald Trump.”

Walker then went on to say that Trump cares about social justice in the Black community.

“Just because someone loves and respects the flag, our National Anthem, and our country, it doesn’t mean they don’t care about social justice,” he said. “He shows how much he cares about social justice in the black community through his actions. And his actions speak louder than stickers and slogans on a jersey.”

Walker then appeared on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle Monday night to paint a picture of who the president really is.

“I don’t think people really know Donald Trump,” Walker said. “I think they look at Donald Trump from a tweet or look at from what he says, and they’re not looking at what he does.”

“I was raised Democrat, and I didn’t know any better, and what’s strange is I’m not saying the Democrat Party is bad, I’m saying it doesn’t fit what I believe,” he said.

After a storied career at the University of Georgia, Walker started his football career playing for the New Jersey Generals of the defunct United States Football League (USFL). That franchise was owned by–you guessed it–Donald Trump. In fact, many USFL alumni blame Trump’s desire to compete with the NFL, topped off with an absurd lawsuit against the league, for the spring football league’s demise.

When the upstart league went belly-up, Walker planted in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys (1986–1989, 1996-1997)), the Minnesota Vikings (1989–1991), the Philadelphia Eagles (1992–1994), and the New York Giants (1995).

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has implemented President Donald Trump’s memorandum, extending student loan relief policies included in the CARES Act that were scheduled to expire next month.

DeVos implemented the measure Friday, but Trump signed the measure August 8. The measure pauses federal loan payments and temporarily sets the student loan interest rate to zero percent.

“All borrowers with federally held student loans will have their payments automatically suspended until 2021 without penalty,” DeVos said in a statement, according to CNBC. “In addition, the interest rate on all federally held student loans will be set to 0% through the end of the calendar year.”

According to the Department of Education, more than 42 million federal student borrowers collectively owe over $1.5 trillion in federal student debt.

The memorandum also extended protections for student borrowers with defaulted federal loans from having their wages garnished during this time. However, the Trump Administration is facing several class action lawsuits for continuing to take a portion of wages during the coronavirus pandemic.

Full-time workers who qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program will have the last three months of the year count toward the 120 payments they are required to make before their debt is forgiven.

Private loan borrowers will not receive total relief under the new rule because Trump’s student borrower relief policy is less expansive than what lawmakers on both sides wanted.

The issue of student loans is yet another topic in which partisan lines have been drawn, leaving Americans in the middle.

In May, the House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act, which would have paused federal student loan payments through September 2021 and would cancel up to $10,000 in student loan payments for some federal and private loan holders.

In July, Senate Republicans introduced the HEALS Act, which does not include significant relief for borrowers. Instead, the act eliminates many loan repayment options and allows only those with no income to defer payments.

The Trump Administration said the president got the authority for his memorandum through the Higher Education Act. However, legal experts say this could create a precedence for widespread loan forgiveness in the future.

• News

by Derek Major

August 25, 2020

Amazon Has Promoted A Former GM Executive To Bezos’ Inner Circle

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Amazon has added its first Black executive to Jeff Bezos’ inner circle after calls for the retail giant to add more diversity.

Alicia Boler Davis, who was serving as Amazon’s vice president of Global Customer Fulfillment, has become the fourth and only Black member to join Bezos’ senior team, known as the S-team.

Davis, who joined Amazon last year after serving as GM’s head of Global Manufacturing, is joining the S-team along with John Felton, vice president of Global Delivery Services, and Dave Treadwell, vice president of Amazon’s eCommerce Foundation.

Since before Amazon became a household name, Bezos has worked closely with a small team of executives in the company to shape and execute large ideas. The details and people on the S-team have been kept a secret, but many know the group is largely male and largely white.

Although more than 25% of Amazon domestic employees are Black, the level of diversity does not include the boardroom. Bezos has tried to show diversity in the organization, putting out a statement supporting Black Lives Matter and saying he was “happy to lose” customers over his support for the Black Lives Matter movement.