• News

by Selena Hill

August 8, 2020

Janelle Monae, Cassie, Meagan Good, Virgil Abloh and More Demand Justice for Elijah McClain in New PSA

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Leaders from across the sports and entertainment world are rallying for justice for Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old unarmed black man who suffered from a fatal heart attack following a violent police interaction in Colorado last year.

A number of celebrities have joined the Justice for Elijah McClain campaign to demand that the police officers involved in his arrest are held accountable. The campaign released a new PSA featuring Janelle Monae’, Virgil Abloh, Tess Holiday, Busy Phillips, Ben Platt, Cassie, Meagan Good, Demi Moore, and Kate Bosworth. In the video, they call for Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and other state officials to fire and charge the officers involved with McClain’s death. They also recalled a step-by-step account the incident that led to McClain’s tragic death.

McClain, a violinist and self-proclaimed introvert, was confronted by police while walking home on August 23, 2019. At the time he was wearing a ski mask because of his anemia and was reported as a “suspicious man.” Officers eventually placed him in a chokehold and body camera footage shows him being wrestled to the ground and repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe, as he was being restrained. Aurora paramedics were called to the scene and injected McClain with ketamine while he was already unconscious. He then went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and declared brain dead three days later.

 

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A post shared by Justice for Elijah McClain (@justiceforelijahmcclain) on Aug 1, 2020 at 7:25pm PDT

A peaceful violin vigil for McClain in June was broken up by riot police who shot pepper spray at the crowd. The vigil “was a peaceful protest, with people carrying violins and cellos, playing in honor of Elijah McClain,” Joy Adams, a cellist who came from Boulder to participate, told Violinist.com. “There were children in the crowd, musicians playing, people holding candles and roses and sitting on the ground…We were playing Pachelbel’s Canon, and the police went nuts—beating people with batons and spraying tear gas in their faces.”

• News

by Selena Hill

August 8, 2020

Colin Kaepernick Donates 4,500 Impossible Patties to Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

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The global COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an economic downfall and led to record-breaking unemployment rates. To help aid families struggling to get by, Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp teamed up with ABC7 Los Angeles to help underrepresented communities in Los Angeles fight hunger. On Friday, the former NFL player announced that his organization donated 4,500 frozen Impossible patties, plant-based meat, to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

Over 100 cases of the alternative meat patties were delivered to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which will distribute the patties to three other food banks throughout Southern California. The majority of donated food is allocated to those in low-income areas, while approximately one-quarter of the food will be donated to children. The donation is part of the Know Your Rights Camp partnership with Impossible Foods, which launched last month with the goal of feeding 1 million people.

“Since our announcement of teaming up with Impossible Foods earlier this month, we continue to work toward our goal of helping to feed 1 million people together,” said Patricia Robinson, the Know Your Rights Camp Community Outreach director and executive radio veteran, in a statement. “We are excited for this most recent collaboration with ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles. Know Your Rights Camp is happy to help provide relief and continue the fight against food insecurity to our most vulnerable communities in Southern California,” she added.

In response to the coronavirus crisis, “the Southern California regional food banks have increased food distribution by more than 70%, reaching over 200,000 people every week,” reads a news release.

“We have a history of supporting the local food banks, this is part of our mission in the communities we serve,” said Cheryl Fair, president and general manager of KABC-TV Los Angeles. “This year, the need is significantly greater; we are seeing more people experiencing food insecurity due to the pandemic. That is why we are grateful to Colin Kaepernick and the Know Your Rights Camp, who share the same goal to reduce food insecurities and stepped up with a donation of carefully selected food that is a healthy alternative for communities who simply do not have access.”

Kaepernick co-founded Know Your Rights Camp in 2016 in order to empower communities of color through education, mobilization, and leadership training.

Artist, producer, actress, and New York Times best-selling author Alicia Keys is adding another credit to her already illustrious career.

The entertainer, who has become known over the past few years for her no-makeup looks and glowing skin, is developing a lifestyle beauty brand with e.l.f. Cosmetics, a 15-year-old makeup company known for its affordable prices.

True to Keys’ personal brand, the new line will be about more than superficial notions of beauty. Instead, it “aims to bring new meaning to beauty by honoring ritual in our daily life and practicing intention in every action” and will allow Keys to “further explore conversations about inner beauty, wellness, and connection.”

Ya’ll have been asking about my skin care routine…👀💜🧖🏾‍♀️✨ https://t.co/LqA0sSJbBw

— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) August 6, 2020

“Alicia inspires millions of people everyday. And now, more than ever, the world is craving a vision that is more than skin deep,” said Kory Marchisotto, e.l.f. Beauty’s chief marketing officer and the president of the new lifestyle beauty brand with Alicia Keys, in a press release.

“Alicia is not just an icon, she is an inspiration. Her perspective on beauty is soulful and timeless. Together we are painting the highest vision to blaze a new trail in beauty.”

e.l.f. describes the new line as “born of Alicia’s personal skincare journey and her passion for bringing light into the world” and promises that it will offer “an inclusive point of view, an authentic voice, and skin-loving, dermatologist-developed, cruelty-free products.”

The new brand doesn’t yet have a name, and the products that will be available haven’t been announced, but it’s expected to launch next year. It will be available online and through retail partnerships in select markets.

“This is not another ‘celebrity beauty line,'” Melinda Fried, e.l.f’s head of corporate communications, told CNN. “She has openly and honestly shared her skin struggles, her frustration with society’s unrealistic beauty ideals, and her own journey to finding clarity, strength, and a deeper knowledge of her real self. Now, through this new endeavor, she aims to help others find that same place of peace and power within themselves.”

The Black Women’s Roundtable is investing in women entrepreneurs with the launch of its Take It to The TOP Entrepreneurship Challenge.

The three-month program will provide resources—and cash prizes—to promote social innovation and develop business leadership skills for black women and girls across the Midwest and Southeast.

“During [this] shift in our nation when it comes to addressing issues of racial disparities in this country, one of those things that impacts us is economic justice and economic opportunity,” said Melanie Campbell, president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable, at a virtual launch event on July 29th.

“For those of you out here who have ideas, who have been thinking about starting your own business, this is something we wanted to do as an organization to be part of the solution.”

Presented in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and Verizon, Take It To The TOP is a “Shark Tank-style” challenge for women entrepreneurs in the pre-venture stage, aspiring entrepreneurs with just an idea, college students at HBCUs and community colleges, and girls age 16–17.

Challenge winners will receive prizes ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 at the state level and can advance to qualify for a chance to win up to $25,000 as the national grand prize winner, who will be recognized by the NCBCP and BWR during National Entrepreneurship Month in November 2020 and covered by Black Enterprise as the Challenge’s media partner.

Participants will also receive:

• Online business planning resources
• Technical assistance
• Mentorship opportunities with successful women entrepreneur networks
• Investment opportunities
• Life coaching opportunities
• Marketing and communications training to promote their business

To be eligible, you must be a woman or girl resident of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or Washington, D.C.

“We all know that women face significant barriers to realize their economic empowerment,” said Alba C. Baylin, Coca-Cola’s Vice President of Community and Stakeholder Relationships.

“We’ve also seen many studies show that the economic empowerment of women has a positive multiplier effect on the nutrition, health, and education of families. And when women are included as part of the conversation, we know that the economy propels growth and prosperity,” Baylin continued

“We absolutely need to be thinking about how do we make sure that black women entrepreneurs come out on the other side of this crisis and that they come out whole and well-equipped to succeed,” added Donna Epps, Verizon’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Strategic Alliances. “And more importantly what do we all need to do to work collectively to support them.”

“It’s really time that we get serious to take action to ensure that black businesses have the critical information and resources they need to sustain themselves.”

• Health and Wellness

by Dana Givens

August 8, 2020

This Black Therapist Discusses The Importance Of Mental Health Services Amid COVID-19

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Mental health has become a growing problem amongst Americans over the last several years with more people reporting stress and anxiety-related issues. Within the Black community, mental health issues can often be stigmatized, preventing those in need of getting proper care to resolve the problem, causing the issue to worsen.

One black man wants to create a safe space for Black and other marginalized groups to seek out the help they need.

Jor-El Caraballo is the co-founder of Viva Wellness with Rachel Gersten. Both come from a background of working in the mental health field.

“My friend Rachel and I both shared the same vision for opening an inclusive wellness practice that treated people holistically. Mental health tends to be very focused on the medical model, focusing on pathology and diagnosis,” says Caraballo in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“We like to say that we ‘treat the whole person’ and don’t just focus on symptoms but more so how people experience and walk in the world and how they live with that.”

Viva Wellness first opened its doors in 2018 with the goal of offering affordable services and helpful resources for those dealing with mental-health related issues. Since the rise of the novel coronavirus in the U.S.—and the accompanying wave of social unrest—Caraballo has seen more clients come in with stress that is amplified by the nation’s current social climate.

“I find that I’m spending a lot of time talking with clients about the importance of self-preservation and how to cope with the state of the world right now,” explains Caraballo.

“It’s not that the focus is new, per se, but it’s particularly timely now to embrace self-care and self-preservation especially when the typical ways of coping, or sometimes distracting ourselves, aren’t as available—going out with friends, eating out, concerts, etc.”

“With so much happening in the world, from COVID-19 to the threats and killings of unarmed Black people, it’s more important than ever for us to have the tools to cope with our current circumstances,” he adds.

“I’ve spent a lot of time talking with clients about different ways to manage all the feelings that are coming up more visibly, like anger, anxiety, sadness, etc. Clients are coming into the room carrying the weight of the world’s racism on their shoulders and it’s my duty to validate and normalize those feelings, help them figure out their place in the resistance, and provide concrete skills to manage all the layered feelings in the meantime.”

Carabello says in a time when more are seeking out services to cope with the present, it is important for Black therapists to be represented so others can be encouraged to enter the field. “As a practicing therapist, I see a good number of Black clients in my practice and serving people who look like me has been a large part of my motivation to become a therapist,” he says.

“Especially as many Black folks are coping with not only repeated exposure to race-based violence, but also the sudden questions from White folks understanding what we deal with on a daily basis. These are increased burdens—it’s a lot to unpack, and therapy is a great place to get that much-needed mental health support.”

Almost 20 police unions have filed a lawsuit against the City of New York Thursday, claiming elected officials have overstepped their boundaries with the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act.

According to the Daily News, the New York Police Department’s patrol guide has prohibited the use of chokeholds since 1993. However, it hasn’t stopped police officers from using chokeholds. The Eric Garner Act declares the move as a Class A misdemeanor punishable by fines and up to a year in prison.

The Police Benevolent Association is one of 18 unions named in the suit, which challenges the enactment and enforcement of the new law. The Sergeants Benevolent Association, the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Benevolent Association are also named in the suit.

In June, amid the nationwide defund the police protests and actions to cut police budgets, PBA president Patrick Lynch called out New York officials for the law.

The law “fails to give officers notice of the precise sort of conduct not permitted when effecting an arrest,” Lynch said. “An ordinary police officer will be unable to discern whether many ordinary activities taken in the course of the apprehension and arrest of a suspect violate the statute.”

The New York City council voted to cut $1 billion from the NYPD’s budget and commit the funds to social services and programs including adding internet to public housing.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted the bill does not violate officers’ rights under state law and that it will stand past this lawsuit. De Blasio also dismissed claims that state police and other law enforcement agencies would stop enforcing the law over fears of running afoul of the new act.

The bill was part of a slate of police reform bills passed earlier this summer and was signed into law last month. The bill was named after Eric Garner, who was killed in 2015 when NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo held him in a chokehold.

The bill was twice amended in June to establish “sitting, kneeling, or standing on the chest or back” while arresting someone as a misdemeanor.

Garner’s death, like George Floyd‘s, led to police protests and demonstrations against the police in New York City. Pantaleo was never charged for Garner’s death but was fired last year by NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill.

• COVID-19

by Dana Givens

August 8, 2020

Biden Supports Free Coronavirus Tests And Vaccines For Undocumented Immigrants

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Since the start of the COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus pandemic, the country has taken a severe economic hit due to the job loss created as a result of the viral outbreak. Because of mass unemployment, many Americans are now scared for what this means for their health insurance coverage. A few weeks ago, presidential candidate Joe Biden released his $775 billion plan for caregivers and essential workers impacted by the spread of COVID-19. At a recent virtual event, the former vice president explained that he supports more free services including tests and potential vaccines for marginalized groups like undocumented immigrants.

“Every person in the country, whether they’re documented or undocumented, should have access to a vaccine, if and when it occurs, should have access to testing and treatment and hospitalization if it relates to the virus,” he said in his speech at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Joint Virtual Convention. “And that should occur, period. It’s in the interest of everyone that everyone be taken care of, and everyone should be able to be eligible for that.”

Biden went on to expand that he believes that the free services should not be limited to COVID-19, but permanently to help immigrants transition including expanding protections under the Affordable Care Act so they have the option of buying private insurance if needed. “If they are working in the United States of America and they are paying taxes, they should have access to health care,” he explained. “They should have access to what everybody else has access to.”

As far as immigration, The Hill reports that Biden’s campaign has promised that “there will not be another foot of [any] wall constructed in my administration” and that he will not confiscate private land to build the barrier.

Meet Isiah Fowler, the 28-year old entrepreneur who believes that everything you do in life starts with a vision. He is the founder & CEO of SWAV Eyewear, which is the world’s first inspirational eyewear company that is on a mission to change the world through eyewear.

Isiah always had a vision to change the world and his journey started when he decided to leave Sacramento, CA to explore the world by serving the country and joining the United States Air Force. In 2011, a year after joining, he was on his deathbed after learning he had malaria. This eye opening experience showed him he needed to become a successful full time entrepreneur and make a huge contribution to this world.

In 2014, he honorably separated so that he can freely chase his dreams. He’s successfully invested in real estate, had one of the most popular podcasts (Starts With A Vision Podcast), and then decided to turn that podcast into a product-based business and that is how SWAV Eyewear was born.

After officially launching in Jan 2019, Isiah realized he needed the best quality product possible so he found a European manufacturer and flew to Greece to meet them in person and design their next two new collections.

SWAV Eyewear is the world’s first inspirational eyewear company that sells the highest quality sunglasses from eco friendly cellulose acetate and handcrafted in Greece. Each pair has an inspirational quote on the inside of the temples to inspire you to never give up on your vision, and for every pair of frames they sell they take $5 and put it into their visionary investment Fund. Every quarter they take that amount and invest it into someone who has a vision, because everything in life starts with a vision right?

SWAV Eyewear is meant to motivate, inspire and empower goal oriented, passionate, and driven visionaries to achieve absolute greatness.

You can back the crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter at www.swavkickstarter.com

Mental health advocate, licensed therapist and startup founder, Aiyana Ma’at has created a new online counseling platform called Perspective that prioritizes the mental health needs of the Black community. It is the first online platform whose mission is to prioritize the African American community by providing 100% online professional counseling — anytime, anywhere. It is like “having a therapist in your pocket.”

The black community will now have the opportunity to connect to culturally competent licensed therapists at the tip of their fingertips. Research shows that African American adults were already more likely to experience 20% more serious psychological distress than white adults prior to the challenging times we’re currently living in. Anxiety and depression symptoms have more than tripled since the coronavirus pandemic has emerged, with African Americans carrying the heaviest burden. With the current racial climate and protests across the country, African Americans are now experiencing record levels of secondary trauma and mental health challenges. “Black people want to open up, need to talk, and they need emotional support just like all people do,” said Aiyana. “However, the Black community does not always have a comfortable and safe space to talk about and share their stresses, life experiences and challenges. Culturally competent counseling with someone who understands or even shares a similar journey or worldview can make all the difference in the counseling experience.”

The platform, which launches Summer 2020, is not only convenient but also accessible and affordable. Perspective provides unlimited counseling via secure messaging, live chat, video or audio at a significantly reduced cost as compared to traditional in-person therapy. The service is accessible from any smart device (laptop, tablet or smartphone) and provides the opportunity for therapists and clients to communicate multiple times a day every day. A lack of culturally competent counselors as well as conscious and unconscious provider bias has prevented the African American community from receiving the mental health support they desire and need. Perspective is addressing these issues and meeting the unmet needs of African Americans and people of color through the development of a unique assessment that takes clients unique traits, values and experiences into account when matching them with a therapist. Perspective therapists assist clients with a variety of issues such as anxiety, depression, race-based trauma, relationships, stress, grief, self-esteem, parenting & much more. Perspective believes that the African American community has a right to get support knowing that they will truly be seen and heard.

Learn more at TryPerspective.com

This article was originally written by BlackNews.com.

Entertainment powerhouse Roc Nation has announced this week that it will be collaborating with Long Island University to open the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment based in Brooklyn, New York. The newly formed school will specialize in undergraduate degree programs in music technology, entrepreneurship, sports management, and more. The school also promises to help students graduate debt-free and will provide scholarships reserved for 25% of the enrolled students.

The school will also be offering exclusive lectures and workshops for students to learn more about how to navigate the industry. For Spring 2021, the school plans to launch a summer residential camp aimed at high schoolers and Saturday programs for younger kids.

“Our proximity in and around New York City’s epicenter of music and sports clearly positions us to offer unparalleled experiential learning and access to professional opportunities that will launch students to success,” said LIU President Dr. Kimberly Cline in a press statement, according to Hip Hop N’ More. “We look forward to joining with Roc Nation to offer an unprecedented educational resource that opens up the entertainment and sports world to a new and eager generation.”

“Pursuing higher education is an investment in one’s future. This partnership, envisioned alongside LIU President Dr. Cline, is a true investment in our community and young people in Brooklyn, in New York City and beyond,” said Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation in a press statement, according to Hip Hop N’ More.

“We’re excited that the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment will provide unique insight, knowledge and experiences for students and introduce the world to the next generation of unmatched talent.”

Applications are now open for Fall 2021

 

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In a Historic Collaboration, Roc Nation and Long Island University Establish Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment to Educate the Next Generation of Industry Changemakers from LIU Brooklyn. Hit the link in bio for more.

A post shared by Roc Nation (@rocnation) on Aug 4, 2020 at 7:03am PDT