Philadelphia Entrepreneur Offers McDonald’s Workers Higher Paying Jobs If They Walk Out On the Spot
A Philadelphia entrepreneur visited a McDonald’s drive-thru and ordered an employee to go! The restaurant owner recorded the incident on her Instagram account.
Saudia Shuler, who is the owner of the popular restaurant Country Cookin’, stopped by a McDonald’s, ordered food, and when she approached the window, she asked the worker, “How much you make here an hour?” to which the young lady responds, “$8.25.”
Shuler then asks, “Would you like to make $12 an hour?
After the woman responds yes, Shuler tells her, “Walk out. Let’s go. Come get in the car with aunty.”
Known for throwing her son lavish parties, Shuler was sentenced to six months of house arrest and three years’ probation last year for Social Security fraud. The 45-year-old mother was also ordered to pay $36,785.67 in restitution, reports CBSN Philly.
More Than A Vote is raising $100,000 in direct contributions for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC)’s fines and fees fund. The fund provides financial assistance to former felons in Florida who must pay outstanding fees and fines that are associated with their felony convictions before they are eligible to vote. More Than A Vote has also partnered with Magnolia Pictures and Participant in hosting an ongoing online screening of John Lewis: Good Trouble. The new documentary chronicles the life of the late civil rights activist and the proceeds from the screening will going directly to the FRRC’s fines and fees fund. Athletes and artists from More Than A Vote (MTAV) will help promote the screening as well.
“We believe that your right to vote shouldn’t depend upon whether or not you can pay to exercise it, which is why More Than A Vote is proud to partner with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to ensure that formerly incarcerated American citizens—many of them Black and brown—are able to pay their outstanding fines and fees and register to vote in the 2020 election and beyond,” said Miami Heat Forward and More Than A Vote Member Udonis Haslem.
“This partnership will improve lives and strengthen our democracy,” said Desmond Meade, executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. “FRRC is thrilled to partner with More Than A Vote to help Florida’s returning citizens pay off their fines and fees, complete their sentence and move forward with their lives. We look forward to the positive impact it will have on our communities and the lives of those who are hoping to vote and have their voices heard.”
Urban Specialists To Host Discussion On Advancing Police Reforms in Minneapolis
Urban Specialists announced it will host a discussion on advancing police reforms.
According to a release, the Heal America Tour: A Course Correction Conversation on Race, Citizenship & Humanity, will take place on July 29 at the Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis. The discussion will be hosted by Urban Specialists CEO and Founder Bishop Omar Jahwar.
Urban Specialists, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence and reviving urban culture, will convene local and national thought leaders, influencers, politicians, business owners, activists, and others from diverse arenas to contribute and help advance solutions.
The event will be held in partnership with Stand Together.
“The Minneapolis community is in need of healing and solutions following the tragic death of George Floyd. All sides must rally together around a defined call to action that examines racial injustices across our society and elevates viable solutions to improve police interactions in communities and beyond,” Bishop Omar said in the release. “We must stand united and seek justice, equality and fruitful productivity from each one to another.”
Panelists for the discussion include Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Community Care CEO Ruben Moore, Larry Taylor, managing attorney of The Cochran Firm, and activists, police shooting survivors, and others.
Urban Specialists, which is headquartered in Dallas, launched the Heal America tour in 2019 to focus on turning grief and anger into positive action.
“The recent tragic killings in Minnesota and Georgia bring home the importance of the work needed to address the injustices holding people back,” Stand Together Vice President Evan Feinberg said. “Too many policies which disproportionately harm minority communities serve as unnecessary barriers. This event is about bringing a diverse group of people together to bridge divides and drive change on meaningful solutions to eliminate injustice by transforming policing policy.
“At the heart of this work is a commitment to equal rights and a belief in the inherent dignity of every person. Stand Together is proud to partner with Urban Specialists to elevate these solutions and drive change together,” Feinberg added.
Defense Lawyer Says Ahmaud Arbery Should Have Complied With ‘Lawful’ Citizens Arrest
In the pending criminal case against William Bryan Jr., one of the three men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, on Feb. 23, the attorney for Bryan is now saying that Arbery should have known that he was being placed under a citizen’s arrest. And, by knowing this, he should have just given up and complied when he was confronted by the two armed men, Gregory and Travis McMichael, as they tried to run him off the road and detain him, according to BET.
Bryan’s attorney made this argument in a court memo submitted by Byran’s attorneys to the Superior Court Of Glynn County. According to The Daily Beast, Arbery had been caught on video walking through a construction site and by him knowing he was on probation for shoplifting, he should have just surrendered when the three assailants, Bryan, Travis, and Gregory McMichael, tried to pin him between their trucks on a Georgia street back in February. When the McMichaels attacked him and Arbery refused to stop, McMichael ended up shooting Arbery three times causing his death.
“Arbery was not authorized to resist arrest when objectively speaking he knew that he was lawfully subject to arrest,” the memo stated, claiming that Travis had shot Arbery in self-defense because Arbery “suddenly turned and rushed” toward the McMichaels.
Prosecutors have alleged that Arbery was only fighting back after attempting, several times, to avoid being run down by a truck being driven by the McMichaels, who had no evidence Arbery had committed a crime. Prosecutors also stated that there was no way that the McMichaels had any knowledge of Arbery being on probation.
At the July 17 hearing, Bryan was denied bond after a judge ruled that he was a flight risk based on the severity of the charges against him.
William Bryan Jr. is being charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment charges and is also facing possible hate crime charges. He’s currently under investigation for newly surfaced sex crimes.
Coronavirus Pandemic Leaves 24 Million Americans Unable To Pay Rent In August
With the enhanced unemployment benefit and a federal eviction moratorium now expired, 24 million Americans say they will not be able to pay rent in August due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According toUSA Today, a U.S. Census Bureau survey shows 9.3 million American households have no chance to pay next month’s rent and another 14.3 million say they have a slight chance. When the survey was broken down by race, Black and Latino Americans are having the most trouble financially.
More than 20% (27.7%) of Black Americans who took the survey said could not pay their July rent. For August, that number jumps to 45.5%. For Latino Americans, the percentage of respondents who could not pay their July rent was 21.7%. However, for August that number jumps to 45.9%, the highest percentage by race.
As Republicans try to negotiate a new coronavirus relief package, experts warn the time to ward off an eviction and foreclosure crisis has almost run out.
“We’re about to fall off a massive cliff and see a major spike in evictions,” Alanna McCargo, vice president of housing finance policy at the Urban Institute told USA Today.
An eviction moratorium that covers renters living in buildings with federally backed mortgages expired Friday, and the additional $600 per week in coronavirus pandemic unemployment aid for most states ended Saturday. Now, unemployed Americans are losing what little help they were getting and can be pushed out of their homes.
These factors are the beginnings of what could be an unprecedented homelessness and health crisis.
“We’re really facing a situation that is not only a health crisis but becomes a major housing crisis when you start to see people losing their roofs in a pandemic that’s calling for you to stay at home as one of the prescriptions,” McCargo said.
The survey also logged the percentage of respondents who have experienced loss of employment income during the pandemic, another category led by Black and Latino Americans. Sixty-two percent of Latino Americans and 56.5% of Black Americans have seen a loss of income during the coronavirus pandemic. The percentage is also above 50% for Asian Americans (52.2%).
The disparities reflect an affordable housing crisis that has only grown since the great recession of 2008. Many families across the country that were spending between 30% and 50% of their income in rent in solid economic times are now being pushed to their last dollar.
“Our housing system reflects tremendous disparities in race. And people of color are most at risk for evictions,” Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition said. “These inequities are being compounded by COVID-19.”
On Saturday, the tributes began at his birthplace of Troy, Alabama, a hamlet outside of Montgomery where his civil rights activism took root when he tried to get a library card from the town’s then-segregated public library.
On Sunday, his body was carried across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where he was among those who led some 600 peaceful demonstrators in 1965 during the fight for voting rights and was brutally attacked by Alabama state troopers in what became Infamously known as “Bloody Sunday.”
On Monday and Tuesday, he will lie in state at the US Capitol where he became known as “The Conscience of Congress” over 17 terms, championing voting rights for the disenfranchised, holding a congressional sit-in to demand a vote on gun-safety legislation, and developing the bill that led to the creation of the Smithsonian African American Museum of History & Culture—among other actions.
His last journey will end in Atlanta where his funeral will take place on Thursday at Ebenezer Baptist Church, home of Martin Luther King, Jr., who served as his inspirational North Star.
As thousands gather to pay homage to this American hero, I will join those honoring him as the civil rights legend and tireless politician. But I will also fondly remember him as “Uncle John.”
I will embrace those summers of five decades ago in which my brothers and I cherished the time spent with him and his loving wife Lillian. As youngsters, we saw him as a soft-spoken, fun-loving man full of warmth, grace, and patience. He would often dispense words of wisdom. I would find out later that he shared with my father, Earl G. Graves, Sr., that our enormous appetites put a strain on their grocery budget.
Uncle John had known my father since his days as an administrative assistant for Robert F. Kennedy in the mid-1960s. The two grew closer when my father was assigned by Kennedy to help with the funeral arrangements for King when the civil rights leader was slain by an assassin’s bullet in 1968.
When my father launched BLACK ENTERPRISE in 1970, he selected Lewis to be a part of its original board of advisors to offer counsel and help create access. Years later I would ask my father why he chose Uncle John to join the group; he told me that “he wasn’t afraid…He is willing to walk in harm’s way” to advance the status of African Americans.
The late Hon. Congressman John Lewis receives the Earl G. Graves Sr. Vanguard Award at the inaugural BLACK ENTERPRISE Black Men XCEL Summit in 2017 (Black Enterprise)
It wasn’t until I was a young adult that I truly understood that Uncle John was such a powerful change agent in America. As such, he made great personal sacrifices, repeatedly being battered and arrested more than 40 times in his mission of nonviolent change.
The 23-year-old chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the organization that engaged students to participate in sit-ins and freedom rides, was the youngest architect and keynote speaker of the historic 1963 March on Washington. It was due to his efforts that generations of African Americans gained access to public institutions and accommodations as well as the right to exercise their franchise with the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act, respectively.
When I joined BLACK ENTERPRISE in 1988, he was engaged in his first term in Congress. My admiration grew as I continued to witness examples of his unwavering commitment to “get into good trouble” to ensure the rights of all.
When he announced in December that he would receive treatment for Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he met that challenge with grace, and, as expected, he remained just as vigilant in his fight for political empowerment. That was evident by his conviction and presence during the civil unrest that swept the globe after George Floyd’s death. It was as if he had come full circle, the young lion of the 1960s was offering guidance and inspiration to protesters of today’s police brutality and racial inequities.
Uncle John always retained his relevance and impact over the years. That’s the reason that we honored him with the first Earl G. Graves, Sr. Vanguard Award at the 2017 Black Men XCEL Summit. And as such, we will continue to encourage his brand of activism with the creation of the John Lewis Award for Social Change, which will be presented to an individual who best exemplifies his values and dedication.
Uncle John always said: “Never give up. Never give in. Never give out. Keep the faith, and keep your eyes on the prize. Together, we can redeem the soul of America.”
I believe the best tribute to Uncle John from all of us is to heed his words and continue the march for social justice, economic advancement, and political empowerment.
Are Brands Capitalizing on #BlackLivesMatter? Black Influencers Weigh In
Over the years, Black influencers have worked hard to lend their voices to social justice causes near and dear to their hearts, including advocating for racial equity, opportunity, and an end to systemic racism.
They have carved out unique spaces for themselves. They have built powerful platforms to speak on their experiences and issues affecting their communities, while simultaneously building their brands and flexing their entrepreneurial muscles.
Many have built their followings around these causes and have consistently shared their views and thoughts to spur change.
However, in the wake of the untimely and senseless murder of George Floyd, many were left feeling helpless, angered, and frustrated. But they remained resilient and continued to use their platforms to speak out about racial injustice.
This time their cries seemed to be heard, as many corporate brands also began to finally speak out against and denounce racism.
Are brands really committed to change?
But are these outpourings of social media posts and calls-to-action just acts of performative activism, or are corporate brands committed to bringing about long-awaited change?
Many in the Black influencer community are hopeful but cautious.
In a recent Instagram post, Gloria Atanmo, an online influencer and travel blogger with more than 200,000 followers, shared her experiences around the outpouring of brand partnerships and offers she has received since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Over the past month, I’ve been pitched by a couple of hundred brands, most of whom were quickly looking to diversify their portfolio, which I declined and offered others in my place.”
Atanmo has long been vocal about the need for racial equality and has continued to document and share her experiences and the unique challenges she faces as a Black travel influencer.
And although her audience has grown significantly over the last few months, she is still very wary and selective about the brands she chooses to work with.
“At the moment, I do my own negotiations, especially right now, when it’s clear some brands have never paid Black talent before.”
Performative activism or genuine support?
Black influencers worldwide have also shared skepticism over the genuineness of brands in the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and Blackout Tuesday. They have found themselves conflicted by the sudden growth of their audiences and the outpouring of offers from brands that have never looked their way before.
“You’ve been called out by your customers who want you to diversify your influencers. I get why you’re reaching out to Black creators like myself. But don’t waste our time,” shared family and lifestyle influencer Ayana Lage.
“We are not your token Black models so you can get head pats from your white audience. Creating content is a lot of work, and you’re reaching out to us after we’ve gained thousands of followers.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5kBochqK-/
Many attribute the outpouring of support as an act of tokenism or performative activism.
This includes posting black squares on Instagram, retweeting posts, leaving comments of solidarity and updating social media feeds to include more diverse faces, while not actively trying to bring about sustainable change when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
Antanmo describes it as “surface-level activism. Usually posting words and making empty promises that aren’t backed by the conviction to change.”
A bittersweet time for Black influencers
And while many Black influencers have benefited from the positive growth in their account following and more partnership opportunities, one influencer was left fuming after what seemed like performative activism.
Munroe Bergdorf, a Black model, accused L’Oreal Paris of hypocrisy after the brand posted a message on its social media accounts following the death of George Floyd that said, “speaking out is worth it.”
Bergdorf’s reaction seemed only natural after she was unceremoniously dropped from the brand partnership in 2017 for using her platform to call out racism. Fast-forward three years later, in the wake of the renewed Black Lives Matter movement, that same brand shared the same sentiments that got Bergdorf fired.
The need for brand accountability
Situations like this make it hard for the Black community to decipher genuine acts of support from brands from superficial calls-to-action centered around public pressure and a broader marketing and publicity message.
These individual experiences also speak to the many social issues and challenges that still lay ahead for Black influencers. There is a need for greater transparency, genuineness, and well thought out approaches to inclusion and diversity on the part of brands.
New Harris Poll data reveals 56% of Americans say it’s essential that companies make a positive difference in racial equality issues. But only 21% of those surveyed feel companies have made a very positive impact.
This reveals a large disparity between the desire for corporate impact and the perception of impact from companies.
Thankfully, L’oreal and Bergdorf have since set aside their differences. She has been rehired by the international cosmetics company and given a seat on the diversity and inclusion board to oversee company policies.
But as the Black community continues the battle to end systemic racism and racial inequality, Black influencers are keeping an open but cautious eye on corporate brands to guard against tokenism and performative allyship, and we should too.
Tiffany Trotter is the founder of BraveSelfStarter, a community dedicated to helping newcomers to the U.S. navigate careers and personal finance. She is also a children’s book author committed to spreading gender positive messages of bravery and confidence.
Majority Of NFL 1st-Round Picks Have Black Agents For The 1st Time
History was made at this year’s NFL draft, but it wasn’t because of the athletes. For the first time ever, more than half the players selected in the first round were represented by Black agents, The Washington Post reported.
Of the 32 players drafted in April, 17 were represented by Black agents. The phenomenal moment was first noted by NFL agent Nicole Lynn, who made her own stamp on history last year as the first Black woman to represent a top-five pick, New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
She and 10 of her colleagues – including David Mulugheta, Damarius Bilbo, Tory Dandy, Jovan Barnes and others – are all taking part in helping change the face of respected NFL agents.
Mostly 40 and under, they credit the late Eugene Parker – whom they acknowledge as the “godfather” of Black agents – with paving the way for them.
“Eugene set the tone for all black agents,” Lynn told the Post.
“It’s about representation,” echoed Mulugheta, who had four clients det drafted this year. “… Seeing him told a lot of people that you don’t need to be an athlete to stay involved in sports. Growing up, I never saw a black agent, so that wasn’t something I saw as possible, but once I was leaving college, that’s when I found out about Eugene Parker.”
Despite this historic accomplishment, Black agents still face hurdles getting white clients.
“From my research, out of all the top black agents — David, Tory, myself, Chafie [Fields], Bilbo — not any of us have a single white player. I’m not talking about having a few white players. I’m saying not one. And between all of us, we’re talking about more than 150 players,” Lynn said.
It is an obstacle they all hope to overcome – wanting to be judged by their skillset, not race.
“Yes, I can relate to your son on multiple levels, but I don’t go in saying, ‘Pick me because I’m black,’ ” Dandy said. “Choose me because I’m the best to do the job. I’m well educated, well prepared, and I’ve been doing this long enough, so choose me because of my track record and body of work.”
Barnes in essence took up the family business as his father was Parker’s former partner. He said if the draft had taken place in person as it typically does, the melanin in the room among agents would have been more noticeable.
“Everybody would’ve seen it because it would’ve been nothing but us in there,” Barnes said.
This article was originally by written by Isheka N. Harrison for The Moguldom Nation.
#FoundersOutFront Spotlights How Black and Latinx Female Founders Are Innovating During the Pandemic
digitalundivided, a social startup dedicated to the empowerment of women of color entrepreneurs, has launched a photo series called #FoundersOutFront, highlighting how Black & Latinx female founders are adapting to meet the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic—even while working from home.
“Given how bleak the news cycle has been surrounding COVID and communities of color, we wanted to demonstrate hope and encourage our community to keep going,” Christina Brown, director of communications at digitalundivided, told Black Enterprise in an email.
“With the global pandemic leaving many in a state of doubt and uncertainty, we saw an opportunity to provide a source of hope and inspiration to a community of founders that is often overlooked.”
The women entrepreneurs include SaVonne Anderson, founder and creative director of sustainable stationery company Aya Paper Co.; Amanda Johnson, cofounder of Mented Cosmetics; Cyndi Ramirez, founder and CEO of new-age spa Chillhouse; Karen Rios, cofounder and CEO of universal banking platform Lifesaver; and Kelechi Anyadiegwu, founder and CEO of venture studio UjuuMedia.
Like many entrepreneurs, these women founders faced disruptions to their supply chain and the cancellation of live events and festivals.
“The majority of my sales were definitely from in-person events. I launched the business at an event actually,” Anderson told digitalundivided. “Even though I had an online store, most of my business wasn’t coming from online … it forced me to really pivot.”
The founders share the lessons of how they’ve adapted to the current environment, whether it’s been utilizing increased video content and live social media, employing better tech tools for e-commerce, or leveraging influencers or email marketing.
“The ‘Founders Out Front’ campaign was our way of shifting the narrative and showcasing the ever-present strength, tenacity, and ingenuity Black and Latinx women founders are exemplifying during this time,” Brown said.
“Through the lens of these five dynamic women, we hope to amplify the conversation around inclusivity, and ultimately make evident that Black & Latinx female founders are a vital piece of the ecosystem, worthy of investment.”
Sen. Ron Johnson Blocked Bill Making Juneteenth National Holiday
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson blocked a bipartisan effort to make Juneteenth a federal holiday saying it would cost too much.
According to The Huffington Post, the Republican senator, who takes hardline stances on federal spending, said while he supported honoring the day that has come to mark slavery’s end in the U.S., he added doing so with a new holiday would “give federal workers a paid day off that the rest of America has to pay for.”
Johnson estimated the holiday would cost the private sector up to $600 million per year. Senate Democrats, joined by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, proposed making the day a federal holiday in June. The idea came amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and a focus on social justice.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared it a holiday for state workers and said he would push for legislation making it a holiday throughout the state as of next year. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also declared it an official holiday in the nation’s largest city, starting next year.
Johnson did propose a compromise, asking the Senate to adopt his amendment to the holiday bill sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) bill that would subtract a day of paid leave from federal workers to compensate for the Juneteenth off-day.
However, Markey objected to the idea.
“We shouldn’t be penalizing our workers by taking away benefits, especially not in the current environment, and especially not as the price to pay for recognizing a long-overdue federal holiday,” Markey said.
The last federal holiday added was Martin Luther King Day, which was added in 1983. However, only federal workers benefit from all of them, as private employers are not required to abide by each one. In 2018, only 24% of private-sector workers got MLK Day off.
Johnson said in early July the U.S. overreacted to the coronavirus pandemic.
“[I]n hindsight, I think we overreacted,” Johnson told NBC. “We closed too much of our economy down, and I don’t think we focused enough on what we needed to do: isolate the sick, quarantine them, protect the vulnerable.”
