Black Man Pleads For His Life As White Cop Keeps His Knee on His Neck Minutes Before He Died in Minneapolis (Video)
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 26, 2020

Black Man Pleads For His Life As White Cop Keeps His Knee on His Neck Minutes Before He Died in Minneapolis (Video)

In an eerily similar situation that led to the death of Eric Garner in New York City, a black man in Minneapolis identified as George Floyd died after telling a white police officer that he couldn’t breathe as the officer’s knee was on his neck, according to CBS News.

The Minneapolis Police Department released the following statement:

“On Monday evening, shortly after 8:00 pm, officers from the Minneapolis Police Department responded to the 3700 block of Chicago Avenue South on a report of a forgery in progress. Officers were advised that the suspect was sitting on top of a blue car and appeared to be under the influence.

“Two officers arrived and located the suspect, a male believed to be in his 40s, in his car. He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later.

“At no time were weapons of any type used by anyone involved in this incident.

“The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been called in to investigate this incident at the request of the Minneapolis Police Department.

“No officers were injured in the incident.

“Body worn cameras were on and activated during this incident.”

What’s not mention is that one of the officers placed his knee on the neck of the victim that appears to have led to his death. According to CBSN Minnesota, a video was posted on social media showing a police officer kneeing a man’s neck to the ground for several minutes. The victim says before dying, “Please, please I can’t breathe.” The video of the encounter is posted on Darnella Frazier’s Facebook page. (Warning: Video is graphic.)

In response, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey delivered an emotional speech apologizing to the community for the incident, which he called “wrong at every level” during a press conference Tuesday morning.

“He should not have died,” he said. “Being black in America should not be a death sentence.”

Frey, who appeared at a media briefing with Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo, continued:  “For five minutes we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man. For five minutes,” he said. “When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th this last night was simply awful.”

Department spokesman John Elder says agents from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI have been called in to investigate this incident at the request of Minneapolis Police. Mayor Frey says regardless of the outcome, one thing is clear to him. “Whatever the investigation reveals, it does not change the simple truth… that he (the man who died) should be with us this morning.”

Watch Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s response to the incident below.

Cleveland To Pay $18M To Trio Who Spent Decades In Prison For 1975 Wrongful Murder Convictions
by Moguldom

May 26, 2020

Cleveland To Pay $18M To Trio Who Spent Decades In Prison For 1975 Wrongful Murder Convictions

Three African-American men who spent decades in prison in Cleveland for crimes they didn’t commit will be paid a combined $18 million from the city for wrongful murder convictions in 1975.

It took 12-hours of mediation for Cleveland to reach the settlement with the three wrongfully accused — Rickey Jackson, Wiley Bridgeman and his brother Kwame Ajamu. Under the settlement, the payments will be split up through April 2023. The lawsuits filed by all three men will be dropped.

Friedman and Gilbert, the law firm representing two of the men, said the settlement is the largest awarded over police misconduct in Ohio, WKYC reported.

The exonerated men, who are now in their 60s, were convicted of murder in 1975 for shooting money-order collector Harold Franks. Even while behind bars, the men maintained their innocence and were finally cleared in 2014.

By that time, Jackson had served 39 years in prison and it is believed he served the longest amount of time behind bars by anyone wrongfully convicted of a crime, Cleveland.com reported.

“Money cannot buy freedom and money certainly does not make innocence,” Ajamu said.

Under the settlement deal, Jackson will get 40 percent ($7.2 million) and Bridgeman and Ajamu will split the rest, Jackson’s lawyer Elizabeth Wang said.

“What is 39 years of your life worth?” Wang said. “Nobody can put a number on that. No amount of money that can compensate them for what they went through.”

In August 1975 a jury found Jackson, Bridgeman, and Ajamu (then known as Ronnie Bridgeman), guilty of murdering Franks. They were also convicted of trying to kill store owner Anna Robinson. The men were sentenced to death but the sentences were reduced to life in 1978 when the state enacted a short-lived moratorium on the death penalty, Cleveland.com reported.

At the time of the conviction, the three were just 17, 20, and 18 years old.

Nearly 40 years later, the eyewitness, who was 12 years old at the time, recanted his testimony and judges overturned the men’s criminal convictions. The eyewitness, Edward Vernon, said in 2014 that city detectives pressured him to lie on the witness stand. He said the police threatened to jail his parents and that police manipulated him, Cleveland.com reported.

The Ohio Innocence Project, which has obtained Vernon’s recantation, took on the trio’s case. Bridgeman, 65, and Jackson, 63, were released in 2014. Ajamu, 62, was paroled in 2003.

Besides the settlement, the trio’s story was chronicled in a book written by Kyle Swenson, now a reporter for The Washington Post, who covered the case for the alternative weekly Cleveland Scene.

The men were set to take their lawsuits to trial in July. They sued the city of Cleveland and the detectives who investigated the case, AP reported. The federal lawsuit suit, filed July 2, 2015, named three Cleveland police detectives and a sergeant and the estates of a sergeant and three other detectives who have since died.

Ajamu told WKYC he hopes their case will cause improvements in the justice system. “We accept and hope that there’s a challenge in this organization now that you will go forward with the right agility towards equality and justice,” Ajamu said.

“This lawsuit and settlement expose the egregious misconduct by police who worked up the case, fabricated false evidence, withheld evidence of innocence, and then coerced Vernon into lying on the stand at trial,” the law firm of Friedman and Gilbert said in a statement. “The settlement also marks the City of Cleveland’s failure to monitor and train rank and file police in the 1970s, reflected in the department’s widespread culture of racist policing and misconduct with impunity.”

This article was written by Ann Brown for The Moguldom Nation.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 26, 2020

Having An Autoimmune Disease Hasn’t Stopped Natasha Burton From Owning Several Businesses

Obstacles are placed in front of us to see if we are able to overcome them and to challenge us to meet the task. In the case of businesswoman Natasha Burton, her obstacle is having an autoimmune disease. But, that hasn’t stop her from being able to have multiple successful businesses to operate.

Black Enterprise was able to speak to her on how she is able to run her businesses while battling her disease.

You co-founded several types of businesses. 

Yes I am a co-owner in three different types of businesses, Exquisite Hair Factory, IV Therapy, and my newest baby Bio Health Control!

How are you able to give each company the attention it needs?

Balance is the key for me. I wake up early and go to sleep late. With Exquisite Factory we co-own a factory in China so we are always up 2, 3, 4 in the morning chatting about business with our Chinese partner. For IV Therapy, I believe in this type of hydration treatment so much! It has been a life-changer for me so for me to have the opportunity to help others see the benefit makes it fun and worth the time. When it comes to Bio-Health Control, this is my new baby! Myself and my partner started supplying masks, gowns, and ventilators to various government and hospital entities. This has been extremely rewarding because there’s been no better feeling than to help save lives during this pandemic.  

You have a penchant for starting successful businesses, how are you able to do so?

Often times I’m running around like a chicken with her head cut off. But the truth is I love it! The good, the bad, and the ugly, I love it! I never take for granted that God chose me for these opportunities. 

You’ve been able to start businesses while you battle with an autoimmune disease. How are you able to fight that battle?

One of the main practices I credit to helping me along this journey has been IV Hydration. I get a custom blend to fight off inflammation and free radicals. I get the Hydration IV every two weeks; if I don’t, my body literally will be become inflamed and I have to worry about flare-ups. 

What drives your entrepreneurial spirit?

My entrepreneurial spirit is driven by the fact that God has given me these opportunities even with an autoimmune disease. So I feel obligated to show up and show out. I owe it to myself to win. I am driven by thinking of ways to improve a procedure or practice; I get excited about the idea of making something better. A lot of people with my same condition are in a wheelchair and completely dependent on a caretaker. I don’t take my opportunities for granted. 

What are the most important qualities that one needs to become a successful business owner?

I think the most important quality when becoming a business owner is to have patience. Adapt well with various personalities. Keep your eyes on the prize as much as possible and never be afraid to pivot into something else. 

What advice would you tell someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

The advice I would give to someone who wants to be a successful entrepreneur is to give up all the things you feel you can’t live without. Money, time, sleep, relationships, alcohol, partying, and once you’ve made that sacrifice get you a vision board (dry erase preferred), write out your business idea. Then take a dry eraser marker and write the name of your business in your bathroom mirror, bedroom window, and anywhere else you can do so. Why? So that you are eating, sleeping, and breathing your new baby. I also think having a business mentor is a great step as well.

This Black Travel Entrepreneur Describes Living In Quarantine In West Africa
by Dana Givens

May 26, 2020

This Black Travel Entrepreneur Describes Living In Quarantine In West Africa

Since the spread of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, pandemic, numerous countries and cities have gone into quarantine in an attempt to “flatten the curve” and stop the spread of the virus. However, due to varying restrictions, quarantine can vary depending on the location. Some places have been experiencing product shortages and long lines to get into grocery stores while others have taken a more relaxed approach.

For one travel entrepreneur, going back to the States wasn’t a viable option and instead elected to stay in Ghana where quarantine life looks a lot different than in the United States. Meet Rashad McCrorey, a travel influencer and owner of a multi-national African tourism company, Africa Cross Culture, specializing in treks in Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda.

The Harlem native was in Ghana hosting travelers for a tour there in late February before the flight restriction were in place. In an email Q&A with BLACK ENTERPRISE, McCrorey explained how his original plan was to just stay a couple of weeks after his guests ended their tours. Things changed once news showed the viral outbreak was growing rapidly causing many to cancel their travel plans.

“In mid-March after the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States and travel bans, border closings and lock downs began around the world, March 23rd was the day I had to finally make the decision between immediately returning home to the United States or stay in Ghana for an indefinitely period of time,” he wrote. After talking with his parents back in States and some other local Ghanians, McCrorey opted to stay in the country while the quarantine was in place.

After staying in the capital city of Accra, McCrorey moved to to Aburi Botanical Gardens, a major tourist attraction located in the Akuapem Mountains in the eastern region of the country. He was able to used his savings and business contacts on the ground to find housing and live comfortably until the quarantine has been lifted. He says there has been different strategies implemented on the ground similar to the States but in more relaxed environment which he prefers over being in quarantine in New York.

As for local Ghanians’ reactions to how the United States is handling the pandemic, views have been mostly negative, strongly criticized the government and their poor leadership on the public health crisis. “They criticize Donald Trump. However, I believe the criticism is mostly due to immigration laws, not really the handling of the pandemic itself. Speaking with many of my African sources throughout the continent,” explained McCrorey.

“Many of the African scholars, journalists, and public figures I have conversed with or studied during this time believe this is an opportunity for African countries to establish independence from imperialism. Many believe Africa should lead their own coronavirus prevention campaign and stop relying on the West, and a new term I am getting familiar with specifically using the name the Northern Hemisphere.

Employers Struggling To Compete With Federal Unemployment Payments
by Derek Major

May 26, 2020

Employers Struggling To Compete With Federal Unemployment Payments

With unemployed workers making more through enhanced unemployment benefits provided by the CARES Act, many employers are struggling to keep employees.

According to ABC News, the extra funds are putting employers at risk of violating the terms of stimulus loans given through the Paycheck Protection Program. In order to receive funds for the program, employers are required to retain three-quarters of their payroll.

“It’s been very difficult to get some people to return to work,” Carl Livesay, the vice president of operations for Maryland Thermoform Corporation, told ABC News. “In some cases, depending on what their compensation was, they make more money with unemployment and the federal stipend of $600 a week.”

Livesay, whose company produces personal protective equipment, has struggled to bring its employees back. The U.S. unemployment rate has skyrocketed from 4% in February to more than 15% in April.

Legally, if someone is offered reemployment and turns it down, they’re likely to lose their unemployment insurance. However, that is putting employers at a difficult decision: Should they rehire workers who stand to make more money on unemployment?

“PPP is essentially the government providing forgivable loans to keep people on the payroll. [The extra unemployment money] provides an incentive to not have people on the payroll,” Noah Williams, director at the Center for Research On the Wisconsin Economy told ABC News. “They seem pretty clearly in opposition to me.”

The Small Business Administration has since updated its requirements, allowing businesses to still get their loans forgiven even if laid-off employees decline rehiring offers.

The federal government’s $600 weekly unemployment payments were designed to help boost the economy in the wake of record job losses. The amount was picked because, along with state unemployment benefits it boost the average American worker’s wage up to 100%.

“Nationally, the average weekly benefit is around $370 a month. The average weekly wage is around $970 a month. So $600 is the difference between the two,” Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst for the National Employment Law Project, told ABC News. “And so $600 was passed to approximate 100% income replacement for a few months while the economy needed to be shut down to deal with the health crisis.”

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

May 25, 2020

Could Getting Fired Be Your Big Break? It Was For Designer Bailey Li!

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

Bailey Li

Founder, Bailey Li Interiors

My first job was working at A&W fast food restaurant in Short Hills Mall in New Jersey. Shortly thereafter I worked at Mrs. Fields Cookies. I took these jobs so I could afford the latest in fashion.

My big break came when I lost my job in corporate America and pursued my side hustle of decorating spaces full-time. I would say that was more of a “breakthrough” rather than a “big break.”

I’ve had to work hardest at facing my fears, believing in my dreams, and putting into practice all of the spiritual tools that are ultimately responsible for my peace and my success.

I never imagined that I would be an interior designer let alone one that is recognized for her work on television and in publications that I’ve admired since I was a little girl. I also never imagined I’d be hand-painting abstract murals in people’s homes or creating installations at art exhibitions. It’s all very mind blowing!

I wish I’d learned sooner to pursue my passions. In the words of the late Kobe Bryant, “To seek out things that I love and work hard at them.” I also wished I’d learned to believe in my artistic and creative abilities and to see them as a means to thriving. When I was growing up there was no real emphasis on art as a viable career. Interior design was simply a luxury that my family could not afford. Now it is a necessity that no family can afford to live without!

The only regret I have is not discovering who I truly am sooner.

If I could design my fantasy self-care day, it would be spent in Tulum, Mexico, at the Azulik Jungle Villa enjoying a chakra harmonization massage.

What keeps me up at night are the moments I choose to worry rather than understand the power that peace of mind possesses, when I listen to thoughts that are not aligned with my true divinity rather than meditating on gratitude and mantras that will uplift and inspire me.

When I’m struggling, I say to myself, “Dear God, please breathe bravery down my spine and don’t let me take a single breath until all my fears are suffocated.” I wrote this prayer and used it as a daily mantra  when I decided to open my own home decor boutique;  it has stuck with me ever since.

I am unapologetically fearless when it comes to designing unique spaces for my clients. Our home is our opportunity to cultivate peace and joy within our lives. I aim to provide my clients with a space that allows them to tap into their brilliance and then to step out into the world with it.

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

by Dana Givens

May 25, 2020

This Woman Created An App Aimed To Help Entrepreneurs Impacted By COVID-19

The spread of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has deeply impacted small business owners around the country. With many states enforcing stay-at-home orders effectively closing down all brick and mortar businesses deemed “non-essential” in the process causing them to retreat to online digital storefronts. Because of the public health crisis, e-commerce has become vital for many businesses to survive as long as the quarantine rules stay in effect. One entrepreneur has created a tool that aims to help black businesses on the verge of collapse who have severely impacted by the viral outbreak.

Founder Danielle McGee wanted to create a black business that would make it easier for entrepreneurs to tap into the commerce with her new app, Black Business Boom, a digital marketplace for black businesses to expand into a digital storefront. The service usually requires a $100 one-time set up fee but it is currently being waived amid the coronavirus pandemic. Users will also be able to utilize different promotional tools included in the service to help small businesses to expand their store’s digital footprint with customers.

We are acting as the intermediary for businesses that don’t have an online site for making gift card transactions,” said McGee to Black Business. “Black business owners don’t always have equal access to technology and resources, that’s where we step in to help.”

McGee also hosts an online show called the Boomin’ Black Business Owner series through Instagram TV profiling different black entrepreneurs and their journey.

by Dana Givens

May 25, 2020

Venus Williams Unveils Her New Skincare Collaboration For Sunscreen Collection

Venus Williams is known as one of the best tennis players in the world along with her sister, Serena Williams. Off the court, she is a beauty aficionado who prides herself in maintaining a good skincare routine. She has even been featured in Vogue magazine, where she gave readers a detailed and intimate look at her nightly skincare regimen. Now she is teaming up with retailer Credo Beauty for a new line for sunscreen products aimed for women of color.

Williams announced the new partnership this week with Credo Beauty, who are known for their assortment of clean, natural beauty brands to unveil her very first beauty line called EleVen by Venus x Credo. The special collection is an extension of her Eleven brand, which consists of athletic wear.

In an interview with Allure, Williams shared how her love of skincare products started at an early age and the value of protecting your skin from damage. “When I was younger, I was wild and too free, and I took it for granted that I had great skin,” she said. “But that is not the case now. I am covered from head to toe when I’m outside: long sleeves, long pants, and sunscreen. I try to protect my skin as much as I can.”

Williams hopes to bridge the gap for women of color to find sunscreen products that compliment their skin in a market that often forgets about them. “No matter what skin tone you are, you want your skin to look like your skin, and you don’t want any layers on top,” William said. “This [line] leaves no white cast and, of course, it’s universal for every skin tone and complexion.”

Meet The First Black Dean of the Oldest Law School In The U.S.
by Dana Givens

May 25, 2020

Meet The First Black Dean of the Oldest Law School In The U.S.

The Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary based in Williamsburg, Virginia, is home to the oldest law school in the country and a part of the second oldest college and the first university to open in the United States.

The legendary school has made history again, electing its first African American dean.

The school announced the appointment of A. Benjamin Spencer to dean at the university. Spencer was already working as an accomplished civil procedure and federal courts expert with great experience in higher education. Prior to his new role, Spencer worked as the director of the Francis Lewis Law Center and as the associate dean of research at Washington and Lee University. He also served as a captain in U.S Army Reserve and argues appeals on behalf of the army.

Because of Them We Can reported that President Katherine A. Rowe spoke on Spencer’s appointment, saying, “William & Mary is thrilled to welcome Ben Spencer as our next dean of the law school. Since the beginning of the search process we sought a leader who values all three aspects of the law: the academy, the bar, and the bench. Ben brings that broad view of legal practice, together with a deep appreciation of the ethos of the citizen lawyer that has inspired the oldest law school in the country since its founding.”

Spencer said he is excited about the new role. “It was not until the hiring committee from William & Mary approached me back in 2003 that I gave any thought to becoming a law professor,” he said.

“I am tremendously excited that after all these years, I am finally able to join this wonderful community of impactful scholars. I am particularly enthusiastic about the university’s commitment to a whole-person, whole-university approach to learning and its commitment to understanding and meeting the most pressing needs of our time.”

Migos’ Quavo is Now a High School Graduate
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 25, 2020

Migos’ Quavo is Now a High School Graduate

Quavious Keyate Marshall better known as rap group Migos’ Quavo, can now be referred to as a high school graduate according to The Grio.

The Atlanta-based rapper has announced on his Instagram account that he had officially received his high school diploma in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown.

“Finally Can Say I Graduated High School Class Of 2020
We Lit 🔥
Now What College Should I Go To? 🧐”

Before becoming successful as a recording artist, Quavo, who was once a star quarterback at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Georgia, reportedly dropped out early to pursue his career in music full-time.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in 2009, the rapper was a senior quarterback who reportedly threw three first-half touchdown passes during a homecoming game. His performance helped to lead the team to win their first game of the season.

In celebration of getting his diploma, he, along with the rest of his group, released a single featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again called “Need It” on Friday.

As the quarterback for Berkmar High School, the rapper held the record by completing 28 passes in a game back in 2009. He ended up finishing the football season in his senior year, but he dropped out of Berkmar several months before graduation.

“I’m actually involved in sports,” he told Business Insider late last year. “I played in and I’m a student of the game. I love the game. I’m from the game. The game been taken away from me due to decisions I made in the streets, the decisions I made in life, and I chose another route in rapping.”

Migos is Quavo, Kirshnik Khari Ball better known as Takeoff and Kiari Kendrell Cephus better known as Offset. The members, who are related (Quavo is Takeoff’s uncle, and Offset is Quavo’s cousin), were originally named the Polo Club.

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