• Sports

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 23, 2025

Tyrese Haliburton Suffers Achilles Injury, Indiana Pacers Lose NBA Finals To OKC Thunder

The Pacers lost the guard to the injury and then the NBA Finals

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The Indiana Pacers suffered twice on June 22 as they lost the NBA Championship and one of their star players, Tyrese Haliburton, to an Achilles injury.

According to The Athletic, in the series-ending game of the NBA Finals, Haliburton, who was already playing with a calf injury that he suffered in Game 5, succumbed to what was described as a “right lower leg injury” when he went down. The Pacers’ title shot and chance at taking home the championship went down when Haliburton fell to the floor in the contest’s first half.

The guard, who has proven to be the heart and soul of the team, had scored nine points (three three-pointers) before being taken out by the injury later determined to be to his Achilles. The injury occurred as he was dribbling the basketball, and, without a touch from anyone on the court, he fell and screamed in agony as he knew that his time in the game had come to an end.

“What happened with Tyrese, all of our hearts dropped,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle stated. “But he will be back. I don’t have any medical information about what may or may not have happened, but he’ll be back in time, and I believe he’ll make a full recovery.”

Even after injuring his calf in Game 5, he was having a good series. He stayed in the game and even suited up for Game 6 to help his team tie the series to force a game seven. He was averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 assists in the NBA Finals.

The Pacers were leading by one point at halftime, but his presence was missed as they couldn’t get over the hump of Haliburton not being on the floor.

“I’m proud of that kid, you know,” his teammate, Pascal Siakam, said. “He went through so much during the year. A lot of criticism. It’s a lot for a young kid to go through, and like he had a lot of stress, a lot of — and he just kept fighting. He kept fighting every single day.”

The Oklahoma Thunder won the game 103-91 to end the series and become the 2025 NBA champions.

RELATED CONTENT: Jay‑Z Lost Out On Winning $3.3 M When Indiana Pacers Won Game 3 Of The NBA Finals

• Legal

by Daniel Johnson

June 23, 2025

Former KC Chiefs Employee Sues Team For Racial Discrimination, Wrongful Termination

Ramzee Robinson is seeking $5 million in damages plus declaratory and equitable relief.

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Ramzee Robinson, a 41-year-old Black man who worked for the Kansas City Chiefs as the director of player engagement, has sued the organization over nine years of discriminatory actions he claims the team took against him, including his termination in February.

According to The Athletic, Robinson, a former NFL cornerback, filed his complaint with the Missouri Western District Court. He is seeking $5 million in damages plus declaratory and equitable relief. In his lawsuit, he says that his employment with the team ended with a $125,000 salary, but this sum was an underpayment. Similar employees around the league earned an average salary of $171,932.

According to the lawsuit, Robinson attempted to bring this matter to Chiefs president Mark Donovan, but his compensation review was denied and he was informed that he had received previous increases.

In the most shocking allegation, Robinson said Kristen Krug, the team’s vice president of administration, accused him of assaulting a white female worker, Melissa Weinsz, one of his direct employees in February 2025. According to the lawsuit, Robinson requested to view a video that existed of the assault, Krug did not allow him to see it, and later fired him. Weinsz assumed Robinson’s position “within days” of his termination.

Robinson’s lawsuit also contains allegations that the Chiefs pay Black employee less than white employees, citing a Black woman executive’s salary which was $50,000; but upon her resignation, the role was filled by Weinsz, who was paid $80,000 for the same work.

Robinson’s attorney, Katrina Y. Robertson, told People in a statement that Robinson “unequivocally denies having been in an altercation with anyone,” and that the lawsuit only wishes to hold the Kansas City Chiefs accountable for their misdeeds toward him.

“We can’t comment because it’s an active legal matter,” Brad Gee, the Chiefs’ vice president of football operations, told Pro Football Talk. said. “But to be clear, the Chiefs do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We look forward to the facts of this case coming to light.”

Robinson, who was the last pick of the 2007 draft, was selected by the Detroit Lions. He remained in the league until 2012, playing for multiple teams, mostly as a practice squad player. Now, according to his LinkedIn account, working as a Trauma Focused Talk Therapist with the Jackson County Children’s Division, a position he has held since 2020.

RELATED CONTENT: Jim Trotter, NFL Settle Discrimination And Retaliation Lawsuit

• BE Global

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 23, 2025

Senegalese Women’s Basketball Team Visas Rejected As U.S. Escalates Immigration Restrictions

The visa rejections come amid reports that the U.S. is expanding its travel bans.

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The Senegal Women’s Basketball team will not attend a training camp in the United States, set to start June 22, after some of its players and staff had their visas rejected as the country ramps up immigration control.

The Senegalese Basketball Federation confirmed on June 20 that the issue was due to the unapproved visas. According to The Athletic, five players, six staffers, and one ministerial delegation were affected.

The news follows expanded travel bans to the the United States for multiple countries, including several African nations. Senegal is not on that list.

Senegal’s prime minister released a statement, emphasizing the United States’ “refusal” to grant visas to the players and staff.

“Informed of the refusal to issue Visas to multiple members of the national women’s basketball team of Senegal, I gave instruction to the Ministry of Sports to cancel, purely and simply, the ten-day preparation program initially set to be in the United States of America,” Senegal Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said on Facebook.

The U.S. had originally granted exemptions for the World Cup, Olympics, and any “other major sporting event.” It’s plausible that the training camp doesn’t qualify for that designation.

The Trump administration also reportedly has further plans to add 36 more countries to its growing travel ban, which major outlets have confirmed would include Senegal. The news comes as unrest globally and domestically grows against the administration’s handling of immigrants, including the federal government’s ICE raids in California.

Other countries have taken advantage of America’s rising hostility toward foreigners. Sonko praised China for offering grants to support to team and their Olympic prospects during this time.

The training camp will instead take place in Dakar, Senegal as the team prepares for the Women’s AfroBasket. Senegal has won 11 titles, the most in the championship tournament’s history.

RELATED CONTENT: ICE Confirms That It Detained TikTok Megastar Khaby Lame

• Sports

by Daniel Johnson

June 23, 2025

Reggie Bush Ordered To Pay $1.4M In Defamation Case

Lloyd Lake, a San Diego businessman, had ties to the USC football program in the mid-2000s when Bush won the Heisman Trophy.

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Reggie Bush must pay $1.4 million to San Diego businessman Lloyd Lake, who had ties to the USC football program during its mid-2000s glory years when Bush won the Heisman Trophy, for defamation.

According to Sports Illustrated, Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Eric Harmon supported an earlier decision by Jeffery G. Benz, who ruled in arbitration proceedings that Bush owed Lake $500,000 in damages and over $800,000 in attorney’s fees and legal costs. Bush’s attorneys appealed that decision, arguing that Benz didn’t have the authority to make such a determination.

The ruling, according to The Los Angeles Times, stems from comments Bush made in 2022 on the “I Am An Athlete” podcast as well as social media comments that painted Lake as a deplorable person. These comments allegedly led to the home of Lake’s parents, Roy and Barbara Gunner, being vandalized with graffiti messages, one of which read “Help Reggie Bush Get His Trophy Back F— Crook,” and another which read “187,” the California penal code for murder.

Bush’s comments, which accused Lake of blackmail and characterized his criminal record as being “as long as the Cheesecake Factory menu,” were supplemented months later by a tweet that falsely accused Lake of being a convicted rapist.

All of these comments violated a previous non-disparagement agreement that Bush and his parents as well as Lake and his parents signed in 2010 as part of the settlement of a contentious improper benefits lawsuit that led to the Trojans vacating their 2004 National Championship and Bush forfeiting his Heisman Trophy.

According to that agreement, all parties agreed “not make any statements or representations to any person that may cast another Party to this Agreement in an unfavorable light, that are offensive to or disparage them, or that could adversely affect their name and reputation.”

Bush’s legal team did succeed in their petition to have the judge seal away the majority of their case, which they might see as a small victory in one of the most infamous college football scandals of the last 25 years.

RELATED CONTENT: Reggie Bush Files Lawsuit Against NCAA, USC, Pac-12 To Recoup NIL Money

• Juneteenth

by Daniel Johnson

June 22, 2025

Pete Hegseth Reportedly Ordered Pentagon To Scale Back Juneteenth Messaging

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly instructed the Pentagon to take a “passive approach” to the Department of Defense’s messaging around the holiday.

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After President Donald Trump took a thinly veiled jab at Juneteenth on Truth Social—claiming workers wanted fewer “non-working holidays”—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly instructed the Pentagon to take a “passive approach” to the Department of Defense’s messaging around the holiday, which commemorates the effective end of chattel slavery in the United States.

According to Rolling Stone, in an email, the Pentagon’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs said it was not planning to publish any Juneteenth-related content. When the outlet reached out for comment, a Pentagon official clarified to Rolling Stone that the Department of Defense “may engage in the following activities, subject to applicable department guidance: holiday celebrations that build camaraderie and esprit de corps; outreach events (e.g., recruiting engagements with all-male, all-female, or minority-serving academic institutions) where doing so directly supports DoD’s mission; and recognition of historical events and notable figures where such recognition informs strategic thinking, reinforces our unity, and promotes meritocracy and accountability.”

Although the White House did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment, since Trump’s return to office, the federal government has aggressively targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives—purging high-ranking Black, female, and LGBTQ+ officials and scaling back the federal workforce. These efforts have undermined a long-standing pathway for Black Americans to achieve upward mobility in a system that has historically imposed, and continues to impose, a “Black tax” on communities of color.

According to the National Public Pension Coalition, Juneteenth provides another touchstone to examine what the current administration is doing to the Black federal workforce, undermining the now precarious Black middle class. “This Juneteenth, as we reflect on the importance of freedom and opportunity, we must also recognize the threat these federal cuts pose to the very foundation of economic equality that public sector jobs have provided for Black families,” it wrote.

Shortly after his confirmation, Hegseth announced an end to all DEI programs at the Pentagon, echoing Trump’s executive order to eliminate DEI initiatives across the federal government.

The Pentagon went on to cancel numerous longstanding cultural and historical observances, including events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Women’s History Month.

RELATED CONTENT: BHM Celebrations Paused As Trump’s New Defense Secretary Professes ‘Diversity Is Not Our Strength’

• Sports

by Daniel Johnson

June 22, 2025

Jon Jones Announces Retirement From UFC, Prompting Questions About His Legacy

Jones, 37, confirmed his retirement on X.

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Jon Jones, arguably the greatest mixed martial arts competitor in the history of the UFC, made when he told UFC president Dana White that he was calling it a career ahead of his anticipated bout against Tom Aspinall.

According to CNN, White revealed the news during a June 21 press conference in response to questions from reporters concerning Jones’ reticence to put his heavyweight title on the line in a unification bout against Aspinall.

“Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones has officially retired,” White said. “Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.”

The 37-year-old Jones confirmed White’s comments, saying in a post on X that “this decision comes after a lot of reflection.”

He added, “I’m excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways. Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come.”

The timing of Jones’ retirement coincides with UFC fans accusing him of refusing to fight Aspinall and a legal challenge.

Jones, 37, has had a summons filed against him on a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident in February, which was filed in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Metropolitan Court. His lawyer, Chris Dodd, who represented him in a previous case, declined to comment.

According to court documents, a police service aide spoke to a man believed to be Jones, who “appeared to be heavily intoxicated and made statements implying his capacity to employ lethal force through third parties.” At this point, according to reports, the aide requested the backup of a police officer who spoke to the man and the officer described similar “allusions to violence” while never directly answering questions about whether or not he was Jones.

It remains unclear why it took several months to file the charges against Jones, and although there is no indication that the charge against Jones and his decision to retire are connected, his decorated UFC career is tainted by controversy.

That includes having a victory against Daniel Cormier vacated after failing a drug test.

“I said ‘If Jon Jones does not fight Tom Aspinall, he quit,” Cormier , a legendary UFC fighter and ESPN analyst, said on a video on his YouTube channel. “He quit. He did not want to fight Tom Aspinall. It’s so surprising. Is he scared? No. But by not fighting Aspinall, he opens the conversation. He lets you–every one of you—question why he doesn’t fight him. To walk away right now opens the door for people to have the conversation about, ‘Does this affect the legacy?’”

RELATED CONTENT: UFC Champ Jon Jones Rakes In The Dough Amid MMA Return

• Uncategorized

by Daniel Johnson

June 22, 2025

Black Activists Fight To Stop Storage Facility From Erasing Historic African Cemetery In Maryland

Activists are fighting to preserve the historic Moses Macedonia African Cemetery.

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In Montgomery County, Maryland, activists and local community members are fighting to preserve the historic Moses Macedonia African Cemetery, where the remains of formerly enslaved people and their descendants reside, while county officials push forward plans to redevelop the site into a multi-level storage facility.

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, president of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition, an organization that has battled officials over the direction of the land, told The Baltimore Banner, there are no markers to commemorate the cemetery’s rich history and significance to the Black community.

“Only McDonald’s, Whole Foods, dry cleaners, and a strip mall,” she observed.

According to advocates, the county’s current plan compounds the original desecration of the burial grounds in the 1960s when developers pushed Black families out of the River Road community in order to pave over that area. The county has countered that claim by asserting that there are no human remains underneath the lot proposed for development.

Meanwhile, the legal battle went to the Maryland Supreme Court before it was sent back down to a lower court to be re-litigated. If necessary, the Bethseda African Cemetery Coalition is willing to its case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“This is a David and Goliath fight, but we know who won that battle at the end of the day,” Coleman-Adebayo told the Banner. “A victory on River Road will prevent the atrocity and genocide that happened in this community from ever happening again.”

For the coalition, Juneteenth held a little extra significance. On that day, it hosted a small rally near the lot which was attended by approximately 100 people who sung and chanted their hopes for the fight to preserve the cemetery. Rosie Saah, an invited speaker representing the Palestinian Solidarity Network, said it was important to call upon the ancestral legacy of resistance to enslavement as the coalition continued its fight with Montgomery County officials.

“We remember on Juneteenth that enslaved people freed themselves. They continually resisted. So we must continue to resist and uphold the dignity of all in life and in death,“ Saah said.

The gathering was equal parts rally and community event that featured tables with food, informational cards, and books, which were given to attendees. One table featured a class project done by fourth graders at The Sienna School, a private school for students with dyslexia in Silver Springs, Maryland.

“If kids as young as 9 and 10 years old can tell that desecration is wrong, why can’t the adults in charge?” Robert Stubblefield, a coalition member who served as the event’s emcee, asked the crowd.

He added, “Black lives matter in life and in death, from the womb to the tomb, from the cradle to the grave.”

RELATED CONTENT: Action Fund Continues Quest To Preserve Historical Black Cemeteries

• Juneteenth

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 22, 2025

Harlem’s Big Band Jubilee Celebrates Juneteenth Through Neighborhood’s Legacy Of Jazz Music

The music celebration honors Juneteenth through Harlem's own place in Black history.

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The Big Band Jubilee in Harlem celebrates Juneteenth through the neighborhood’s enduring jazz music legacy.

The celebration started late on June 19 due to weather issues, but it opened up with the sounds of music and rays of sunshine to end the federal holiday. The Big Band Jubilee takes place yearly, showcasing Harlem and its commitment to Black history, particularly on the holiday honoring freedom from enslavement.

The event started in 2020 and was created by Marija Abney, the founder and executive director of Soapbox Presents. Abney launched the Jubilee to give Black New Yorkers a place to rejoice and reunite during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rise in Black Lives Matter protests took their toll.

“It is a way of saying, ‘No, this is our home, too,’” explained Abney to The New York Times. “We have as much rights to practice our culture as anybody else does.”

The tradition honors the legacy of Juneteenth, while also recognizing the New York City neighborhood’s unique place in Black history through the Harlem Renaissance. Home to renowned Black literary figures, artists, and activists, Harlem represents creativity and revolution, marking its place in the storied Black holiday.

The Big Band Jubilee not only celebrates Black musicianship but reminds attendees of its importance in jazz music. It recreates the old ways Black residents enjoyed music, with the outside of homes serving as stages for musicians who later became legends.

“This is where it all started,” explained one attendee, Ava Johnson. “This is where our ancestors Dizzy, Louis, Ella, and all of them, I’m sure, walked through this neighborhood and played their music. So it’s like coming back home to be here and to celebrate our history on this day.”

Bringing the music to the people remains the most pivotal part, as long-time Harlem residents can walk outside to hear and witness the sounds of community.

“That connection with the people, that stoop experience, where it’s just in the neighborhood,” Aaron Flagg, the chair and associate director of jazz studies at the Juilliard School, told The Times, “it’s lost.”

Now, thousands gather in Harlem every year to celebrate the freeing of their ancestors, while enjoying the art integral to Black culture.

RELATED CONTENT: Honoring The Juneteenth Generation

• Politics

by Daniel Johnson

June 22, 2025

After Trump’s Iran Strike, Black Twitter Reminds Nation: Obama Had A Deal

Black Twitter criticized Trump's exit of Obama's Iran deal in 2017.

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As the BBC reports, following an unprecedented military strike on a suspected nuclear weapons site, President Donald Trump urged Iran to pursue peace, warning in a public address that further conflict could escalate if an agreement was not reached. Black politicians and Black Twitter immediately went to social media.

“This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” Trump said, also noting that the United States would go after other targets in the country with “speed” and “precision.”

Trump continued, “Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.”

However, according to The New York Times, Trump’s assessment that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “completely and totally obliterated” appears to be yet another case of him jumping the gun and claiming a clear-cut victory in a case where there has not yet been a clear determination made.

Following the abrupt strikes, much of the immediate reaction on social media concentrated on the fact that during his first term, Trump exited the Iran nuclear deal struck by former President Barack Obama, despite being warned that doing so could lead to war.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) called Trump’s unilateral decision both unwise and unconstitutional, cautioning of the risks posed by Trump’s actions.

“President Trump’s unilateral decision to attack Iran without Congressional approval is unconstitutional and unwise. This move, a rash sequel to his withdrawal from the nuclear deal, puts our nation, our troops, and innocents at grave risk,” Rep. Clyburn wrote.

He continued, “Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is a noble pursuit, but I join my colleagues in demanding immediate details from the Administration on this operation and in urging all sides to pull back from the brink of a full-scale war.”

Entrepreneur Chris Evans tweeted, “Remember President Obama striking a deal with Iran to monitor their nuclear weapons program? The one that Trump dismantled in his first term?”

X user Christopher Webb wrote, “When Trump said, Iran is ‘very close’ to building a nuclear bomb—it was a self-own. We wouldn’t be here if Trump hadn’t backed out of the Obama Iran nuclear deal.”

In a press release shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE, Rep. Oye Owolewa (D-DC) called on the American people to resist Trump’s hunger for war and for his colleagues on Capitol Hill to draft articles of impeachment against Trump.

“We must all stand up against Trump’s recent illegal and provocative bombings. Trump 2.0 lacks the support from American people to engage in war, the funds to carry out a war and the constitutional legality to attack Iran without congressional approval. For all reasons stated, Congress should ultimately draft articles of impeachment against President Trump,” Rep. Owolewa stated.

RELATED CONTENT: Political Leaders, Black Twitter Speak Out On Threat Of US-Iran War

• News

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 22, 2025

White Nationalist Awarded For Law School Paper Arguing Constitution Only Applies To White People

The student then made antisemitic posts on social media leading to his current suspension from the law school.

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A white nationalist recently won an academic award for his law school paper arguing how the Constitution only applies to white people.

Preston Damsky, a proud white nationalist and antisemite, garnered acclaim from a University of Florida professor over his paper detailing his interpretation of the doctrine. Last fall, he wrote a paper on “originalism” for the law school seminar. An idea upheld by many conservatives, originalism interprets the Constitution as written during its original time period.

According to the New York Times, a Trump-appointed judge who taught the class awarded Damsky the highest honor for his paper. In his assignment, Damsky argued that “We the People,” as first written on the Constitution’s Preamble, actually refers to white people. With this mindset, he defended the idea of stripping voting rights for nonwhite citizens.

He further stated his support for shoot-to-kill orders toward “criminal infiltrators at the border.” He also referred to an America where white people did not make up the majority as a “terrible crime.” Damsky later uttered that white people “cannot be expected to meekly swallow this demographic assault on their sovereignty.”

Instead of concern over his viewpoints, his professor, Judge John L. Badalamenti, congratulated him on his provocative essay. Damsky received the book award, granted to the best student in the class, for his detailed work. Badalamenti did not comment on why he chose his recipient.

The award issuance sparked controversy across the school, with opposers stating Damsky’s recognition undermines his dangerous rhetoric. Despite the calls to revoke his award, the University of Florida’s Interim Dean Merritt McAlister affirmed the matter, citing his “free speech rights.” McAlister also noted  “institutional neutrality,” a new term on the rise in anti-DEI policies, where schools remain impartial on political issues.

However, Damsky’s academic language continued on the internet. Months after the dean’s decision, Damsky created an X account to further showcase his views. His post that Jewish people must be ” abolished by any means necessary” led to his latest scandal.

The jarring remark led to the University of Florida suspending him and barring him from campus. The university even boosted police presence at the law school. However, others believe the initial celebration of his works empowered Damsky to become even louder with his racist beliefs.

The issue also comes at a time when free speech has its own interpretation in Florida public institutions. One professor called out the double standards of Damsky being able to write his essay while she had to change the name of her class over its assertion of race.

“I just find it fascinating that this student can write an article, a series of articles that are essentially manifestos, and that’s free speech,” expressed visiting associate law professor Carliss Chatman. “…but my class can’t be called ‘Race, Entrepreneurship and Inequality.”

Many students expressed their concerns about his online presence. Furthermore, Damsky’s arguments have been disavowed by most originalists. Most concede that post-Civil War sentiments strengthened the notion that the “liberty and justice for all” actually accounts for everyone.

Damsky remains adamant that he will challenge the university’s ruling against him.

RELATED CONTENT: Florida School Shooting Suspect Reported To Be A White Nationalist