• Business

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 9, 2025

Lancaster, Ohio’s First Black Business Owner Honored With Statue

Scipio Smith, a former slave, became the city's first Black business owner in the 1800s.

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Lancaster, Ohio’s very first Black business owner, Scipio Smith, is being honored by the city with a statue that was just completed.

According to NBC 4I, the city of Lancaster is celebrating the first Black business owner, Scipio Smith, who achieved the status in the 1800s. The location of the statue is along Main Street, which isn’t too far from where the businessman’s tinsmith shop was. A former slave, he is memorialized with a statue of him holding an open shackle with the day he was emancipated inscribed.

Michael Johnson, a local historian and the marketing director for the Fairfield County Heritage Association, stated that after finding an entry about Smith in a history book, he looked further into the former slave, who was enslaved in Virginia before being brought to Ohio.

“That was his way of showing you can’t stop me, even this chain didn’t hold me down,” said Johnson. “You can’t get much more of an underdog than being born a slave and losing your leg as a child.”

While finding out more information about Smith, he discovered that four years after he was freed, he founded the AME church, which is now Allen Chapel.

“To know he was right here, to know he was responsible for this church,” said Evan Saunders, Pastor of Allen Chapel. “You don’t even know the lives he’s touched, but yet here, 2025, we realize he’s touching a whole community with that, so his legacy still continues to live on.”

Two years after opening the church, Smith opened his tinsmith shop in Lancaster.

“He was pretty quick to act once he got his freedom. He knew what he wanted,” Johnson said. “And he opened up the door for other Black business owners.”

After Johnson wrote a story about Smith, wanting to honor him more, he started a fundraiser two years ago that led to the statue being made.

“For me, I think statues are celebrations, they are people we should be looking up to, the ideals they represent, and Scipio, you can’t beat his work ethic, his faith, his tenacity, the ability to overcome unbelievable obstacles. You can’t beat that story,” Johnson said.

RELATED CONTENT: Ohio Universities Face Backlash: Students Rethink Enrollment Over Contentious DEI Restrictions

• Politics

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

ICE Confirms That It Detained TikTok Megastar Khaby Lame

Lame has not addressed his time in ICE custody, at least, not on TikTok or Instagram.

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Khaby Lame, the world’s most popular TikTok creator, was detained on June 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to Men’s Journal after the outlet reached out to verify that ICE had detained the Sengalese-Italian content creator on suspicion that he had committed immigration violations but later allowed him to leave the United States.

According to Men’s Journal, Lame, however, has not addressed his time in ICE custody, at least not on TikTok or Instagram. Per their reporting, suspicion arose after a right-wing influencer, Bo Louden, posted on X that he had reported Lame to ICE, but Lame wasn’t located in the ICE detention database.

ICE emailed the outlet, confirming its detention of Lame, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Seringe Khabane Lame, 25, a citizen of Italy, June 6, at the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada for immigration violations.”

ICE continued, “Lame entered the United States April 30 and overstayed the terms of his visa. Lame was granted voluntary departure June 6 and has since departed the U.S.”

Men’s Journal noted in their original reporting that the screenshot that originally spread across X prompted Grok, Elon Musk’s chatbot native to the social networking site that he owns, to warn users that it was likely fake.

In their efforts to replicate the screenshot using both the name that was allegedly Lame’s government name and the listed A-Number from the screenshot, they were unable to achieve the same results, which raised additional suspicion concerning the report from Louden.

According to KRON4, although Lame, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, was born in Senegal, his Italian citizenship was granted when he turned 20. Furthermore, according to the Henley Passport Index, Italy is tied for the fourth strongest passport in the world, entitling Italian citizens to visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 191 countries.

Contrary to Louden’s claims, Lame, as an Italian citizen, is not required to have a visa to be in the United States for up to 90 days, and in May, Lame was one of many stars to celebrate the evolution of Black Dandyism at this year’s Met Gala.

According to Al-Jazeera, after Trump called for a quota of 3,000 immigration arrests, immigration advocates like Vanessa Cardenas, the executive director of America’s Voice, an immigration advocacy group, sounded the alarm regarding what that means for those caught in the administration’s crosshairs.

“The quotas that they are pushing for [are] creating this situation on the ground where ICE is literally just trying to go after anybody that they can catch. In the dragnet, we’re getting long-established, deeply rooted Dreamers and other folks that have been in the United States for a long time,” Cardenas explained to the outlet.

RELATED CONTENT: U.S. Citizen Held In ICE Detention Center Has Been Released

• Business

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

Brookings Metro Unveils Dashboard To Help Cities Track And Close Gaps In Black Business Ownership

As Brookings advised in 2020, the key to unlocking the American economy lies in increasing investments in Black-owned businesses.

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Brookings Metro’s Center for Community Uplift recently revealed its new Black Business Parity Dashboard, a tool that it will use to help policymakers, organizers, and other community members to make the potential impact of Black residents entrepreneurship a reality through providing data that shows what those businesses would look like if they were equitably funded in proportion to their population share.

According to Brookings, the tool examined Atlanta, which is seen as one of America’s Black Meccas, and found that if Black businesses matched the population share of Atlanta, its 14,000 Black-owned businesses would become 63,000 Black-owned businesses, a dramatic increase.

Similarly, in Detroit, where there are almost 2,800 Black-owned businesses, if that number was adjusted along the lines of Detroit’s Black population share, it would result in more than 23,000 Black-owned firms, which would create approximately 460,000 jobs for Detroit’s metro area, which could contribute to the city’s economic recovery from decades of job and population losses.

The tool helps prove what a group of researchers asserted in their 2021 analysis of a deadly precondition for Black businesses for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the racial wealth divide, which also affects how Black businesses are invested in and discouraged from scaling up because they don’t have the capital necessary to expand their footprints.

According to the analysis from Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, Dr. Jared Ball, Jamie Buell, and Joshua Devine, “To produce more personal and community wealth from Black entrepreneurship, public and private sector spending should be intentionally channeled to Black-owned businesses.”

Although the findings of their research focus on the pandemic, their findings dovetail with the stated aims of the Black Business Parity Dashboard, which are to give city and community leaders the tools to visualize what a greater and more targeted investment in Black-owned businesses could produce in their metro areas.

Indeed, according to a 2024 analysis of the economic impact of Black-owned small businesses by The Reynolds Center for Business Journalism, per data from the 2021 Census; 161,031 Black-owned companies produced $206 billion in revenue, which suggests that if these businesses were quadrupled, which some of the models in the Dashboard say would be the case, that revenue number could become even more impressive.

As Brookings advised in 2020, the key to unlocking the American economy lies in increasing investments in Black-owned businesses, as they noted, “the underrepresentation of Black businesses is costing the U.S. economy millions of jobs and billions of dollars in unrealized revenues,” but their prescription for solving that problem then, as the Dashboard makes clear now, is to create parity for the nation’s Black-owned businesses.

According to Ashleigh Gardere, senior advisor to the president at PolicyLink, solutions for addressing the racial wealth gap can also be applied to Black-owned businesses. “DBE programs and small business training will never be enough to close the racial wealth gap in America—that’s just tinkering at the edges. We need racial equity standards in the private sector: from greater access to capital beyond traditional debt to new and reparative financial products, from private sector business opportunities to narrative change strategies that center and celebrate Black businesses.”

RELATED CONTENT: OPINION: Tariffs Are Squeezing Black-Owned Businesses—Here’s How We Fix It

• Celebrity News

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 8, 2025

Atlantic Starr Founder And R&B Singer Wayne Lewis Dead At 68

Lewis was a founding member of the R&B group that had reached chart-topping success in the '80s and '90s.

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Wayne Lewis, founding member and singer in R&B band Atlantic Starr, has died at 68.

Atlantic Starr announced the tragic news on social media. The singing group known for its R&B hits revealed that Lewis died for undisclosed reasons June 5.

“It’s with great sadness we have to post the passing of Wayne Lewis on June 5, 2025,” stated Atlantic Starr on Facebook. “Please keep the family in your prayers and respect there [sic] privacy #waynelewis #restinpeace #flyhigh Sunrise 4/13/1957 Sunset 6/5/2025 #restinpeaceWayne.”

Lewis co-founded the band in 1976 alongside his brothers, vocalist and guitarist David Lewis and Jonathan Lewis, who played trombone and keyboard. Formed in White Plains, New York, they found success on the R&B charts throughout the ’80s. Their single “Circles,” off their album “Brilliance,” was their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The group later reached the top of the chart with their classic hit “Always.”

The group originally started with multiple members outside the Lewis brothers, including drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer, and percussionist-flutist Joseph Phillips. However, after inking a new deal with Warner Bros, they tightened the group to just the three brothers alongside Philips and a new lead singer, Barbara Weathers.

The group found R&B and pop success at the height of their career. They continued to score more hits throughout the late 80s and 90s, including 1989’s “My First Love.”

According to Deadline, the late musician played a major role in the group’s songwriting. He earned writing credits for the majority of their tracks alongside his brother, David. Atlantic Starr continued releasing music while performing at shows ahead of Lewis’ death. Although their last major impact on the charts was their 1992 song “Masterpiece,” which reached No. 3, Atlantic Starr released another album, “Metamorphosis,” in 2017.

Lewis is remembered for his impact with Atlantic Starr, providing vocals and playing keyboard for the band’s biggest hits, many of which he also co-wrote.

RELATED CONTENT: Singer Angie Stone Dies In Car Crash

• Politics

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

Trump Deploys National Guard To L.A.—Mayor Bass And Gov. Newsom Blast Downtown ICE Raids

California and Los Angeles leaders have reacted to Donald Trump calling in the National Guard by characterizing the move as an unnecessary escalation of tensions.

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California and Los Angeles leaders have reacted to Donald Trump calling in the National Guard by characterizing the move as an unnecessary escalation of tensions over ICE raids in Compton and Paramount, not a solution to a perceived problem.

According to NBC 4, approximately 2,000 National Guard members arrived in Los Angeles sometime during the early morning hours of June 8, as more protests are expected to occur throughout the day, following a memo issued by Trump authorizing the mobilization of the National Guard.

The Trump administration has collectively argued that the National Guard troops are necessary to restore peace after sporadic clashes between protestors, federal agents, and other law enforcement officials.

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However, according to the Associated Press, federal National Guard troops do not have the authority to carry out civilian law enforcement duties unless the Insurrection Act, an 18th-century wartime law, is invoked, which Trump’s memo did not accomplish.

Notably, the Insurrection Act was used in the past to protect the Little Rock Nine by President Dwight Eisenhower after Arkansas’s governor mobilized the state’s National Guard to keep them out of Central High School after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board decision entitled them to equal access to public schools.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled Trump’s willingness to use the military on Twitter (X) as he threatened to send in active duty Marines unless violence in Los Angeles stopped.

According to The Economist, Trump’s actions are not really about restoring law and order, but also contain a message directed at cities that resist his increasingly unpopular immigration agenda.

Karen Bass, Los Angeles’ mayor, struck a middle ground, calling for peace, but telling KTLA in a phone interview that she believes the response from the Trump administration is overtly political.

“I’m very disappointed that [Trump] chose to [deploy the National Guard] because it was just not necessary. To me, this is just completely unnecessary, and I think it’s the [Trump] administration just posturing,” Bass continued. “I’ve spoken to the governor several times…I have not yet talked to the president, but I have talked to officials high up in his administration, and I expressed to them that things were not out of control in the City of Los Angeles. Paramount had some issues, but I doubt very seriously that there is a need for the National Guard there either. To me, this is just political.”

Turning her attention to the protestors, Bass chided them to remain peaceful, “It is absolutely [the protesters’] right to exercise the First Amendment, but it is completely unacceptable for there to be any level of violence or vandalism of any type,” she said. “These are the very people who don’t want ICE to be involved…this [resulted] in the National Guard [being deployed].”

Newsom, meanwhile, told the AP that Trump’s bid to “take over” the National Guard is “purposefully inflammatory” and that it will “only escalate tensions.”

He continued, “LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”

RELATED CONTENT: ICE Detains Minnesota Father And Former Protestor At Hospital Days After Student Visas Revoked

• Celebrity News

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 8, 2025

Sheryl Lee Ralph Leads $25K Fundraising Wave At HBCU Graduation

Ralph's spontaneous pledge prompted others to match her donation to exceed the Senior Class Gift's goal.

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Sheryl Lee Ralph recently boosted an HBCU community’s spirit of giving at Norfolk State University’s 2025 commencement ceremony.

Ralph sparked the trend when the Virginia HBCU’s Senior Class President, Zay’Kori Jones, announced the graduates were just short of reaching their $5,000 goal toward their new alma mater. Ralph had been previously announced as the school’s commencement speaker for its May 10 ceremony.

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While the graduates had raised $4,136, the number was well off from their desired number. After Jones noted this in his commencement speech, the “Abbott Elementary” star stepped up to the plate to reach the goal.

According to HBCU Gameday, Ralph pledged $1,000, surpassing their original expectation. Her instant generosity prompted other leaders in the room to also chime in with support. Swiftly after, NSU President Javaune Adams-Gaston and Bishop Kim Brown, the university’s Board of Visitors rector, matched her donation.

Over the next eight minutes, multiple audience members voiced their monetary backing for the class of 2025. Pledges of $1,000 to $2,000 flooded the room, boosting the new total to $25,000.

“I was at a loss for words,” said Senior Class Vice President Nina Collymore. “I felt so proud, so loved.”

The money, part of their Senior Class gift, will go toward the Proud to Pay Legacy Book Scholarship Fund. The financial allotment will help matriculating students at Norfolk State with textbooks and supplies. Furthermore, it will assist Black scholars as they strive to walk across the graduation stage.

The viral moment also showcases the love and generosity found within and beyond HBCU campuses. As the students graduate, the entire Norfolk State community will remember how Ralph and the school’s supporters came together to spark change in an instant.

“This moment shows how powerful generosity can be,” said President Adams-Gaston, Ph.D. “I am thankful to Ms. Ralph and all those who gave from the heart.”

RECENT CONTENT: BackTalk With Sheryl Lee Ralph

• HBCU

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 8, 2025

As HBCUs Struggle Against Digital Redlining, Claflin University Fights Back

HBCUs across the Black rural south have long struggled with broadband access.

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With many HBCUs suffering from unstable internet connections, one school hopes to be the game-changer against digital redlining.

According to CNET, a 2021 McKinsey report confirmed that 82% of HBCUs reside in “internet deserts,” where broadband connections are limited or generally unavailable. These deserts are mainly located in rural and low-income areas, specifically in the Black rural south. Given this, HBCUs’ placements in the communities they serve most have made students vulnerable to this issue.

At Claflin University, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, students have long struggled with finishing or accessing coursework due to the unstable internet. However, a student’s letter emailed to the HBCU’s President, Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, shed light on the magnitude of this situation.

“It is my prayer that Claflin’s passion for education aligns with its compassion,” wrote the student to Dr. Warmack. I am currently typing my senior research paper at the local McDonald’s that I drive to nine miles every day to do this work because my town doesn’t have Wi-Fi bandwidth.”

The student’s admission sparked a partnership between Claflin and the Student Freedom Initiative to rectify this digital inaccessibility. The organization aims to use education to eliminate the wealth gap, using its partnership with Cisco to provide 5G broadband service to the HBCU in 2023.

The only way for students to get access to content was to come together in areas that provided [broadband] access, which created a problem,” said Keith Shoates, the president and CEO of the Student Freedom Initiative. 

While Claflin has reimagined the learning experience for its students, other HBCUs continue to feel the rising threat of restricted internet access. The issue has also become political, with President Trump terminating the Digital Equity Act over his concerns that it was “unconstitutional” and “racist.” The multibillion-dollar program sought to eliminate inequitable internet access across the nation.

Despite the lack of government support, the SFI continues to work with HBCUs to ensure quality internet access for students and their overarching communities. As digital redlining persists across this region, advocating for internet equity remains a top priority for HBCUs through their students’ matriculation.

Addressing this matter can also help HBCU students as they enter and excel in the workforce. Limiting their capabilities and access only stunts their knowledge and potential in an evolving job market, especially with artificial intelligence on the rise. Providing HBCUs with the infrastructure they need while also strengthening broadband access can ensure a better future for Black youth and their careers.

RELATED CONTENT: 10 HBCUs With the Highest Alumni Donations

• Sports

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

Coco Gauff Becomes First American Woman To Win The French Open Since Serena Williams

Gauff was the essence of cool when she took the title.

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On June 7, Coco Gauff made history as the first American woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2014—and the youngest to do so since Serena’s dominant run in 2002, when she captured the US Open, French Open, and Wimbledon titles. Gauff’s victory was nothing short of electrifying, as she pulled off a stunning second come-from-behind win, again toppling world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in dramatic fashion.

According to The Athletic, Gauff kept her cool after dropping the first set 6-7, but rebounded and outplayed Sabalenka in the next two sets, winning those sets 6-2 and 6-4, respectively.

Initially, Sabalenka tried to force Gauff to defend the biggest weapon in her arsenal, her drop shot, which, combined with her power game, has often rendered her unbeatable. However, as the wind picked up, Sabalenka’s tactics deteriorated. Gauff pounced on her mistakes, pressuring her opponent into more unforced errors via her trademark brand of impeccable backline defense.

In contrast to Sabalenka’s meltdown—which she did not hide from her opponent at all—Gauff was the essence of cool, barely giving her opponent any bad body language to read. Following the match, Gauff was also graceful and magnanimous in victory, offering her opponent praise, a gesture the Belarusian would seem incapable of returning in her post-game presser.

“First, I’d like to thank God for always keeping me in his corner. I’m just happy to be here. A lot of hard knocks. It means a lot to be here. I’d also like to congratulate Aryna, you’re the No. 1 player in the world, and it was a tough match. You deserve all the results you get, and every time we play, it’s such a tough match for me, so congratulations,” Gauff said in the on-court interview after the match concluded.

After addressing and thanking her coaches, Gauff turned to her parents, “You guys keep me grounded and give me the belief. Thanks, and I love you guys. To my brothers at home, you are the reason I do this, and you inspire me more than you know. Honestly, I didn’t think I could do it, but I’m going to quote Tyler the Creator right here. He said: ‘If I ever told you I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying’. I was lying to myself, so thanks to Tyler, and thanks to you guys.”

Gauff also briefly mused on the state of her home country in her post-match press conference and stated her desire to be a role model for people who look like her, ostensibly, Black women.

Gauff, an athlete who has stated her desire “to use her racket to change the world,” before expressed her belief that although “There’s a lot going on in our country right now,” she wants to represent those “who maybe don’t feel as supported during this period, and so just being that reflection of hope and light.”

As Serena Williams inspired a generation of Black girls–now women—like herself, Taylor Townsend, Sloane Stephens, Naomi Osaka, Alycia Parks, Robin Anderson, and many others to pick up a tennis racquet and dream about winning on the biggest stages and under the brightest lights, Coco Gauff wants to return that favor to the next generation, and she is well on her way at just 21 years old.

RELATED CONTENT: Coco Gauff Donates $100K To UNCF To Help Fund Scholarships For HBCU Students Playing Tennis

• Entertainment

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 8, 2025

Denzel Washington To Join ‘Black Panther 3’ As Ryan Coogler Calls Him ‘Greatest Living Actor’

Washington will take on an undisclosed role that Coogler is currently writing.

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Denzel Washington will soon make his way to Wakanda. The acclaimed actor will join the cast of “Black Panther 3,” as confirmed by its director, Ryan Coogler.

Coogler shared the news during his guest appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast. When asked about the dream cast during the show’s “F–k With It or F–k Out of Here” on June 5, Coogler did not hold back his enthusiasm.

“That’s a big f–k with it,” he responded, according to E! News.

However, Washington’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains unknown. Despite this, Coogler is writing a special character befitting the status of the acting legend.

He added, “There’s no fiction out there about that.”

Coogler went on to praise Washington and his legacy in Hollywood. While calling the 70-year-old “family,” he also referred to him as the “greatest living actor” with whom he can now finally work.

“Denzel is family at this point,” he shared. “I’ve been trying to work with him since day one. I think he’s the greatest living actor. In terms of what he means to our culture? Forget about it, man.”

Although “Black Panther 3” has no official release date, the film is expected to make waves following 2022’s “Wakanda Forever.” The sequel’s other cast, including Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, and Lupita Nyong’o, are also expected to return.

While Coogler is fresh off the media tour for Sinners, which co-starred former Black Panther actor and frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan, Washington is setting up his last few roles before retirement. The actor previously hinted at his entry into the third installment of Black Panther before taking on a few Shakespeare adaptations.

“After that, I’m gonna do the film “Othello.” After that, I’m gonna do “King Lear.” After that, I’m gonna retire,” explained Washington.

However, his desire to take part in the superhero film comes from his mutual appreciation of Coogler.

“It’s about the filmmaker, especially at this point in my career,” Washington said on Australia’s Today. “I’m only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m gonna make, probably not that many. I want to do things that I haven’t done.”

Now, the two Hollywood giants can finally join forces when “Black Panther 3” hits theaters in a few years. Marvel Studios, however, will have to shell out the big bucks to solidify Washington’s casting.

The two-time Oscar-winning actor reportedly takes home around $35 million per film these days. Fans of the actor can also catch him next in Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.“

RELATED CONTENT: ‘Sinners’ Can Now Be Seen Through Streaming Services

• Legal

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 8, 2025

‘Real Housewives Of Atlanta’ Cast Member Brit Eady Sues Bravo, NBC For Defamation

She is seeking $20 million alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false light, and sexual harassment and hostile work environment.

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Brit Eady, a cast member from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” has filed a lawsuit against Bravo and NBC alleging that they defamed her, along with other accusations.

According to People, Eady is requesting $20 million from the networks as well as the production companies, True Original and Endemol Shine North America, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false light, and sexual harassment and hostile work environment. The paperwork was filed June 5.

The lawsuit refers to an episode earlier this year that aired April 6, which was taped last summer. In the fifth episode of the season, Kenya Moore, who is no longer with the show, showed a display of photos of a woman she suggested was Eady, performing oral sex during the opening party of her hair spa.