Pinky Cole, Slutty Vegan, Hoagies, Franchise

by Mary Spiller

May 26, 2025

Pinky Cole’s Bentley Stolen Outside Of Her Sandwich Shop Grand Opening

The Slutty Vegan owner said three people hopped in her car and drove off while patrons were standing in line waiting for their food.

The owner of the plant-based fast food chain Slutty Vegan hopped on Instagram this week to give an update on her unlucky car. Pinky Cole Hayes posted a May 25 clip on her Instagram account to say that her Bentley was stolen while parked outside her new Atlanta sandwich shop, Voagies.

Cole explained in the candid clip that three people allegedly pulled up to Voagies on scooters and jumped into her black Bentley before speeding off with her car.

Cole began, “Y’all , I swear this car is not good luck. We at Voagies, and somebody just stole the car that we just got out of the shop yesterday, in front of the restaurant — while we got people standing in line, ordering food.”

Voagies is Cole’s most recent business venture, a vegan hoagie restaurant.

Cole panned the camera to show the street, where three scooters lay abandoned on the curb and other patrons in the background.

“And they left the scooters on the ground. If you see a Bentley in Atlanta, a black Bentley, send me a DM — the police are on their way, but somebody just stole it,” Cole shared.

She explained, “Three guys just jumped in the Bentley and stole it while we were at the restaurant.”

Despite the damper on what would have been a positive day for the entrepreneur, Cole told fans that she wouldn’t let it get her down.

“We can’t catch a break, but you know what? God is still good. If you see a Bentley, send me a DM ASAP.”

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A post shared by Pinky Cole Hayes (@pinkycole)

As previously reported, The Atlanta business owner, who originally founded popular plant-based restaurant chain Slutty Vegan, recently opened Voagies as another chain under her belt.

Cole, 37, faced business issues with Slutty Vegan that forced her to temporarily surrender control of her company, to satisfy creditors who were unhappy with management’s “exorbitant” overhead spending.

After six weeks of reflecting, Cole was able to buy Slutty Vegan back and began the journey of launching a new joint venture with her husband, who is the current owner of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, Derrick Hayes.

At the time, Cole stated, “My last investors, they brought value for what they brought value to, but when you think about elevation and growth, I’m elevating and growing with a new set of folks and I’m excited about it.”

Cole added at the grand opening of Voagies in Atlanta, “This is the first business in Slutty Vegan 2.0. This is a hoagie shop like you have never experienced before. This brand is going to scale in a way that you ain’t never seen before… We will see this all over the world.”

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As of today, Slutty Vegan has eight locations — five of which are in Georgia and individual spots in Alabama, Maryland, and New York.

by Daniel Johnson

May 26, 2025

Former Fox Contributor Leo Terrell’s Role In Trump Administration’s Campus Crackdown Draws New Scrutiny

Terrell has been identified as the lead figure in Trump's efforts to investigate academic institutions.

Leo Terrell, a former Democrat until the 2020 election cycle, when he flipped to the Republican Party to support the candidacy of Donald Trump, has, until fairly recently, flown under the radar as one of the senior counselors in the Trump administration’s civil rights division.

Terrell recently called for Jill Biden to potentially be charged with elder abuse for allegedly concealing the reported decline of former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity, through his social media account on May 18. In a report, The New Republic highlighted his standing as a senior counselor to the assistant attorney general, Harmeet K. Dhillon, insinuating that Terrell’s musings could eventually become a reality by virtue of his position.

A new report from Politico sheds light on the role former Fox News contributor Terrell is playing within the Trump administration, identifying him as the lead figure in its efforts to investigate academic institutions. The administration has stated that this initiative is a response to concerns about antisemitism at Harvard University and nine other schools, citing recent campus protests related to the conflict in Gaza.

According to the report, the May 21 shooting of two workers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., has given Terrell additional justification to reinforce his stance on the administration’s investigation into academic institutions.

Per his comments to the Jewish News Syndicate, Terrell plans to “magnify” and “multiply” the efforts of the Trump administration as it relates to alleged antisemitism on college campuses.

He continued his Israeli press tour, telling the Israeli press network N12, “We will chase after the campus inciters, and those that are here with a student visa — goodbye. You are here by grace, if you create a mess, crime or discrimination against Jews, you will find yourself outside. To the universities, expect more withdrawing of federal funding, or the withholding of all federal funding. All of it!”

Like Trump himself, Terrell has also engaged in antisemitism while alleging to be concerned about its spread. This was epitomized by his sharing of a post in March 2025 on X by the former head of the now-defunct American Identity Group, Patrick Casey, who said that “Trump has the ability to revoke someone’s Jew card,” and saying that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is “a Palestinian,” and that “he’s not Jewish anymore.” For context, the American Identity Group is categorized as a white supremacist group by the Anti Defamation League.

As Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the progressive Jewish Council for Public Affairs, who sued and successfully dismantled Casey’s organization, told The Guardian, “Trump’s antisemitism chief shared an antisemitic, white supremacist post from a neo-Nazi involved in Charlottesville. This administration doesn’t care about countering antisemitism. They care about exploiting it to attack democracy.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

May 26, 2025

God’s Work! Keith Lee Surprises Black-Owned Pizzeria In Metro Atlanta With $50K Community Award

Lee returned to Metro Atlanta to help out another restaurant, this time for its communal upliftment.

TikTok food critic Keith Lee recently surprised a Metro Atlanta pizzeria with a $50K award for its community support.

Shapiro’s has become a staple restaurant in Conyers, Georgia, for its buffalo-style pizza and top-notch customer service. For its consistent efforts toward the surrounding community, Keith Lee and Toast, a restaurant tech company, decided to give back to the restaurant that always uplifts others.

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A post shared by Keith Lee (@keith_lee125)

Lee surprised the pizzeria’s owners with a gigantic $50,000 check to thank Shapiro’s for its communal upliftment. While there, the owners and the head pizza maker expressed their gratitude and willingness to help out customers.

“Anybody can spend their money wherever they want to spend it,” stated one of its co-owners. “So we try to show appreciation by giving out a little something. We just try to help in any way that we can.”

According to Fox 5, Lee’s partnership with Toast sought out restaurants that served their communities beyond food, as it is the “little things that matter.” A nationwide lookout for the food spot that embodied these values the most led Lee to visit Shapiro’s for its undeniable service.

“What stood out wasn’t just the food,” Lee said. “This place is a pillar of the community — from mentoring local kids to rewarding students for academic achievement with free pizza.”

After serving meals, Shapiro’s also reaches out to its customers by hosting a “boy discipline” mentorship program for male youth without fathers. The restaurant also offers school supplies and meal assistance for families struggling in the neighborhood.

The restaurant also offers a menu that revamps the traditional pizza shop. From jerk oxtail pizza to spicy shrimp and a Philly cheesesteak-inspired “Renaissance” slice, pizza lovers can try an innovative take on the classic meal.

Wanting everyone to afford a bite, Shapiro’s also offers a 10% discount to first responders, teachers, and government employees. The owners go the extra mile to give back, hosting $500 customer giveaways three times a week and donating leftover food to the homeless.

However, their insistence to make their community a more giving place led to one loyal customer submitting their name for the award.

“The owner is always present with a big smile and willing to support any idea to uplift others,” wrote the customer, Tanya B., in her submission.

With this new gift from Keith Lee and Toast, Shapiro’s can continue expanding its love and support for those who need it most.

Man, Conviction, Racist Threats, Pregnant Black Woman

by Mary Spiller

May 26, 2025

Louisiana Grandmother Nabbed After Allegedly Helping Her Grandson In Wild New Orleans Jailbreak

Connie Weeden reportedly has been in extended communication with the escaped Donald, as well as allegedly sending him money via a phone app.

Louisiana State Police have arrested another individual in connection with the New Orleans jailbreak of ten inmates earlier this week. Connie Weeden has been accused of helping Jermaine Donald flee from the Orleans Justice Center through a hole carved behind a cell toilet.

Donald is one of five escaped inmates who remain currently at large. Weeden now faces one felony count of accessory after the fact. The Louisiana woman is being held in the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center.

According to WDSU, Weeden is Donald’s grandmother; and further investigation into the means of his escape revealed that Weeden has been in extended communication with him both before and after he fled the prison.

Donald himself has been hit with charges of second-degree murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, and obstruction of justice.

Louisiana authorities also allege that Weeden sent Donald money through a cell phone app to assist in his escape.

Weeden is one of three civilians who have been arrested since the incident for reportedly being connected to the jailbreak plot alongside Cortnie Harris and Corvanntay Baptiste.

Harris and Baptiste have been charged with felony counts of accessory after the fact for providing support and transportation to other escapees.

As previously reported, 10 inmates were found to be missing during a routine morning headcount at the Orleans Justice Center on May 16.

The discovery led to authorities finding out that the inmates had escaped the prison hours before.

Corey Boyd, Dkenan Dennis, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Antoine Massey, Robert Moody, Kendell Myles, Gary Price, Leo Tate, and Lenton Vanburen managed to force open a sliding cell door while the guard observing their cell was away getting food.

Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson stated that the group of inmates then removed a cell toilet from the wall and slipped out from the subsequent hole created.

Additional surveillance cameras located in the Orleans Justice Center prison captured the 10 inmates’ escape from the grounds.

Louisiana State Police expressed in a statement following the jailbreak, “Law enforcement personnel from multiple local, state, and federal agencies will continue to pursue every lead until the remaining fugitives are located.”

“Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable. Harboring fugitives threatens the safety of our communities and will not be tolerated,” the statement clarified.

Half of the original group of Louisiana inmates are still at large, including Donald, Antoine Massey, Lenton Vanburen Jr., Derrick Groves, and Leo O. Tate Sr.

The Forgotten Story Of How Freed African Americans Helped Create Memorial Day

by Daniel Johnson

May 26, 2025

The Forgotten Story Of How Freed African Americans Helped Create Memorial Day

One of the earliest known celebrations of Memorial Day can be traced back to formerly enslaved persons and white missionaries in Charleston, South Carolina.

On May 1, 1865, according to reports in The New York Tribune and The Charleston Courier, 3,000 Black schoolchildren carried bouquets of flowers and sang “John Brown’s Body” while members of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment and other Black Union regiments performed double time marches and Black ministers recited verses from the Bible.

In 1996, David Blight, a Harvard researcher, attempted to verify news reports, but when he contacted the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture at the College of Charleston, he was told he hadn’t actually read the very accounts he had just uncovered, according to History.

“’I’ve never heard of it,’ they told me,” Blight recounted. “This never happened.”

He continued, “This was a story that had really been suppressed both in the local memory and certainly the national memory. But nobody who had witnessed it could ever have forgotten it.”

Blight’s suspicions were confirmed when, after a talk he gave at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2001 regarding his book, Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, an older Black woman approached him to discuss his lecture.

“You mean that story is true?” the woman asked him. “I grew up in Charleston, and my granddaddy used to tell us this story of a parade at the old race track, and we never knew whether to believe him or not. You mean that’s true?”

History is catching up with Blight, per a report from KVTB7, the U.S. National Park Service now has a webpage that is dedicated to the day, although when the federal government first declared Memorial Day a holiday, it ignored the celebration prominently featuring Black Americans.

Regardless of which origin story the United States government chose to honor, for the Black veterans of the Civil War, it became a lifelong tradition to honor fallen compatriots, fellow soldiers of the War Between the States.

According to the U.S. National Park Service, the story of one Black soldier, Joseph Clovese, illustrates this point.

“Joseph Clovese was born into slavery on a Louisiana plantation in January 1844. He fled in 1862, serving as an infantryman in the 63rd United States Colored Infantry. Clovese was one of only six members of the G.A.R. healthy enough to attend the organization’s final reunion in 1949,” the entry states.

Today, the holiday has expanded to honor those who have died while in service across all wars, but the genesis of the holiday was the Civil War, which Blight said gave that original celebration additional gravitas.

“It’s the fact that this occurred in Charleston at a cemetery site for the Union dead in a city where the Civil war had begun,” Blight explained to History, “and that it was organized and done by African American former slaves is what gives it such poignancy.”

Caribbean, Trump Administration. Marco. Rubio, travel ban, Antigua,, Barbados, cuba,, Dominica, St. Lucia

by Stacy Jackson

May 26, 2025

Caribbean American Women Are Valuable To Corporate America Now, More Than Ever

With the current pressures surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion, leadership strategist Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown reminds corporate America why Caribbean American women are an essential asset to today’s business landscape and give organizations a distinct advantage.

Dr. Brown is committed to equipping Black women of Caribbean descent with the skills to lead in spaces where they are often underrepresented effectively. The KMB Consultancy founder is confident that U.S. organizations can benefit from their abilities to lead across diverse social and organizational environments. “It’s not something to minimize,” Dr. Brown told Island Origins Magazine. “Cultural intelligence helps build bridges others might not even see.”

According to Brown, this cultural intelligence is shaped by Caribbean American women’s experiences growing up, balancing their culture while blending into the customs of American work culture. Their lived experiences and cultural insights shape their approach to leadership and are fitting for the growth of organizations.

“Caribbean women navigate multiple worlds with grace and power,” the organizational theorist said. “That’s not just personal strength—it’s leadership capacity.”

Contrary to the individualism emphasized in traditional corporate structures, Caribbean cultures strongly value community and shared progress. “That orientation shapes how you lead and influences how others thrive around you,” Brown said. A key to effective leadership includes the ability to lead despite barriers, which Dr. Brown noted have heightened for companies due to reduced resources and increased uncertainty.

The leadership strategist advises corporate systems to embrace the Caribbean storytelling tradition, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence. “It builds emotional connection and helps people understand your vision,” she said. Storytelling allows companies to master a more human-centered approach, which frames purpose and drives engagement. Recognizing that radical self-care is not a luxury, but a leadership strategy.

Dr. Brown describes the leadership of Caribbean American women through her RISE framework—Redefine Success, Innovate Disruption, Synergize Roles and Evolve Continuously.

Morehouse, honorary degree, lynching victim

by Daniel Johnson

May 26, 2025

Morehouse Honors Lynching Victim With Posthumous Degree Nearly A Century After His Murder On Segregated Atlanta Playground

Morehouse awarded a posthumous degree to Dennis Hubert, a student lynched in 1930.

Morehouse College’s recent commencement ceremony commemorated the lynching of Dennis Hubert in June 1930 by giving his nephew, Imam Plemon El-Amin, the honorary degree that his uncle never got the chance to earn after he was murdered by a group of white men on the playground of one of Atlanta’s segregated schools.

According to CNN, Hubert was 18 at the time of his lynching and in his sophomore year at Morehouse, where he was studying divinity. At the commencement ceremony, Morehouse President David Thomas called Hubert a “son of Morehouse, a martyr of justice, and what history now sees as the Trayvon Martin of the 1930s in Atlanta.”

The 75-year-old El-Amin, whose family has a long connection with the Atlanta University Center, or AUC, was appreciative of the ceremony; several members of his family have graduated either from Morehouse College or its sister school, Spelman College, which, like Morehouse, is mono-gender.

“Many prayers were said in his name,” El-Amin said about the ceremony, which he told CNN reminded him of an Islamic saying that people only leave behind their charity, knowledge, and family members who pray for them when they die. “Many people remembered him and were informed about his life and his legacy, and so the knowledge was there, as well as the charity of him sacrificing his life so that we would be more conscious of the value of young life and the value of human life, but also the value of justice.”

El-Amin continued, further contextualizing the murder of Hubert, “For one of their promising children, who (was) a rising sophomore at the Morehouse College to be murdered just in cold blood…at that time, 1930, is saying that there (were) no human rights given to the (Black) people of Georgia.”

Bryan Stevenson, the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization dedicated to honoring the memories of Black people who were lynched, applauded Morehouse’s decision to honor Hubert.

“When we begin to address this history, when we begin to try to create remedies for the harm and suffering that terror violence and lynching violence created, I think we lay a path down that will help us move forward, which is why I was so pleased that Morehouse decided to award a degree posthumously to Dennis Hubert,” Stevenson told CNN.

The tragedy of Hubert’s murder was compounded by the fact that there has not been much awareness about his story, and Morehouse’s alums, like Sean Jones, a 1998 graduate of the university, pressed the university to both formally recognize Hubert and tell his story to both current students and alumni.

“It’s personal, it’s painful, and…oftentimes it’s a scary thing, because some persons have nightmares about it once they hear this kind of history,” Jones told CNN. “But it is something that must be discussed, must be highlighted.”

Stevenson agreed, noting that it is important to highlight such stories “when there’s such a hostility in some spaces to learning the history of struggle and violence against Black people.”

El-Amin also noted the political climate, after noting that keeping his uncle’s story alive also means keeping him alive.

“Ninety-five years later, people are conscious of his life, which means he’s still alive, though not here with us physically or in body, but his life, his will, and he is providing inspiration for those of us left behind,” El-Amin also cautioned in his comments to CNN that, “We can see that those very, very terrible times are not that far away and can easily come back.”

Omarosa, Southern University, juris , doctorate

by Kandiss Edwards

May 26, 2025

Omarosa Earns Her Juris Doctor At Southern University

Omarosa Manigault Newman is continuing her education, she recently graduated from Southern University, while maintain her place in Hollywood.

On May 23, Omarosa Manigault Newman, former Donald Trump protégée and TV personality, graduated from Southern University.

HBCU Gameday reported on Newman’s newly earned Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration. This achievement marks her third degree from a historically Black college or university. While at Southern University, Newman demonstrated notable leadership and academic excellence.

She served as president of the Rotaract chapter and Senior Editor of the Journal of International Law Business & Policy. Her accomplishments earned her introduction into the prestigious Order of Barristers, which recognizes top graduates in legal writing and oral advocacy.

Newman reflected on her journey: “Graduating from Southern University Law School has been an enriching experience. I am proud to have balanced my academic pursuits with my work in the entertainment industry, and I look forward to using my legal education to lead with purpose and to advocate for justice in every field I touch.”

Newman’s trek through HBCUs began with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Central State University in Ohio. She then received her master’s degree from Howard University.

The former apprentice balanced her studies with television appearances. Recently, she participated in the Hulu competition series “Got to Get Out.’

Omarosa Manigault Newman is no stranger to the public eye. She built a multifaceted career in television long before her academic achievements at Southern University Law Center. She first gained national recognition as a memorable contestant on Donald Trump’s inaugural season of The Apprentice.

She later appeared on other reality programs such as Celebrity Apprentice, The Surreal Life, and Celebrity Big Brother. Her time on television helped her cultivate a unique media presence, which she eventually parlayed into a political appointment as director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison during the first Trump administration.

These roles not only solidified her status as a media personality but also provided her with the public platform and political experience she now pairs with her legal education. Her graduation from Southern University Law Center adds to her impressive academic credentials and reinforces her commitment to lifelong academic growth.

homelessness, garden, Black Lives Matter

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 26, 2025

Community And Activists Work To Protect Nearly 150 Black Lives Matter Murals That Remain

Passionate activists and community members are being tasked with preserving the remaining Black Lives Matter murals.

With an administration pushing back on DEI efforts, it’s taking dedicated activists and community members to protect the remaining Black Lives Matter murals.

According to Urban Art Mapping, a public street art database, nearly 150 “Black Lives Matter” murals still stand. Behind each one is the commitment of local communities working together to preserve the artwork and keep the message of social justice alive.

“Even as BLM Plaza is dismantled, the reciprocal mirroring of these murals ensures their persistence now also reflecting the absence of spaces that have been removed,” Lindsey Owen, an art historian in Chicago, told ABC News.

She pointed to the iconic “BLACK LIVES MATTER” mural painted in bold yellow letters just a block from the White House, widely credited with sparking the nationwide wave of BLM street art in 2020 following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery during Trump’s first term. The 35-foot-tall letters symbolized protest and solidarity, but the mural was removed in March by order of Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, following pressure from the Republican-led Congress.

Nationwide, efforts continue to preserve the remaining Black Lives Matter murals. In Hartford, a BLM mural on Trinity Street, just steps from the Capitol and featuring each letter painted by a different artist, stands as a symbol of resilience. After being defaced with a swastika, the mural was repainted in 2023, reflecting the community’s commitment to protecting its message.

“It was placed with intention,” said Andre Rochester, the artist who painted one of the Ts in 2020 and 2023. “It makes a loud statement that the City of Hartford cares.”

In Chicago, a 100-foot “Black Lives Matter” mural in Oak Park was defaced to read “All Lives Matter,” but the original message was later restored. Meanwhile, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, a permanent BLM mural is maintained annually by the city and the Vivid Matter Collective, a local artists’ group. A second mural was added outside Seattle City Hall in 2021, and the collective plans to repaint it this June.

Tyrone Motley, who painted the letter “V” during the 2023 restoration of Hartford’s BLM mural, emphasized the importance of preserving the artwork locally, especially as similar murals across the country continue to vanish.

“I feel work like this is ageless,” Motley said. “I’m pretty sure in 10 years people can look at a piece like this and still get the message.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

May 25, 2025

Black Students Are Keeping Graduation Traditions Alive Even As DEI Crackdown Limits The Festivities

Students across diverse communities are finding new ways to keep their graduation traditions afloat.

Black students and other affinity groups are finding new ways to celebrate their graduations as the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI initiatives limits their on-campus engagement.

For years, affinity-specific graduations have highlighted the milestones for many university students. However, current government orders have stifled these celebrations, forcing graduates to pivot to keep tradition alive.

Some institutions, like Harvard University, are pushing back against certain rulings on federally funded universities. However, these issuances have still impacted race-specific programming. Harvard decided to strip funding used for all affinity group graduations. Despite this setback, Black Harvard graduates remain determined to keep the event in place.

Like others supporting these racially affirming events, many graduates say they celebrated the cultural traditions while acknowledging their plights. Harvard senior Elyse Martin-Smith took it upon herself to address matters. With the support of the Black Graduate Student Alliance and the Harvard Black Alumni Society, she and fellow graduates held their ceremony off campus.

“It’s an undue burden that continues to be placed upon Black students to create the change that we want to see,” Martin-Smith said to CNN.

Students at other schools like the University of Kentucky have faced similar restrictions. A spokesperson for the university confirmed that the optional celebrations will no longer take place on campus.

“Following a number of federal and state policy changes and directives, the university will no longer host identity-based or special-interest graduation celebrations,” university spokesperson Jay Blanton said in a statement. “In the past, these were held outside of our official commencement ceremonies as optional celebrations and social events. We will continue to comply with the law, while celebrating all students and their distinctive achievements at our official commencement ceremonies.”

However, students attempting to work around the rules must take caution when naming their newly reimagined events. Students at Kentucky also pursued a path similar to Harvard’s Black graduates, calling their version a “Senior Salute.”

“I feel it’s important to show that there are people coming from other places, underprivileged areas and many different backgrounds and struggles and still making it over to UK (University of Kentucky) and still getting their degree,” shared UK graduate, Kristopher Washington, who helped bring the new event into fruition. “It’s a tremendous achievement.”

This anti-DEI crackdown not only impacts graduates of different racial or ethnic identities. It only applies to those part of the LGBTQIA+ community as well. Queer students also found off-campus venues to celebrate their achievements for their overarching community.

Now, students must move forward despite the lack of school administration approval and resources. However, they remain committed to celebrating their new degrees in ways that specifically acknowledge their heritage and community.