tip, tipping, braids, refuse, service, hair, Dosso Beauty, Hypoallergenic Braiding
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

March 12, 2026

Detroit Hairstylist Allegedly Pulls Rifle On Customer Over $10—Now That’s a Bad Hair Day

The customer, Robin Philips, was there with her daughter.

A Detroit hairstylist allegedly took drastic measures while fighting with a customer about the cost of her services.

When Robin Phillips and her young daughter arrived for their appointment with an at-home hairstylist in Detroit, they expected to pay the discounted rate advertised on social media. However, when the stylist ordered her to pay more for their completed styles, Philips said things took a frightening turn.

The Neighborhood Talk reposted an interview with Phillips with Fox 2. Video shared with the local news outlet shows the hairstylist, with her face digitally blocked out, toting an AR-style gun on her shoulder.

Before she had no choice but to pay the higher cost, Phillips initially questioned the price hike with the hairstylist. Apparently, while holding scissors, the stylist allegedly threatened to cut her child’s hair.

“If you’re not going to pay me, then I’m going to cut your child’s hair,” recounted Phillips of the stylist’s threats.

The cost debate nearly became deadly when the stylist allegedly pulled out the next weapon.

“She runs upstairs, and she grabs an AR [gun],” remembered Phillips. “She’s like, says, ‘You’re not leaving out of here until you run me my money.’ She’s still going on and on about it, ‘I want more money. I want more money.'”

Under distress, Philips claimed she gave her “basically everything that I had.”

In the recorded footage, the hairstylist is heard saying, “Big Gun ‘ho. Get the f-ck out my house. I’ll shoot you.” She also seemingly called Phillips a “broke a– ‘ho” while holding the AR-style gun in front of her and her child.

Phillips remains disappointed and “distraught” by the entire encounter. She told the news outlet that she wishes they could’ve handled the cost dispute “like adults.”

Instead, according to Phillips, the hairdresser said, “‘I will shoot you, I will bury you over $10.’…So we pushed past her; we had to get out of there.”

It remains unknown whether law enforcement has found and arrested the hairstylist: Phillips did file a police report.

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Massachusetts, rideshare drivers, Uber, Lyft
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 12, 2026

Uber And Lyft Drivers Canceling More Rides As Fuel Costs Climb

According to AAA data, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. rising about $0.40 over the past week.

As the war in the Middle East rages on, rising gas prices are prompting more Uber and Lyft drivers to cancel rides.

As oil prices surged past $100 per barrel on March 9 before falling back to around $90 after Donald Trump suggested the war with Iran could soon wind down, rideshare drivers began voicing concerns about rising fuel costs, Business Insider reports.

Justin Fisher, an Uber driver in Houston, said he now prioritizes the most profitable trips, even if they take him to areas he considers unsafe.

“The cost of gas is an unpleasant reality,” Fisher said.

According to AAA data, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. rising about $0.40 over the past week.

The spike is affecting rideshare drivers like Sergio Avedian, a former Wall Street trader who now drives for Uber and Lyft in Southern California. He said gas at two stations near his suburban Los Angeles home jumped by about $1 in the past week. “It’s been extremely noticeable,” Avedian said.

Meanwhile, drivers using electric vehicles (EVs) say they are largely unaffected by the spike in gas prices. One driver in North Carolina who works for both Uber and Lyft reported staying busy over the weekend.

The driver, who owns a Tesla Model Y and charges it at home, said rising fuel costs haven’t been on his mind. “I haven’t been in a gas station in forever,” he said.

Avedian said the biggest challenge for drivers is that Uber and Lyft set the fares, leaving drivers unable to raise rates when operating costs rise. “Uber and Lyft aren’t paying us more to offset the difference, which is significant,” he said.

North Carolina–based rideshare drivers Jason Bowers and Omar Lewis said that while the price increase hasn’t stopped them from working, they acknowledge that such a sharp rise in fuel costs can make the job more challenging.

“It’s putting a damper on drivers, of course. I mean, we’re paying more per gallon. We’re paying more for giving rides,” Bowers said.

According to Business Insider, Uber and Lyft did not respond to questions about whether they plan to introduce a surcharge, similar to the one implemented in 2022 after oil prices surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Avedian said he encourages rideshare drivers to be more selective about the trips they accept. “If a trip that is offered to you as a driver is not profitable, I tell them to ‘decline and recline.’ You have to decline bad offers, because this is not a public service.”

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Georgia GOP, Chris Carr, Black Voters, Social Issues
by Kandiss Edwards

March 12, 2026

Georgia GOP Hopeful Chris Carr Courts Black Voters

The Georgia race is competitive as the state will replace term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr lobbied the Black vote, highlighting public safety and economic opportunity as central themes in his campaign for governor.

Carr, a Republican who has served as attorney general since 2016, is one of several candidates competing in the 2026 race. The Georgia race is competitive as the state will replace term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp. The nominee is reaching out to multiple local and Black outlets, and his message is clear: forget social issues, focus on the economy. 

“At best we’re a 48-46 Republican state. The way you win is appeal to independent voters who care about jobs, safety, education, affordability and don’t really want to talk about social issues the way the right or the left typically has,” Carr said to the Black Information Network News.

Additionally, the gubernatorial candidate said safety is of the utmost concern as the core responsibility of government is ensuring safety for all residents, regardless of political affiliation or background.

“I truly believe that government is supposed to keep people safe,” he told Capital B. “I don’t care your race, your gender, your religion, your sexual orientation, your political party and where you’re from. You deserve to be safe in this state.” 

Carr said his campaign priorities include improving affordability, expanding educational opportunities, and strengthening economic development across Georgia. He pointed to his previous role as the state’s commissioner of economic development, where he worked with companies to bring jobs to the state and support business expansion. 

“I spent three years as the commissioner of economic development, helping the private sector either bring good-paying jobs to this state or helping businesses here create good-paying jobs,” Carr said. 

The 2026 race for Georgia governor is expected to be highly competitive. On the Republican side, Carr is competing with candidates that include Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Democrats are also assembling a crowded field that includes high-profile figures such as former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. 

Carr’s outreach to Black voters reflects a trend in Georgia politics, where turnout among Black communities has played a decisive role in statewide elections. Though, the state typically leans Republican it has also earned Democratic votes in federal elections, most notably in the 2008 presidential election which favored Barrack Obama.

RELATED CONTENT: After 2 Runs, Stacey Abrams Explains Why She Is Bowing Out Of 2026 Georgia Governor Race

Silk Press, SheaMoisture
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

March 12, 2026

A Silk Press In A Bottle? SheaMoisture Taps Law Roach, Black Beauty Influencers In Latest Ad

The collaboration is over SheaMoisture's new product to achieve salon-quality silk presses at home.

SheaMoisture wants its users to capture a “Silk Press in a Bottle,” and is using Black leaders in the beauty community to do so.

The haircare brand for textured hair has tapped Law Roach and several Black women influencers to spill the secrets behind the new product. In the new advertisement, “Silk Whisperer,” Law Roach quizzed influencers Clarke Peoples, Masai Russell, Serena Page, and Kirah Ominique on how they got their silk presses without the salon.

The beauty influencers held their own Black girl press conference about the innovative product, which SheaMoisture deems as a prep cream and heat protection to maintain straightened hair for days. Roach pressed his internet “daughters” about their own silky tresses.

“I never lie to my followers. I do my silk presses at home with little heat damage,” shared Kirah Ominique.

“Clock it, and that hair looks good,” added Page, the season 6 winner of Love Island U.S.A.

Page continued, “Here is the tea, SheaMoisture Silk Press In A Bottle makes straightening my hair at home easier than ever.”

Even Russell, an acclaimed U.S. track and field athlete, shared how the product keeps her hair intact as she races to the finish line. The Olympic Gold medalist joined the girls while they took the spotlight for this new Black beauty moment.

As for Roach’s involvement, the “King of the Silk Press” and self-proclaimed image architect shared more about his role in the chic commercial. Alongside his glamorous looks for A-list clients, Roach is also known for always rocking a sleek hairstyle, making his inclusion all the more fitting.

“I loved stepping into the role of the Silk Inquirer because … have you seen my hair?” said the celebrity stylist in a press release shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE. “When I see hair that sleek, that precise, I know it’s intentional and I had to investigate. I know from my own social media that the girls want answers and I’m here to get them.”

Roach even joined the press conference in another clip, making a jingle to celebrate the product launch.

RELATED CONTENT: SheaMoisture Launches The Dream Fund to Champion Black Female Entrepreneurs in Canada

12-Year-Old, Off Campus, Fight
by Kandiss Edwards

March 12, 2026

12-Year-Old Dies After Off-Campus School Fight

Official criminal charges related to the incident have not been announced by local law enforcement.

A 12-year-old Georgia middle school student has died days after an off-campus fight with another student, prompting an ongoing investigation by local authorities and school officials.

Douglas County officials confirmed that Jada West, a student at Stewart Middle School, died after the altercation that occurred earlier this month following the school day. The fight happened off-campus after students exited the school bus and involved at least one other student. Video of the incident has appeared on social media and reports claim the young girl died after suffering seizures and going into cardiac heart failure.

Investigators said the confrontation occurred after students had left school grounds. Official criminal charges related to the incident have not been announced by local law enforcement. Officers will continue to review the circumstances surrounding the fight and West’s subsequent death. Rashunda McClendon, Jada’s mother, spoke to Channel 2 Action News about her daughter.

“She was loving, she was kind, she didn’t deserve this,” said McClendon

She recounted the moments leading up to her discovering her daughter’s medical condition after the fight. After she was made aware of the incident, she rushed to Jada’s side.

“I got in the car and drove up there, and she was on the ground. She wasn’t breathing,” McClendon said.

Family members said West began experiencing medical complications in the days following the fight. She later died after being hospitalized.

https://twitter.com/RedMedia_us/status/2031799820776513840

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our students,” the Douglas County School district said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, friends and the entire Stewart Middle School community during this incredibly difficult time.”

Dequala McClendon, Jada’s aunt, is calling for accountability, as the children allegedly responsible move on with their lives, Jada cannot.

“And it’s not right that this little girl and the other kids get to go to school. My niece is not here anymore. My niece was in the hospital with a tube in her throat,” Dequala told WSB-TV.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said investigators are continuing to gather evidence and interview witnesses. Officials have not confirmed whether the injuries Jada sustained during the fight directly caused her death.

School district leaders said counseling resources have been made available for students and staff affected by the tragedy. Administrators also urged parents to speak with their children about conflict resolution and bullying.

Authorities said the investigation remains active as they work to determine the full sequence of events leading up to the fight.

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damon dash, bowling alley, bankruptcy, florida
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 12, 2026

Dame Dash’s New Bowling Alley Faces Skepticism Over Ownership From Fans

Dash has been promoting a new bowling alley called 'Dusko Strikes' amid his bankruptcy woes.

Never one to let setbacks slow him down, Dame Dash appears to be rebounding from recent financial and legal challenges with the launch of a new bowling alley and event space in Florida.

The Roc-A-Fella co-founder has taken to social media to promote his latest business venture, Dusko Strikes, a bowling alley and event venue he recently opened in Lake Wales, Florida. Guests can bowl, play arcade games, enjoy a full bar, or attend live shows and events hosted at the space.

A Jan. 31 video shows Dash walking through the venue with his dog as he takes in his new business venture. A follow-up video captured a live concert at the venue, with guests enjoying food and drinks.

“Get back time,” one fan wrote.

The new bowling alley opens about a year after Dash filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, reporting roughly $25 million in debt while claiming to have just $4,350 in assets. The filing followed a series of financial and legal challenges, including a federal judge ordering him to pay about $4 million to filmmaker Josh Webber in a defamation case and the auction of his one-third stake in Roc-A-Fella Records for around $1 million to help cover millions in unpaid taxes.

While Dash appears to be moving ahead with new ventures, some critics have raised doubts about the bowling alley project, claiming he may not actually own the business.

“That spot is called Lake Wales Bowling. It’s not even his spot. Look it up,” one user wrote in response to someone who asked where Dash’s bowling alley was located.

“There is no location…Dame is lying once again…” added someone else.

Another critic accused Dash of hopping from one venture to the next in an effort to maintain a CEO image that “hasn’t caught on in 25 years.”

“It feels like he’s always starting over but with the same plan as before that hasn’t yielded in decades,” the critic wrote. “Doing small venue showcases, still pushing that CEO brand that hasn’t caught on in 25 years. He needs to drop that brand and either come up with something new or got out that business. Second just let his spot be an bowling alley/game room and not turn it into a club.”

Amid the mixed reactions to the new venture, it’s worth noting that Dame Dash hasn’t posted on the business page since early February. He may be working behind the scenes ahead of an official launch.

RELATED CONTENT: All About the Benjamin: Damon Dash’s Production Company Sold At Auction For $100—Yes, $100

Felons, secret service, Trump, Bennie Thompson, bill
by Sharelle B. McNair

March 12, 2026

Bennie Thompson Shows Seniority Is Still Popular After Handing Young Opponents An Upset In Mississippi Primary Election 

'Seniority is how you get things done in Washington,' the senior congressman said.

Adding to his 30-year-long resume, Rep. Bennie Thompson won the March 10 Democratic Party primary election to serve Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District for another term, the Associated Press reports.

At 78 years young, Thompson defeated two Democratic opponents, Evan Turnage and Pertis Williams III, to face the unidentified Republican candidate this November. He celebrated the victory on social media, saying he was “grateful” to voters for their faith in his leadership. “I didn’t begin this journey at the top or with a roadmap. As Langston Hughes wrote, life has not been a crystal stair. Every challenge only strengthened my resolve to expand access and opportunity,” he said on X. 

“Thank you for the faith and the honor of serving you.”

With calls for younger leadership on Capitol Hill, Turnage, 34, had support from leaders after serving as counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. But Thompson says experience is the way of the game and says there is still work to be done. “Seniority is how you get things done in Washington,” the senior congressman said. 

As Democrats fight to retake control of the House in November, if successful, Thompson will become chair of the committee overseeing the Department of Homeland Security. He says he looks forward to getting back to Congress to seek transparency around the battle in Iran and a partial government shutdown. “We have to get Donald Trump in check,” the Democratic leader said.

His leadership hasn’t gone unnoticed by colleagues and voters. He is the only Democrat to represent Mississippi in Congress as his majority-Black district spans the western part of the state between central Mississippi and the Mississippi River, according to The Hill. 

Turnage was hoping to add to that lineage, campaigning on a message of economic populism and positioning himself as an understanding leader who would impose regulations on Big Tech and artificial intelligence. But despite his defeat, he wishes Thompson well — but just hopes he will take things up a notch. “I can only wish Rep. Thompson the best and hope that being granted another term pushes him to meet this moment,” Turnage said in a conceding statement. “Our people cannot afford another decade of the same.”

Voters like Dyamone White think Thompson has done just fine. White went to high school with Turnage but voted for Thompson instead. The small business owner, who has a business next door to the congressman’s Bolton, Mississippi, office, said, “his leadership and decades of service to the district and the state of Mississippi is nothing that should be forgotten.” “He has served his district well,” the voter said.

RELATED CONTENT: Congressman Bennie Thompson Awards $3 Million in Community Project Funding to Jackson State University

Student-Led Project Archives Black Women’s Diaries From Reconstruction Era And Beyond
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

March 12, 2026

Student-Led Project Archives Black Women’s Diaries From Reconstruction Era And Beyond

Student researchers-turned-coders transcribe and digitize each diary entry.

The student-led Black Women’s Diaries Project is creating a digital archive of these inner writings from the 19th- and early 20th-century eras.

Conducted by a dozen scholars at The College of William & Mary, the project attempts to digitize Black women’s history through this unique sector of diary entries. Listed as a one-credit Digital Humanities Lab at the Virginia-based University, BWDP aims to source and archive these writings, getting an intimate look at Black women’s everyday thoughts during this tumultuous period in U.S. history.

The digital archive is a multi-year effort, according to W&M News, with an expected debut of 12 diaries in October 2026. Students who initially stumbled upon the class have become champions of its mission, especially as it sheds new light on the livelihoods of Black women.

“Black women’s history is important to me — it’s my history,” shared college junior, Mia Hunt. “This has given me more knowledge.”

The project will launch with its first archive on the 1902 diary of Florence Barber. However, the idea first came to life through the research of Jennifer Putzi, a Professor of English & Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at the university.

Putzi was drafting her own work on the diary of another Black woman, Frances Anne Rollin, during the Reconstruction period. Rollin was a writer and scholar during this era, as Putzi’s own investigation into her life led her to uncover additional journals by Black women of the time.

Together with the class, the team works on the transcription and coding of each entry, cementing it in history after years of marginalization. Upon completion, site visitors will have access not only to the entries but also to additional sourced context from newspaper research and other documents.

“There’s no project quite like this,” Putzi said. “Plenty of sites cover correspondence, but not diaries. We’re adapting code, inventing workflows and learning together.”

The project does not lack hurdles, however, as natural disasters or a lack of documentation make sourcing context for some diarists harder. However, researchers push through these obstacles to learn more about their realities.

BWDP also allows aspiring sociologists and historians to develop a new skill in coding, as the project combines this technological discipline with the goal of digitally documenting Black history.

“What I’ve learned is that Black history flows through every field — science, sociology, education,” shared another student researcher, Micah Hutchings. “I used to think of Black history as something separate, but Black history is everywhere.”

The diaries are often small, as nearly illegible cursive writing with faded ink makes the transcriptions harder. However, each successful archive adds another layer to Black women’s history and a deeper understanding of the struggles and triumphs they faced.

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academia, Black professors, health
by Mitti Hicks

March 12, 2026

New Study Explores Health Impacts On Black Professors In Academic Workplaces

Black professors constitute only 6% of all faculty in U.S. colleges and universities, compared with 14% of Black students.

A group of Black professors is banding together to launch a first-of-its-kind study: the Black Professors Study (BPS). This national institutional initiative will create the first integrated epidemiologic, governance, and legal dataset on Black faculty in the United States.

While it’s proven that diverse faculty can improve research innovation, student success, and institutional accountability, Black professors remain underrepresented and structurally unsupported, according to those leading the study.

The dataset is designed to generate “actionable evidence” for university leaders, policymakers, legal stakeholders, and public health leaders to strengthen faculty equity, institutional accountability, academic governance, and inform population health strategy.

According to Pew Research, Black professors constitute only 6% of all faculty in U.S. colleges and universities, compared with 14% of Black students.

As BPS researchers point out, faculty of color continue to report challenges related to workload distribution and institutional climate that may have significant implications for their well-being and retention. Unfortunately, institutions lack systematically collected data on health outcomes among faculty of color, hindering the development of evidence-based interventions.

The BPS will begin at Columbia University before expanding nationwide. The study will include 1,000 Black faculty from diverse U.S. higher education institutions, using stratified random sampling to ensure a representative sample across key dimensions, including institution type, faculty rank, tenure status, and disciplinary field.

This pilot will examine relationships between workplace experiences (e.g., grant terminations), productivity (e.g., time spent working on publications), sleep (e.g., sleep quality), and mental health (e.g., anxiety) among faculty of color.  

“BPS is built to support institutional redesign. The initiative applies population health methods to examine how institutional and legal structures shape the health and career trajectories of Black faculty,” said Dustin T. Duncan, ScD, principal investigator and associate dean for health equity research at Columbia University.

He continued, “We are developing a dataset that can inform how universities govern, policies function in practice, and the law (including court decisions) shapes the lived realities and health of Black faculty.”

RELATED CONTENT: Over 30 Colleges And Universities Cut Ties With Program Promoting Diversity In Academia

Black Enterprise CEO Earl ‘Butch’ Graves Jr. Delivers Powerful Call To Action During ‘Women Of Power’ Legacy Awards Gala
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 11, 2026

Black Enterprise CEO Earl ‘Butch’ Graves Jr. Delivers Powerful Call To Action During ‘Women Of Power’ Legacy Awards Gala

Graves closed by asking attendees to imagine how history will judge today’s moment.

Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. delivered a pointed call to action during his opening remarks at the 2026 Legacy Awards Gala, which marked the 20th anniversary of the BLACK ENTERPRISE Women of Power Summit.

Addressing a room of executives, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders, Graves celebrated two decades of honoring Black women’s leadership while warning that the current climate threatens hard-won progress.

“It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to the Legacy Awards Gala for our 20-year milestone of the one and only Women of Power Summit,” Graves, the president and CEO of BE, said. “At BLACK ENTERPRISE, we will always celebrate the persistence, creativity, determination, diligence, genius, integrity, and faith we draw upon to succeed every day of our lives.”

Graves said the moment demands more than celebration. He noted that the broader environment has grown increasingly hostile to the ambitions of Black Americans—particularly Black women in the workforce.

“We cannot ignore the fact that the current environment has become undeniably hostile to the ambitions of Black people—and especially Black women,” Graves said. “More than 300,000 Black women became unemployed or left the workforce between February and July 2025 alone.”

The Legacy Awards recognize the achievements of prominent women whose careers have reshaped industries and opened doors for future generations.

Graves framed the moment as a test of leadership across corporate America.

“To those of you on boards and in executive suites, regardless of your race or gender: you know what is happening is wrong for your shareholders, employees, and customers,” he said. “It is unacceptable to be present but silent. Silence equals complicity.”

He urged executives to speak out against the growing backlash targeting diversity, equity, and opportunity initiatives.

“It’s time for you to stand up and speak up and say: enough,” Graves said.

The summit’s mission, he emphasized, extends beyond recognition ceremonies and networking opportunities. Graves challenged attendees to view their influence through the lens of generational responsibility.

“These extraordinary times require extraordinary women—and extraordinary action,” he said. “What we do here is about more than being present. It’s about doubling down on the purpose and mission of the Women of Power Summit.”

Graves closed by asking attendees to imagine how history will judge today’s moment.

“One day your grandchildren will ask what you were doing during this time of backlash against diversity and equal opportunity in America,” he said. “Will you have nothing to offer—or will you have used your voice, exercised your influence, and taken a stand?”

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