handshakes,, boys, Baltimore — https://nappy.co/photo/RSVCXh8orarRo95fo8LCw

by Kandiss Edwards

September 8, 2025

That’s Wassup! Baltimore Boys Welcomed Back To School With Manly Handshakes

Baltimore Collegiate scholars were met with handshakes from men across the city to welcome them back to school.

On the first day of school, boys at Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys received more than a simple “welcome back.” The young scholars were met with handshakes from men across their city. The welcome handshake tradition is now in its 11th year.

The gesture offers students a dose of encouragement before they even enter their classrooms. The children filed past a line of male community members, including City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, before being greeted personally with hands and words of affirmation. Many believe the gesture is about more than a greeting. It’s a subtle lesson in presentation.

Baltimore Collegiate School’s CEO Edwin Avent said to 11 Alive, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

For that reason, the boys are encouraged to dress well, tuck in their shirts, wear belts, and polished shoes. On the first day of school, men across the city make it possible to see what that looks like in action. For many of the boys, these handshakes are a daily reminder that the wider community is rooting for their success.

The ritual bridges school and city, connecting young hands to adult support and positive expectation. This welcoming ceremony has become a defining moment for the young students arriving on campus, signaling that their growth, conduct, and presence matter. As they walk from the gate to the classroom, each handshake carries weight. A lingering message that they are seen, valued, and capable of walking confidently toward their future.

Founded in 2015, Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys is a tuition-free public charter serving students in grades 4 through 8. It was created with an urgent mission to disrupt the cradle-to-prison pipeline for young men in Baltimore. The institution offers a rigorous liberal-arts education grounded in character, leadership, and critical thinking. The school blends academics with the arts, debate, athletics, and advisory support to help young boys not only succeed in school but thrive as thoughtful, self-confident community leaders.

Walmart — Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-healthcare-worker-measuring-her-own-blood-pressure-using-a-sphygmomanometer-5721671/

by Jameelah Mullen

September 8, 2025

Thousands Needed For Cancer Study To Improve Black Women’s Health

According to the American Cancer Society, Black women face significantly higher death rates and lower survival rates compared to white women.

Research shows that Black women tend to have the highest death rates of any racial or ethnic group for most cancers. Last year, the American Cancer Society launched a study aimed at researching and improving the health outcomes of Black women disproportionately impacted by the disease. Researchers are seeking 100,000 women to participate, but so far, only 4,000 have enrolled.

The study, “Voices of Black Women,” aims to utilize these studies to help develop specialized treatments for Black women.

“Including Black women in research is a crucial step toward improving cancer outcomes and eliminating disparities. By joining together, we can gain valuable insights into the diverse experiences and health challenges faced by Black women and learn how to deliver culturally competent and effective interventions, treatments, and preventive measures,“ The American Cancer Society says on its website.

Visiting Scientific Director Dr. Lauren McCullough spoke with KCRA News to explain the study and outline the requirements for potential participants. McCullough said that eligible participants must fill out a consent form and a one-hour health history survey covering personal and family medical history, lifestyle habits, and environmental factors related to their home and workplace. They will complete this survey twice a year.

The lead researcher on the project and Senior Vice President of Population Science, Dr. Alpa Patel, acknowledged the history of Black women being victims of medical mistreatment and discrimination, which has caused distrust of medical professionals and may also lead to low participation in studies such as this one.

“That historic mistrust is very real and has been central in the way we’ve designed our approach around this study,” Patel told KCRA News.

Patel noted that the research team and advisory board consist mostly of Black and Brown women who specialize in the health of Black women.

“I often say that we’re doing this with Black women, not for Black women, because this is a partnership,” she said.

The American Cancer Society urges Black women ages 25–55, from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., who have never been diagnosed with cancer, to apply on its website.

South Africa, Freedom Day, Nelson Mandela — (Photo: Getty Images)

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 8, 2025

South Africa’s S.MAB Group Names New CEO, Stays Majority Female-Owned And Led

South Africa’s Black woman-founded S.MAB Group appoints new CEO, keeping leadership in women’s hands.

South Africa’s pioneering Black woman-founded S.MAB Group has appointed a new CEO, continuing its legacy of being led by Black women.

On Sept. 3, Glad Dibetso was announced as the new CEO of S.MAB Group, a diversified, women-led South African agency and training academy offering healthcare placement, aviation training, property, and uniform design, Tech Financials reports. Dibetso brings extensive experience in scaling organizations and driving transformation, strengthening S.MAB’s legacy as a pioneering, female-founded enterprise.

“As I step into the role of CEO of S.MAB Group, my vision is clear: scale with impact,” Dibetso said in a statement. “We are building a stronger, more connected organisation that expands beyond today into the future of healthcare and beyond. Our immediate focus is opening new offices in Limpopo and Mpumalanga (Mbombela), bringing our services closer to the healthcare professionals and clients who trust us, and ensuring that excellence is within reach wherever it’s needed.”

Founder Snoekie Mabena-Saleh will remain as chairperson, while former CEO Koketso Dibetso, who has led the company since 2019, transitions to chief operating officer to focus on operations and innovation.

“Glad’s appointment as CEO reflects our commitment to growth, innovation, and opportunity,” Mabena-Saleh said. “Even as we evolve, S.MAB remains proudly majority female-owned and led. Our next chapter is about scaling with purpose — delivering excellent work for our clients while shaping the growth of the next decade.”

S.MAB has a long legacy of women-led professional training. Founder Snoekie Mabena-Saleh launched S.MAB Agency in 1999 as South Africa’s first Black female-owned nursing agency in Pretoria/Tshwane. She was later joined by her daughter in leading the company.

Over 26 years, S.MAB has grown to include S.MAB Agency, S.MAB Training Academy, a flight attendant program boasting a 100% SACAA pass rate; S.MAB Properties, offering student housing, rentals, and property investments; and S.MAB Designs, specializing in uniforms and apparel.

“At S.MAB, our strength lies in the diversity of our brands and the impact they create,” said company COO Koketso Dibetso. “Through S.MAB Agency, we empower healthcare professionals with opportunities to serve where they are needed most. Our Training Academy continues to set the standard for excellence, equipping young people with world-class skills for aviation careers. And through S.MAB Designs, delivering premium uniforms and custom designs with precision, quality, and innovation. As COO, my focus is on ensuring that each of these businesses not only grows but delivers consistently, with innovation and care at the centre of everything we do.”

u.s. dollar, decline — (Photo: Pepi Stojanovski/Unsplash)

by Daniel Johnson

September 7, 2025

Marques Colston And Nick Edwards’ Champion Venture Partners Opens Evergreen Sports Asset Fund

Colston pointed out that accessibility is a core part of the vision that he and his partner collaborated on when they started CVP approximately two years ago.

Former New Orleans Saints great Marques Colston and former mixed martial artist Nick Edwards are launching an evergreen sports asset fund, Champion Fund, through the pair’s investment firm, Champion Venture Partners.

The fund, which is evergreen, is designed to lower the threshold of entry as low as $500, which is inexpensive in the private equity space.

As Edwards told Front Office Sports, “The juice has to be worth the squeeze. We wanted to make sure it makes sense for people to invest.”

Colston also pointed out that accessibility is a core part of the vision that he and Edwards collaborated on when they started CVP approximately two years ago.

“The vision was always to have at least one arm of our firm that was accessible to every investor. The Champion Fund allows us to do that,” Colston noted.

Edwards believes that instead of putting money into the coin slot machine that is DraftKings or any sports betting app, “you can have some meaningful ownership. We think of it like a mutual fund. After you invest, you can see all the logos and know that you own part of this team, you own part of this stadium.”

He continued, “We don’t do high-risk VC investment. All of these are known names and brands, they just happen to be private, off-market deals that we get through our deal flow, and pass along to investors.”

“This vehicle is a way to open up an asset class that is ubiquitous, that everyone enjoys and participates in—whether you’re an athlete, fan, coach, administrator, or parent who has a kid in youth sports,” Colston said.

As he told Forbes, his retirement from the NFL in 2015 after the Saints released him due to injury, spurred Colston to explore his options in order to maximize his post-NFL earning potential while he still had at least some of the $40 million he earned during his playing career.

“Once you retire, whether you retire on your own volition or they kick you out and say you can’t play anymore, you’re kind of left bridging the gap between your playing career and when you can access your benefits, and it’s really hard to to find opportunities to make the same kind of money,” he said.

To date, the firm has created approximately $100 million in portfolio value through equity sales, enterprise growth and other means, including deals in European football and ticketing ventures, but as he indicated in an interview with Sportico in February, he wants to create increased access and education for athletes curious about the venture capital space.

“A lot of people have made money off your back as an athlete,” Colston said. “Can we open some doors to where you can participate in the economy that you’ve created?

“I’ve always seen the education gap when it comes to athletes and venture capital. You get tired of the mascot roles coming up over and over…There’s been a lack of access. It’s about how as a collective, can we take this opportunity as athletes to educate and share deals with each other?”

Angel Reese, Women’s Sports, Togethxr — (Photo: John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

by Daniel Johnson

September 7, 2025

Angel Reese Joins Athlete-Led Media Company Togethxr’s Ownership Group

Reese joined the already star-studded ownership group as part of the group's second wave of women investors.

Angel Reese, the Chicago Sky’s superstar second-year forward, has joined TOGETHXR’s star-studded ownership group as part of the group’s second wave of women investors.

The media and commerce company, best known for its “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” slogan, is principally concerned with exploding the popularity of women’s sports.

TOGETHXR was co-founded by four legendary athletes: Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, Simone Manuel, and Chloe Kim .

https://twitter.com/togethxr/status/1963650116230766816?s=19

“Joining TOGETHXR’s ownership group means so much to me because it’s more than just being part of a platform—it’s about changing the way women in sports are seen and celebrated. I’ve always wanted to use my voice and my game to open doors for others, and TOGETHXR is doing exactly that. I’m proud to join this group of trailblazing athletes and excited to help move the incredible stories and overall visibility of women in sports forward,” Reese said in a Sept. 4 press release.

Per release, @togethxr welcomes Angel Reese — “basketball star, cultural icon, and the ultimate multihyphenate” — to its athlete ownership group, commemorating her addition with a limited edition jersey. “Joining TOGETHXR’s ownership group means so much to me because it’s more… pic.twitter.com/PZOoN87kBF
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) September 4, 2025

The group wasted little time capitalizing on the popularity of Reese, and announced in the press release that it would be collaborating on a limited-edition Angel Reese oversized unisex jersey, which currently retails on its site for $80.

“When you think about the athletes owning their competitive arenas and transcending culture, Angel Reese is a natural complement to the remarkable and influential leaders we’re proud to welcome to TOGETHXR,” Morgan, a former captain with USA Soccer, said in the press release. “As the athletes who join us contribute to elevating the visibility of women’s sports through TOGETHXR, it remains a priority for us to champion them in return.”

As Reese told USA Today, she believes she can help the group.

“It’s huge for me,” Reese, a two-time WNBA All-Star, told the outlet. “It means standing alongside women who aren’t just legends in their sports, but real trailblazers in business and culture. They’ve opened doors for so many of us, and now I get to lock arms with them and keep pushing things forward. That’s powerful. It’s not so much about teaching them as it is about joining them, and bringing a fresh perspective into everything they’ve already been doing so well. The foundation is here, and I’m excited to help it keep building.”

Bird, who joined Minnesota Lynx legends Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles in the Naismith Memorial Basketball of Fame on Sept. 6, noted that Reese’s relentless desire to challenge the status quo is exactly what TOGETHXR has been built to do.

“TOGETHXR was built to challenge the system and prove what we’ve always known: that women in sports set the standard, shift the story, and drive the conversations that matter,” Bird said. “Angel Reese is already doing that. She brings a confidence and leadership that not only defines her but adds to the legacy we’re building as we continue to push women’s sports forward.”

“For me, it’s about being part of something bigger than myself—something that represents what I believe in both on and off the court. The co-founders have set the tone by dominating in their sports and using their voices to create real change. I want to bring that same energy, that same drive, and keep elevating women’s sports to the next level,” Reese added.

DOJ, trafficking victims — Photo by Peter E/Flickr

by Daniel Johnson

September 7, 2025

Is That Not Suspicious? Justice Dept. Threatens Investigation After NC County Releases Reparations Recommendations

The Department of Justice threatened to investigate one day after reparations recommendations were presented to Buncombe County.

The federal government has sent the clearest signal yet that it has taken a direct interest in the local application of reparations.

Only one day after the Asheville-Buncombe Community Reparations Commission submitted its suggestions on actions that Buncombe County, the county that houses Asheville, North Carolina, could take, the Department of Justice threatened to investigate if those suggestions are adopted.

The Asheville Watchdog obtained the Sept. 4 letter the DOJ sent the county.

“The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division has recently become aware of concerning recommendations presented to you by the Asheville-Buncombe County Community Reparations Commission. After our initial review, we are deeply concerned that many of the recommendations, if implemented, would violate federal civil rights laws,” Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, wrote.

Dhillon continued, “My office will be closely monitoring your actions. To the extent these recommendations are formally adopted, you are now on notice that my office stands ready to investigate and enforce violations of federal civil rights laws to the fullest extent possible.”

According to the Reparations Commission report, the “city of Asheville and Buncombe County took a historic step by passing resolutions to launch a Community Reparations process addressing the enduring harms of systemic racism. This bold action positioned the region as a national leader in reparative justice.”

The report continued, offering recommendations that included “establishing a Black wealth-building fund, creating community land trusts, expanding access to culturally responsive healthcare, reimagining school curricula to reflect Black history, and transforming public safety systems. The recommendations also call for ongoing accountability through a permanent reparations oversight body.”

Dwight Mullen, a retired University of North Carolina Asheville political science professor as well as the former chair of the Reparations Commission, noted, “There’s consistency there, and the Trump administration has responded by, well, let’s cut off the data…because somehow that’s racist.”

Despite this, “the resources we have can’t compare to the resources that can be marshaled by the federal government,” Mullen noted. “It’s an unfair fight.”

Compare the Trump administration’s resistance to a local reparations package for Black people with Trump’s overt signal in March that he was potentially considering reparations for the January 6 insurrectionists, who were largely white Americans to Newsmax host Greg Kelly.

“Well, there’s talk about that,” Trump told Kelly. “We have a lot of people…a lot of the people that are in government now talk about it because…really like that group of people. They were patriots as far as I was concerned. They were treated so unfairly, so horribly.”

As Sen. Cory Booker (D-NI) noted when he reintroduced the “Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act,” America has failed to repay Black Americans collectively for its original sin of enslavement.

“We as a nation have not yet truly acknowledged and grappled with the ways slavery, racism, and white supremacy continue to disadvantage African Americans,” Booker stated. “Commissioning a study to understand better where our country has fallen short will help lawmakers better address the racial disparities and inequalities that persist today as a result of generational injustices. Any conversation about compensation for insurrectionists while refusing even a serious study of reparations for the descendants of slavery shows just how far we have to go.”

College Applications, Student, College Board, essays — (Photo: fauxels/Pexels)

by Daniel Johnson

September 7, 2025

College Board Quietly Axes Tool To Help Colleges Identify High-Achieving, Disadvantaged Students

In the wake of the Supreme Court's sunset of affirmative action and the Trump administration's subsequent attacks on DEI, enrollment numbers of Black and Latinx students have decreased.

The College Board has quietly discontinued a tool that helped universities identify high-achieving students from disadvantaged schools and neighborhoods, following the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling striking down race-based affirmative action.

That program, Landscape, does not search by race, but instead allows universities to search various categories related to the socioeconomic status of students across the country to allow universities to identify talented, but overlooked and under-resourced students in order to broaden their base of academic talent.

According to The New York Times, the move to shutter the program comes less than a month after the White House indicated it would be cracking down on alleged “hidden racial proxies,” which it alleges schools use to find minority applicants.

Though it is unclear if that is the purpose for which the program was developed and used, Landscape had been the subject of a review by the same conservative activist group responsible for challenging affirmative action before the Supreme Court, Students for Fair Admissions.

Like the decisions of some businesses to cancel their diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, and the reformation or cancellation of diversity, equity and inclusion departments by universities, the College Board’s decision seems guided by an instinct to avoid legal battles and lawsuits.

Interestingly enough, Richard D. Kahlenberg, director of the American Identity Project at the Progressive Policy Institute, who also once served as an expert witness for Students for Fair Admissions, believes the choice to close the program is a misstep by the College Board.

“It is race-neutral and its use is perfectly legal,” he told the New York Times.

According to a statement that the College Board, a non-profit entity, provided to Reuters, “As federal and state policy continues to evolve around how institutions use demographic and geographic information in admissions, we are making a change to ensure our work continues to effectively serve students and institutions.”

In a 2022 study by the Brookings Institute, the chances of admission increased for students from disadvantaged backgrounds but the chance of enrollment for those same students did not change after universities used Landscape tool, which it noted is consistent with other research.

“While there is an association between race and class, neither is an accurate proxy for the other,” the report said. .

What is evident, however, is that in the wake of the Supreme Court’s sunset of affirmative action and the Trump administration’s subsequent attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, the enrollment numbers of Black and Latinx students have decreased both at the undergraduate and graduate program levels.

Masters, Megan Thee Stallion, Adin Ross — Megan Thee Stallion at the 2023 Video Music Awards. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for MTV)

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

September 7, 2025

Adin Ross Says Megan Thee Stallion And Roc Nation Served Him Papers Through A Mariachi Band

Ross says the stunt was an effort to serve him legal papers in litigation surrounding Megan Thee Stallion's legal battle with Tory Lanez.

Adin Ross says he was served by Megan Thee Stallion and Roc Nation’s legal team through unusual means.

During a livestream conversation with DJ Akademiks, Ross asserted that a mariachi band lured him out his home to receive the deposition. Akademiks’ brand account posted a clip of the story.

Adin Ross reveals to Akademiks that Meg the stallions Roc nation lawyers sent a mariachi band to his house to try and bait him to come outside so they could serve him for a deposition, and Akademiks says that roc nation have asked a federal New Jersey court to have him deposed… pic.twitter.com/PtpOaR8x3w
— Akademiks TV (@AkademiksTV) September 4, 2025

“Listen to what the lawyers did. They called a mariachi to my house,” said Ross. “They called a mariachi, like a Mexican band, to perform outside my house […] to make me want to come outside so they can serve me the paper.”

Ross backed up his claims with apparent proof of the mariachi players performing outside his house through surveillance footage. He only later found out through his security what the pop-up really meant.

However, Ross is not being directly sued by Megan or the Jay-Z-founded entertainment company. Instead, the papers were part of the “Savage” rapper’s ongoing litigation against Tory Lanez. Megan accused Lanez of launching a smear campaign against her amid his trial for shooting her.

Akademiks also fit as the choice to disclose this serving too, considering he is also being tapped as a witness, according to Complex. Both men have been subpoenaed and are not particularly delighted about it. Although unverified, Ross adamantly believes that the mariachi band was a tactic from Megan’s defense team.

Akademiks, on the other hand, called the alleged stunt “harassment” and said Megan and Roc Nation want him deposed again.

Neither Megan nor Roc Nation has confirmed the matter.

unemployment, AI, Black women, jobs — Photo by cottonbro studio/Pexels

by Daniel Johnson

September 7, 2025

Black Women Hit Hardest: Surging Job Losses Signal Economic Crisis Ahead

Economists warn that rising Black unemployment numbers are a dark omen.

One month after Donald Trump took the extraordinary step of firing Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the first jobs report delivered under its acting commissioner, longtime BLS figure William Wiatrowski, carries a message of impending doom for the American economy.

According to Yahoo Finance, the reason is that the prospects of Black workers, both male and female workers, are at their most dismal since the COVID-19 pandemic, a situation that portends disaster for the economy writ large.

The unemployment rate for Black men is 7.1%; for Black women it is just a tick lower, coming in at 6.7%.

As Gary Hoover, an economist at Tulane University, told the outlet, “What we find typically is that the unemployment rates that you see for the young, for Blacks—and particularly Black males—are a telltale sign of the direction of the economy and what we can expect to see hit overall in a few months.”

The unemployment rate for Black teenagers, like it is for adult Black American workers, is also of concern. Black teenage unemployment, that is, the employment rate for individuals between the ages of 16 and 19, sits at 24.8% which far outstrips the overall Black employment rate of 7.5% recorded in August.

According to Gbenga Ajilore, chief economist at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Black unemployment rate is a “canary in the coal mine.”

He added that “If it’s steadily starting to go up, that portends that the economy might be heading toward a downturn.”

Ajilore noted that Black unemployment numbers often signal an impending economic crash due to the fact that in the American job market, Black workers are often the first fired but the last hired. Black workers are also overrepresented in the federal government, which has seen significant overturn since Trump’s inauguration in January.

“Across the board, you’re seeing industries that employ large amounts of Black people either stagnant or in decline,” said Joseph Dean, a research economist at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a nonprofit group

Axios reports that in August, the unemployment rate for Black women jumped up to 7.5%, a figure that sharply outpaces that group’s 5.4% unemployment rate in January and the 6.7% figure reported by Yahoo Finance.

“The layoffs at the federal level, where Black people are more represented, the impacts of the tariffs, particularly on small businesses that hire Black women, and the overall use of DEI as a slur, which may be contributing to a lack of hiring of Black women, all of these factors are probably at play,” Andre Perry, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, told Bloomberg in June.

As Daniella Zessoules noted in her analysis for Dēmos, “Black women’s work is concentrated in sectors that are the backbone of our economy, so when they see gains like higher wages, stronger protections, and better working conditions, those benefits ripple outward. Conversely, when Black women are being pushed out or shut out, it’s not a side issue; it’s a warning sign that our economic system is failing.”