• Sports

by Daniel Johnson

August 24, 2025

Warner Bros. Takes A Shot At A Kobe Bryant Film

The script is described by insiders as 'Moneyball' meets 'Air.'

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Warner Bros.’ bold bets on films in 2025 have paid off at the box office, and the studio is likely hoping its latest acquisition, a speculative script chronicling the late Kobe Bryant’s rise to becoming a Los Angeles Laker, follows the success of recent hits like Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” James Gunn’s “Superman,” and Zach Cregger’s “Weapons.”

According to Variety, the project from screenwriters Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen had attracted the interest of several studios. Instead of dealing with a potential auction, the studio opted to pick up the script, which has been tentatively titled “With The 8th Pick,” although the Charlotte Hornets actually took Bryant with the 13th pick.

As the story regarding Bryant’s draft night goes, the Hornets traded Bryant’s draft rights to the Lakers in exchange for center Vlade Divac, however, then-New Jersey Nets General Manager John Nash has expressed that he intended to draft the future Hall of Famer with the 8th pick, but was overruled by current University of Arkansas head basketball coach John Calipari.

The script is described by insiders as “Moneyball” meets “Air,” the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon picture that details how Nike courted the player Bryant patterned much of his game after, His Airness, Michael Jordan.

“Air” details the competing negotiations of Jordan’s rookie season in 1984, when he almost signed with another shoe company, but instead chose Nike, transforming that shoe brand and pop culture in the process.

According to Variety, when they asked representatives of Warner Bros. about the project, they didn’t give a comment.

Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-Star, played all 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the organization to win five championships, including a rare three-peat alongside Shaquille O’Neal in the early 2000s. Eventually, Bryant would supplant even Magic Johnson as the greatest Los Angeles Laker ever. Like Magic, he was drafted to the organization and never left, while he delivered multiple championships.

According to The New York Times, Bryant’s long-time marriage to his wife, Vanessa, was threatened in 2003 when he was accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old woman.

It wasn’t until 2018, seven months after he won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, that he and the world were reminded of his transgressions after a petition created bad press, and he was dropped from a film festival jury.

“This is an urgent time to say NO to toxic and violent behavior against women, the petition said in an effort to call on organizers of the Animation Is Film Festival to distance themselves from Bryant.

Kobe, as he had done in the past, declined to discuss the sexual assault case, only remarking that he was “disappointed” and wanted to focus on creating “diverse stories, characters and leadership” through which he hoped to change the world.

Bryant’s escape of his legal troubles after the accuser refused to testify birthed his “Black Mamba” alter-ego, which in turn begat the Mamba Sports Academy, Mamba Mentality commercial spots with Nike, and the nickname “Mambacita” for his daughter Gianna, whom he would often take to WNBA games with him before they died in a fiery helicopter crash alongside seven others in January 2020.

RELATED CONTENT: Upper Deck Basketball Card Featuring Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan Expected To Auction For Over $6M

• Legal

by Daniel Johnson

August 23, 2025

Woman Sought Court Protection Multiple Times Before Being Fatally Shot By Ex At Detroit Hospital

Detroit Police arrested the suspect in the shooting death of Latricia Green, her ex-husband, Mario Green.

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On Aug. 23, the Detroit Police Department announced that it had captured Mario Green, the alleged suspect in the shooting at the Henry Ford Hospital in the early morning hours. Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison referred to Green as a “monster” in his initial statement to the press.

“Our officers worked tirelessly to get this monster off the street. We have the best police department across the country, and I would like to thank our law enforcement partners who assisted us in apprehending Mario Green, along with the community, who gave us numerous tips about the suspect. No person deserves what happened to Ms. Latricia Green, and my heart and prayers go out to her family,” Bettison said.

The murder of Latricia Green involved Mario Green walking into the hospital on Aug. 22 and shooting his ex-wife at her job, as he claimed to be dropping off some of her things. Per witness accounts, she told him to leave, but he refused, and they argued briefly before he produced a gun and shot her.

Her family members, such as her cousin, Deantjuan Jones, are still trying to process her shooting death.

“When you see his picture, it’s like, ‘I know him.’ And to think that it happened at the place where she worked. When you say ex-wife, it just kind of clicked a little bit, like you didn’t have to say who it was,” Jones told ABC 7. “She was such a sweet person; she didn’t deserve what happened to her at all.”

Despite their chief’s claim that they are the best police department in the country, the police denied Green’s protective order request in June even though she said that her ex-husband “continued to call my job and threaten to meet employees outside” and that he “showed up to my job and tried to enter my office without my approval to get to me.”

She filed another request a little over a month later, on July 20, wherein she pleaded, “I have tried being cordial because I feel that the system has now let me down each time that I have tried to make reports on this man. My father was murdered, and now with this situation, I am now in mental distress and scared, not knowing what to do…”

She continued, “I have to constantly look over my shoulder to make sure this man is not following me to hurt me like he has done in the past with physical abuse. I am asking for help before this goes too far, and things are too late.”

This time her request was granted, but unfortunately, as she warned the police, they were too late in serving the protection order to her ex-husband.

According to her cousin, Rodney Hickman, his behavior had escalated as recently as last week.

“As early as last week, a friend told me he followed her home from work and ran her off the road, so she made another police report. We’re not sitting here gonna point the finger, but at the same time, she was a woman crying out for help.”

Henry Ford Hospital also released its own statement about the shooting death of its employee, noting that the police considered it an act of targeted domestic violence.

“At Henry Ford Health, we are family. We are devastated by the loss of our Henry Ford Hospital teammate, and our hearts go out to her loved ones—her family, friends, and the people she worked with every day. Police have confirmed this was a targeted act of domestic violence. At this time, all questions regarding what occurred should be directed to the Detroit Police Department. We are cooperating with their investigation and are conducting our own internal investigation as well.”

The hospital continued, “We understand this tragedy is wide-reaching, and we recognize and sympathize with the pain this has caused. We are providing resources to our team members who are dealing with the impacts of this tragic incident. The safety and well-being of our patients, visitors, and team members is our greatest priority.”

RELATED CONTENT: Olympian Runner Gabby Thomas Fears Potential ‘Stalkers’

• Health and Wellness

by Daniel Johnson

August 23, 2025

Medicaid Cuts Poised To Have Disproportionate Impact On Black Children

The Medicaid cuts contained in Trump's so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill' are poised to potentially disproportionately impact Black women and children.

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The Medicaid cuts contained in Donald Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” are poised to potentially disproportionately impact Black women and children, standing to make already divergent health outcomes for Black Americans even worse.

According to Politico, the NAACP is warning that, in addition to the adverse effects on Medicaid, Trump’s budget is also anticipated to detrimentally affect high-poverty schools, maternal mortality rates, and Black families in need of critical care.

Per research from the Pew Research Center, Black Americans, who constitute approximately 14% of the population, make up more than 20% of people who are on Medicaid, and 60% of all Black children are enrolled in the program, which further highlights the necessity of the program’s funding.

As Patrice Willoughby, the chief of Policy and Legislative Affairs for the NAACP, told Politico, “States right now are having to make decisions on what services they’re going to cut … and their allocation of funding toward this population. It is unconscionable that Congress would leave American children, which are the future of the country, without the supports that they need and the interventions that they need to contribute meaningfully to develop to their fullest potential.”

She continued, “We know that Black boys, particularly if they’re having a learning disability, you’ve got to catch it by third grade in order to be able statistically to remediate it. Schools can often be the first points of contact to identify a health problem with a lower-income child that is affecting their schoolwork, and then make the appropriate referrals.”

Willoughby is far from the only advocate pointing out the potential disaster of the cuts to Black families, in May, Capital B News spoke to a Black 60-year-old grandmother who lives in Memphis, Tennessee; Arlita Walker, who represents the average Medicaid recipient.

Like many Americans on Medicaid, she was apprehensive about the looming cuts. Not long after speaking to the outlet, Walker, who had been having health issues, died on June 3.

As U.S. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) told the outlet at the time, “Medicaid has been a lifeline for millions of families in this country, but it has also helped us address critical disparities in health for Black communities. Without access to this care, we risk exacerbating deep-rooted inequalities and putting lives at risk.”

According to The Century Foundation, Medicaid doubles as a source of healthcare for students and a source of payment for school-based health services and across the country, in both Democratic and Republican controlled districts, as a direct result of losing access to Medicaid, millions of students stand to suffer lower academic achievement, higher rates of absenteeism, poorer mental health, and even wider educational disparities.

This kind of semi-universal coverage is spotlighted by a March KFF poll that indicates that a minority of Americans (17%) want to see Medicaid cuts. Over half of Americans (53%) have either themselves or a family member has received Medicaid assistance at some point, further highlighting the disconnect between the Republican Party and the constituents they claim to represent.

According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, which examines the Medicaid cuts in the context of the Trump administration’s favorable tax policy for the wealthy, the cuts are expected to have a disastrous effect on the country as a whole.

“These cuts will not just cause harm to individual families; they will cascade, leading to hospital closures in rural counties, higher medical debt, lower earnings from future workers who will suffer from poorer health decades from now, and could even put upward pressure on federal budget deficits in the long run. In the very near term, these cuts will make the United States economy far more vulnerable to any recessionary shock. Nothing about this policy package—tax cuts mostly for the rich and benefit cuts for the vulnerable—is good for the vast majority of families in this country,” the Economic Policy Institute warned.

RELATED CONTENT: How The Senate’s Plan For Massive Medicaid Cuts Will Hinder The African American Community

• Politics

by Daniel Johnson

August 23, 2025

Winsome Earle-Sears Targeted By Racist Sign, Virginia Leaders Condemn Incident

As Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears spoke at an Arlington School Board meeting, a crowd of citizens rallied outside in support of trans students, where a racist sign targeting Earle-Sears was also displayed.

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While Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears addressed the Arlington School Board on Aug. 21, supporters of trans students held a rally outside the meeting.

At the meeting, the school board was slated to discuss its policy regarding a bathroom policy for trans children after the district received threats from the U.S. Department of Education that it would cut federal funding if trans children were allowed to use gender neutral bathrooms.

Unbeknownst to Earle-Sears, one sign held up by an older white woman outside of the meeting that referred to her by name also seemed to equivocate her stance on gender neutral bathrooms with whites-only water fountains of the Civil Rights era.

On one side, the poster read, “Hey Winsome, you have a gender neutral bathroom in your house,” but on the reverse side, it read, “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then Blacks can’t share my water fountain.”

As ABC 8 reported, that sign has been decried by Virginia’s Republicans and Democrats alike, including by Earle-Sears herself, as racist.

Earle-Sears, aligned with the Trump administration and its Department of Education stance on gender-neutral bathrooms, recently claimed—despite widespread debunking—that the policy could allow male sex offenders to enter girls’ restrooms by identifying as transgender.

As the sign’s prominence spread online, amplified by local Virginia journalist and the man who runs Virginia Scope, Brandon Jarvis, the criticism of the sign took on a strange dynamic, while Democrats decried the sign, including the Democratic nominee for governor, Abigail Spanberger, Republican supporters seemed to believe that their state’s Democrats largely supported the sign’s message.

However, according to Jarvis, Spanberger’s communications team sent him a response decrying the sign, “Abigail condemns this repulsive display. It’s racist, abhorrent, and unacceptable.”

In response to Earle-Sears’ statements at the meeting, Spanberger released a separate statement focusing on her opponent’s record regarding the defunding of public schools.

“While Abigail’s opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears stokes division and backs the Trump Administration’s threats to strip funding from Virginia schools, as Virginia’s next Governor, Abigail will work to protect public school funding, address the Commonwealth’s chronic teacher shortage, and contend with our last-in-the-nation math recovery ranking. While Winsome Earle-Sears has a decades-long record of trying to defund Virginia’s public schools — and has offered no plan to increase student achievement, Abigail will continue to focus on preparing students for success and bringing Virginia parents to the table,” Spanberger said.

As Virginia debates the merits of gender neutral bathrooms, Colorado’s East High School has responded to a Department of Education investigation by making two of its boys’ and girls’ bathrooms into gender-inclusive bathrooms.

Meanwhile, the DOE ruled on Aug. 20 that five northern Virginia school districts, including Arlington, violated Title IX by allowing students to use restrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity. DOE Secretary Linda McMahon described the ruling as their punishment for “choosing to abide by woke gender ideology in place of federal law.”

RELATED CONTENT: Virginia’s Black Female Republican Lt. Gov. Slams Jemele Hill After Sports Writer Blames White Supremacy For Her Win

• Politics

by Daniel Johnson

August 23, 2025

Trump: ‘African-American Ladies Are Saying, ‘Please, President Trump, Come To Chicago,’ Clean Up Crime. Black Women: ‘We Didn’t Invite You’

Trump says he wants to send the National Guard to Chicago.

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On Aug. 22, Donald Trump made his latest move to expand what many consider a hostile federal takeover of an American city that he believes is overrun with crime, targeting Chicago and its Black mayor, Brandon Johnson, for his next experiment in authoritarianism.

According to People Magazine, Trump inexplicably asserted to reporters inside the Oval Office that Black people in Chicago, in particular, Black women, are begging for his help. “After we do this, we will go to another location and make it safe also. Chicago is a mess, you have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent. We’ll straighten that one out. That will probably be our next one after this,” Trump told reporters.

He continued, “It won’t even be tough. The people of Chicago… are screaming for us to come. They’re wearing red hats, just like this one,” a statement referring to his refreshed red hat design that reads “Trump Was Right About Everything.” Trump kept spinning his tale. “African-American ladies, beautiful ladies, are saying, ‘Please President Trump, come to Chicago, please.’ I did great with the Black vote, as you know. They want something to happen.”

Trump did not actually “do great” with the Black vote, according to an analysis from Pew Research, he only captured around 15% of the Black vote nationally, and in other, more targeted breakdowns, he performed terribly among Black women specifically, approximately 90% of Black women supported then-Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to become the first Black female president of the United States.

In addition, as Sydney Carr-Glenn, a political scientist at the College of the Holy Cross, told The 19th News, Black women are the electoral group that has both reached new levels of political power and currently provides the staunchest resistance to Trump and his agenda. It stands to reason that his use of these seemingly random Black women is an attempt to subvert these developments.

According to Wendy Via, the co-founder and CEO of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, Trump’s moves against Black mayors stand out to her as “part of the authoritarian playbook” to create an “enemy” that can be conjured up in an effort to justify more extreme military action and policies that take away the rights of Americans in those cities.

“I do not think it is an accident that the mayors he’s gone after have been Black women, because another trait of authoritarianism is demonizing communities that have a history of being marginalized,” Via told The 19th. “When you can send in the troops and it’s a Black woman leader on the receiving end, then it’s not such a big deal to send in the troops — because they’re already the enemy, and they must not be capable of managing their city.”

Though Chicago is run by a Black man, not a Black woman, the tactics that Via ascribed to Trump and his administration are largely the same, and much like his push to take over Washington D.C., his focus on crime is an age-old dog whistle that Black people in America need monitoring.

According to Block Club Chicago, Johnson responded to Trump’s threat with his own statement, calling Trump’s crime strategy “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound.”

He continued, hinting at the progress Chicago has made regarding crime during his tenure. “Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities. An unlawful deployment would be unsustainable and would threaten to undermine the historic progress we have made.”

Mayor Johnson concluded, “We know that our communities are safest when we fully invest in housing, community safety, and education. The National Guard will not alleviate the housing crisis. It will not put food in the stomachs of the 1 in 4 children that go to bed hungry every night in Chicago…There are many things the federal government could do to help us reduce crime and violence in Chicago, but sending in the military is not one of them.”

RELATED CONTENT: Trump Announces Federal Law Enforcement Surge In D.C., Pledges Removal of Homeless Encampments, Despite City’s 30-Year Low In Crime

• News

by Daniel Johnson

August 23, 2025

Majority Of Americans Believe Anti-Black Racism Is Widespread

Non-Latinx Black adults constitute the highest population to share this view.

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According to a new Gallup poll, a majority of Americans—and a supermajority of Black Americans—believe that anti-Black racism is widespread in the United States. The 64% of Americans who think this particular brand of racism is widespread is tied with its polls from 2021 and is the highest figure recorded in its periodic polls since 2008.

As might be expected, non-Latinx Black adults constitute the highest population to share this view, 83% of those respondents said that anti-Black racism is prevalent in the United States, followed by Latinx (64%) and non-Latinx white adults (61%). Notably, in 2008, when Gallup first posed this question, amid the candidacy and election of Barack Obama, only 56% of Americans thought anti-Black racism was a problem, and when he took office the next year, it went down to 51%.

However, by 2015, the next year of Gallup’s poll, following several high-profile cases of Black Americans killed by the police, that figure hit its inflection point, measuring 60%, and has not dipped below that mark since.

Despite the insistence of Donald Trump and his Republican Party in recent years that anti-white racism is prevalent, most Americans do not share that view; only 29% of respondents in the latest poll believe that it’s widespread, in contrast to the previous polling in 2016, when it came in at 41%.

Moreover, the perception of unfairness when Black people are dealing with the police, receiving healthcare, shopping at stores or shopping malls, at work, in restaurants or bars or entertainment venues, and when in neighborhood shops, among adults in the United States has been steadily increasing since 2018, and all are either at record or near-record figures, reflecting a higher proportion of all racial groups believing that Black people in their communities are treated unfairly.

As it relates to civil rights, although the polling indicates that while the majority of white Americans believe that civil rights for Black people have improved during their lifetimes, that figure is lower than it has been in the past.

However, as a longer view of the public opinion regarding civil rights by Cornell University’s Roper Center points out, over time, the gap between Black and white sentiment regarding civil rights has been steadily narrowing. This has been driven in large part by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, largely considered the most transformative piece of legislation for the lives of Americans, in particular, Black Americans, over the last half-century.

In a 2024 treatise on the legacy of the Civil Rights Act, honoring its 60th anniversary at American University, one of its professors, Omekongo Dibinga, expounded on what made that particular act so profound, particularly in terms of who is considered an American.

According to Dibinga, it was a “landmark decision” which “really set the standard for any fight for equality in the United States.”

He continued, further contextualizing the legislation, “For Black people, it was the belief that, within this real time, within this real period, we can actually start having access to making America, as Dr. King said, as good as its promise for everybody. To actually put this down on paper, the immediate effect for Black people was: it was very powerful, and it meant so much to the community.”

He concluded, “All of the amendments that Black people have fought for in this country, they never only benefited Black people. Any type of discrimination suit that has been used against Black people that was challenged with the Civil Rights Act has been used by other groups. Every time we fought for rights in this country, we’ve made rights more expansive for other people. I think that’s one of the greatest legacies of the Civil Rights Act because when you look at it, you’re saying that this country belongs to everybody. And if it’s going to belong to everybody, everybody should have equal protection.”

RELATED CONTENT: Blame DEI: Poll Reveals Less Americans Believe In Racial Discrimination Against Black People

• Business

by Sharelle B. McNair

August 23, 2025

Companies Continue To Soar Under Black Leadership, Just Ask Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison

The proud CEO hasn't been silent about his blooming success, highlighting all the ways the company has grown under his leadership like putting employees on the track for growth.

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Recently celebrating seven years as Lowe’s CEO, Marvin Ellison has taken the home improvement company to higher heights in addition to performing well on Wall Street, AfroTech reports. 

Ellison made history as the first Black executive to serve as CEO of two Fortune 500 companies — joining Lowe’s in 2018 and previously working with JCPenney. Also having a hand at leadership roles, including serving as a director at Target and executive vice president at The Home Depot, he celebrated his leadership milestone by honoring hard work and joining some of his thousands of employees who make Lowe’s stores such a pleasant environment. “I celebrated my 7-year anniversary at Lowe’s the same way I began – in the aisles of our stores. It was an honor to receive my service badge from the hard-working Associates at Store 2304 in Chicago, led by Store Manager Brian Smagacz, DM Tim Lucas, and RVP Charles Reasonova,” he wrote on LinkedIn. 

“I thank God for his continued blessings & favor!”

The proud CEO hasn’t been silent about his blooming success, highlighting all the ways the company has grown under his leadership, like putting employees on the track for growth. “Lowe’s has committed $50 million, over five years, to train 50,000 individuals in skill trades. There is a critical shortage of skilled trades workers in the US, and Lowe’s is honored to be part of the solution,” he wrote. 

Ellison’s leadership also proved its worth in the stock market. Billionaire Africa celebrated Lowe’s strong performance on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), raising the stock by 16.1% — from $215 in July to $249.7 — in just one month. In addition to Lowe’s generating $83.7 billion in revenue and roughly $7 billion in profits, Ellison is among nine other leaders on the list of top Black CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company in 2025. 

It could be his love for blue-collar and lower-level workers that makes him such a good leader. Ellison has been a strong and vocal advocate for Gen Z workers to keep their eyes on the cash register and not on the corporate corner offices as much. During the Business Roundtable’s CEO Workforce Forum in Washington, DC, in June 2025, the CEO touched on the dangers of AI coming in to take jobs and gave a sneak peek at the advice he offers some of today’s workers. “AI isn’t going to fix a hole in your roof. It’s not going to respond to an electrical issue in your home. It’s not going to stop your water heater from leaking,” he said to the crowd. 

“When young people come to me and they desire to work in the corporate office, my advice to them is: Stay as close to the cash register as you can. Stay close to the customers, because you will always have employment opportunities to grow.”

But there are some positives to having eyes set for the corporate lifestyle. Kyle C., an outlet supervisor, celebrated completing his Lowe’s corporate internship with the opportunity to introduce the CEO, having started as a cashier in 2019. “In 2019, I was a cashier. If you had told me that six years later, I would be finishing my corporate internship introducing our CEO, I might not have believed you,” he wrote.

“But that’s where I’m at.”

RELATED CONTENT: Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison Makes History Being Named Top Black CEO Of Fortune 500 Company 

• News

by Kandiss Edwards

August 23, 2025

Danessa Myricks X Neutrogena Is Hitting Shelves Soon

Makeup artist and beauty entrepreneur Danessa Myricks has joined forces with Neutrogena to launch a new collaboration.

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Makeup artist and beauty entrepreneur Danessa Myricks has joined forces with Neutrogena to launch a new collaboration.

The campaign aims to celebrate skin-first beauty. Beginning Aug. 31, customers will be able to shop three limited-edition “Get Glam Ready” kits exclusively at CVS Pharmacy and CVS.com.

For Myricks, the collaboration represents a full-circle moment. As a teenager, she relied on Neutrogena to treat acne and later built her first makeup kit using products she picked up from her local CVS. Decades later, she still trusts the brand’s formulas, praising their “science-backed efficacy and everyday accessibility,” according to the press release.

Michelle LeBlanc, vice president of Merchandising for Beauty, Personal Care, and the Hispanic Strategy Team at CVS Health, called the partnership a natural fit. 

“What I love about this collaboration is that we’re bringing together Danessa’s artistry and Neutrogena’s dermatologist-backed skin care with the accessibility we offer via our stores and online, and coupling that with the beauty shopper’s focus on skin prep and makeup removal. By coming together, we are amplifying our strengths and creating a new and exciting experience for our customers.”

The product lineup includes:

• Makeup Remover Wipes ($6.99): Alcohol-free, ultra-soft wipes designed to remove up to 99% of makeup, including waterproof mascara.
• Hydro Boost Hydro Gel Masks ($9.99 for a 3-pack): Cooling masks infused with hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate and smooth skin.
• Skin Prep Set ($29.99): A curated kit combining wipes, gel masks, Hydro Boost Gel Cream, and a tinted lip oil for a complete hydration and prep routine.

All items reflect Neutrogena and Myricks’ vision of inclusivity and accessibility in beauty.

Myricks has built a reputation as one of the most inventive voices in modern beauty. A self-taught artist, she launched Danessa Myricks Beauty in 2015 and has sold her products globally at Sephora. The line is praised for its inclusive shade ranges and innovative textures.

Myricks has carved out space for creativity and inclusivity in an industry long criticized for its lack of representation. This new partnership with Neutrogena represents another step in her mission to make beauty tools and techniques available to everyone.

RELATED CONTENT: Black Mompreneur Builds Skin Care Line Out Of a Failed Business

• Sports

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 23, 2025

NFL Hall Of Famer Eric Dickerson Says The NFL Sabotaged Shedeur Sanders In League Draft

'We're going to make an example out of him. And this came from a very good source, a very good source.'

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In what may be the biggest case of collusion since former quarterback Colin Kaepernick was not given another chance to play in the NFL, an NFL Hall of Famer (no, not Deion Sanders), Eric Dickerson, feels this was the case with Cleveland Browns rookie, Shedeur Sanders not being drafted until the fith round of the most recent NFL Draft.

According to USA Today, the former running back, who played with the Los Angeles Rams, the Indianapolis Colts, the Los Angeles Raiders, and the Atlanta Falcons during his illustrious career, feels that NFL owners were instructed not to select Sanders leading up to this year’s NFL Draft. He made the revelation while appearing on the “Roggin and Rodney” show on AM 570 LA Sports with co-hosts Fred Roggin and Rodney Peete.

Dickerson claimed that he had insider information when speaking of the alleged directive from the league earlier this year. Their reason? To make an example out of him. It was rumored that he wouldn’t go to several teams and, like many players before him, was trying to place himself in a better situation in terms of the teams that would draft him. His father, Deion Sanders, was also another speculative factor, as he did not want his son suiting up for certain teams that were in position to pick him. Although many white players have done so in the past, it was viewed and speculated by many as racism that the NFL did not appreciate a Black man trying to tell them what they can and cannot do.

“I tell you this much, what I heard from someone that’s in the NFL that the NFL told [teams] don’t draft him, do not draft him,” Dickerson told Roggin and Peete. “We’re going to make an example out of him. And this came from a very good source, a very good source.”

Before the Browns picked him with the 155th selection, Dickerson stated that the team had called and was told to draft him. Sanders was an anticipated Top 3 pick before the draft, but suspiciously fell to the fifth round, ramping up rumors of the league plotting to have him fall in disgrace. However, lesser-known players who did not have the same stats or win-loss record as Sanders were being selected.

Dickerson said that the Browns were notified and told to select him.

“He said that–– I won’t say who–– somebody called the Cleveland Browns and said ‘don’t do that, draft him,'” Dickerson said. “Because they weren’t going to draft him either… They were forced into drafting him because somebody made a call to them.”

“They were going to have him not get drafted to basically show you ‘this is what happens when you do this.’ I mean, look, [Roggin], the NFL’s got all kinds of power, they do all kinds of stuff. You know it and I know it too.”

You can hear the full conversation at this link.

RELATED CONTENT: NFL To Continue Social Justice Stenciling Despite DEI Crackdown

• News

by Kandiss Edwards

August 23, 2025

16-Year-Old Boss Inks A ‘Fresh’ Deal With Walmart

Joshua Danrich is a teenage businessman on the rise who just signed a deal with Walmart for his “Mr. Fresh” air fresheners.

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Joshua Danrich is a teenage businessman on the rise. The young entrepreneur just signed a distribution deal with Walmart for his “Mr. Fresh” air fresheners.

Joshua and his mother, Shay Danrich, recently inked a deal to bring their natural, oil-based “Mr. Fresh” air fresheners to Walmart’s automotive departments worldwide. The 16-year-old pitched his idea at Walmart’s Open Call event in Bentonville, Arkansas. Joshua introduced his idea to five departments. His business acumen and courage landed him a same-day deal. Joshua and Shay spoke with the St. Louis American about the monumental deal.

“I’m the only kid in the world with my own air fresheners in Walmart,” Joshua said.

His products are already available across Missouri and in select Walmart stores in Illinois. Soon, they’ll hit shelves everywhere Walmart sells auto merchandise.

Mr. Fresh brand is a family affair, as Joshua’s partner in business is his mom. Together, they’ve grown Mr. Fresh from sketches that were born of Joshua’s love of luxury sports cars into a thriving brand. The name stands for “Faith to Rescue Every Son from Hurt.”

The company’s mission is not only to sell merchandise but also to support emotional well-being, especially for Black boys.

Luckily for the pair, they enlisted the assistance of the legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s Microenterprise Program. The legal offices helped guide and advise them every step of the way. From business formation and trademarks to contracts and liability, the family credits the organization for helping turn their idea into a branded business.

“This shows young people—especially young Black boys—that their ideas matter, and they can achieve things they never imagined,” said Shay Danrich, reflecting on the opportunity.

 Joshua added his own advice, “Never give up on your dreams, no matter how big they seem.”

Joshua’s deal isn’t just entering a store; it’s stepping onto a global stage. Walmart operates over 10,750 stores worldwide across 19 countries and welcomes around 255 million shoppers weekly. That means Mr. Fresh will now be discovered by more people in one week than many brands see in a year. 

RELATED CONTENT: Walmart Invites US Businesses To 2025 Open Call, Bolstering American Manufacturing