Morgan State University, Sterling Steward

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 28, 2025

Morgan State University’s Chief Revenue Officer, Sterling Steward, Has Died

He's worked at the school since he was hired in December 2022.

Morgan State University has announced that its Senior Associate Athletics Director and Chief Revenue Officer, Sterling Steward, has died.

No cause of death was revealed, but the school acknowledged his contributions since he was hired in December 2022.

Morgan State University Athletics Mourns the Passing of Sterling Steward https://t.co/AvJZILxHja

— Grizzly Life (@grizzlylife22) February 26, 2025

Steward died on Feb. 26. At Morgan State, he was responsible for advancing the university’s programs, fostering partnerships, and strengthening the department’s financial and operational success.

“Sterling was more than a colleague—he was a respected leader, mentor, and friend,” said Dena Freeman-Patton, vice president and director for Intercollegiate Athletics, in a written statement. “His passion for athletics and his commitment to elevating Morgan’s programs were evident in all that he did. He worked tirelessly to ensure our student-athletes had the resources and opportunities to excel, and his impact will be felt for years to come. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, especially his three sons and sister, as we mourn this tremendous loss.”

While Steward worked at Morgan State, there was strategic growth and collaboration. His work with the Division of Institutional Advancement helped provide more opportunities and created lasting relationships to support the school’s athletic programs.

Steward previously worked at the University of New Orleans (UNO) as the school’s assistant athletics director for Strategic Revenue Generation. He also did stints at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Savannah State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Alabama State University, Kentucky State University, Eastern Oregon University, and Xavier University in various roles, including senior compliance consultant, assistant director of athletics, and director of athletics.

He was a New Orleans native who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi. He earned his bachelor’s in coaching and sports administration/history and his master’s in sports management.

NMSDC, black business,Cultivating Equity in Black Agriculture, Cargill, acres program, farmers

by Mary Spiller

February 28, 2025

Comprehensive Online Directory Boosts Visibility Of Black Farmers

The Black Farmers Index highlights information on over 1,000 BIPOC agriculturalist across 11 different regions.

Ahead of the numerous federal DEI rollbacks headed by the Trump administration, it’s now more important than ever to engage with the largest and most comprehensive farmer’s index that uplifts POC. The Black Farmers Index was created to increase the visibility of Black farmers to help them sell and distribute their food products through exposure. Founded by Kaia Shivers, The Index spotlights Black farmers available in the United States. The Black Farmers Index is both an online directory and a trove of initiatives in which one can get involved.

As highlighted in a recent TikTok post by @lifeandworkbutbetter, the Index began in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as a push by Ark Republic to combat resource shortages during the pandemic. However, it has re-emerged as especially relevant following the DEI rollbacks and big company boycotts under President Donald Trump’s administration.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2uq1Pbp

The Black Farmers Index is user-friendly and accessible to anyone who wants to use the directory to connect with Black farmers and their stories.

Now hosting information on over 1,300 indexed farmers, growers, beekeepers, fisherfolk, and ranchers, the Index has emerged as a powerful tool for learning about BIPOC agriculturalists who are working to give back to the community.

The directory is continuing to expand and offer new opportunities for users to be involved with their local Black farmers. The site includes resources that share the stories of those involved in local food systems and easy-to-read resources centered around educating the public on equity issues within the agricultural industry.

The direct-to-consumer model seeks to drive business through various initiatives. The Index uplifts Black farmers by offering curated gift boxes to showcase their food products, community-supported agriculture programs, opportunities for informative farm visits and shopping from Black vendors at listed local farmers markets, and by sharing data reports on their business and reach.

The Black Farmers Index is not just for consumers, either. Several pages connect farmers with business opportunities and resources. The Index has fostered a strong collaborative network for farmers and organizations offering initiatives for outreach and financial support.

The Index helps to combat the exclusion and discrimination that Black farmers across the country have dealt with in the agricultural sector. Many of these existing issues were exacerbated by the pandemic for independent BIPOC farmers.

They lacked market exposure and distribution channels, making it difficult to contribute effectively to their local food economies.

by Mary Spiller

February 28, 2025

People’s Union USA Calls For Economic Blackout Friday

The economic blackout is simple: don't purchase anything on February 28.

The People’s Union USA is calling for a blackout today, Feb. 28. The grassroots organization has asked Americans not to spend any money on Friday for an “economic blackout.” The group boycott is meant to protest the current state of the country, including DEI rollbacks and cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration and other big corporations following his recent changes.

The People’s Union USA wrote on its website, “February 28 is a symbolic start to economic resistance. A day where we show corporations and politicians that we control the economy. The date itself is not tied to any historical event, it is the beginning of something bigger. The first domino that will set off a chain of actions until the people get what they deserve.”

The economic blackout started at midnight EST and runs through 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, and the People’s Union has advised Americans to refrain from being consumers today. The activist group advised customers to refrain from making any purchases, both in-store or online, and to take particular care not to spend any money at chain stores or big retailers.

The Union continued to request participants to avoid buying things like fast food or gas for their car on this day and have advised that if emergencies arise, Americans choose to shop at small businesses instead. It announced that any essential purchases made on Friday should not be made with a credit or debit card.

Additionally, the People’s Union economic blackout is a response to several major retailers, such as Target, who have responded to President Donald Trump’s signed executive order attacking federal diversity, equity, and inclusion policies by rolling back on their promised DEI programs.

Many retailers who previously pledged to support marginalized communities through business initiatives have begun undoing their work this year under the Trump administration.

The Union wrote, “We stand firmly for equality and freedom for ALL people, regardless of race, gender, background, or identity. The idea that companies and institutions should abandon diversity and inclusivity is regressive and unacceptable.”

“Every American deserves an equal chance at success, and we will not support policies that encourage discrimination or exclusion.”

The activist group’s website lists just one rule for the Friday boycott: Don’t spend money on the designated days…no online shopping, no fast food, no gas.”

The economic blackout is not the only act of protest that the People’s Union USA has planned on its page. In the coming weeks, they have named specific organizations as targets of the rolling protests, including Amazon, Whole Foods, Prime, Nestlé, Walmart, and General Mills. There will also be two more blackouts on March 28 and April 18.

Gayle King, CBS News, new deal, morning show

by Kandiss Edwards

February 28, 2025

From The Newsroom To Outerspace: Gayle King Announces Participation In An All-Women Space Mission

Gayle King will join Blue Origin's 31st civilian flight to space.

Gayle King announced that she’s going to space. The daytime talk show host shared the news on CBS Mornings.

King revealed her participation in Blue Origin’s 31st flight, NS-31. Before discussing the mission’s details, she and her co-hosts presented a video montage chronicling her longtime fascination with space travel.

In one clip, King said, “I get excited watching a launch at home in my pajamas.”

Her enthusiasm led to an invitation from Blue Origin. The TV personality will lift off with an all-female crew, including Emmy Award-winning journalist Lauren Sánchez, Grammy Award-winning singer Katy Perry, and astronaut Aisha Bowe.

The soon-to-be space explorer admitted she was initially hesitant.

“I don’t know how to explain being terrified and excited at the same time,” King said.

To make her decision, King turned to a group of loved ones, including her children and close friend, Oprah Winfrey. She said once her most trusted confidants approved, she was ready.

“Once Kirby and Will and Oprah were fine with it, I was fine,” King said. “I thought Oprah would say no. She said, ‘I think if you don’t do it, when they all come back and you had the opportunity to do it, you will be kicking yourself.’ She’s right.”

King will not be the first television host to trek into space with Blue Origin. In 2021, then-Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan took part in Blue Origin’s third civilian flight. The former NFL star and broadcaster was overjoyed upon his return, expressing how the experience gave him a new “perspective” on the world.

“I want to go back,” Strahan said.

Blue Origin, founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2000, is a private aerospace company focused on making space travel accessible to civilians and developing technologies for long-term space exploration.

King’s upcoming flight on New Shepard will be part of Blue Origin’s continued efforts to normalize civilian space travel.

by Sharelle B. McNair

February 28, 2025

Neo-Nazi Rally In Ohio Prompts Locals To Form Armed Watch Group

Lincoln Heights resident Julian Cook said it’s important to remember the group is here "out of a need.”

Following an attack by a group of neo-Nazis, a group of locals decided to take matters into their own hands to form an armed watch group in the town of Lincoln Heights, Ohio, The Washington Post reported.

Visitors can see men of the newly formed Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch Program sporting masks and body armor, protecting the residents of the predominantly Black town outside of Cincinnati as they say residents are on edge following the viral ordeal. In early February 2025, a group of masked racists, some armed, tried to take over the streets of Lincoln Heights.

While hurling racist slurs and waving swastika flags on a highway overpass, the community bravely came to let them know that they are not welcome, as police tried to break things up.

Since the police failed to make any arrests, as Ohio police lieutenant Michael Steers said there was a lack of violated laws, group spokesperson Daronce Daniels said they did “the most American thing that we [could] do” – become “an American individual protecting his homeland with a firearm.”

Lincoln Heights natives and residents are very proud of their historical background, given the fact that in the 1920s, the neighborhood was formatted due to the fact that Black laborers were blocked from settling in Cincinnati and surrounding towns because of their race. With close to 3,000 residents living in the small Ohio town, people claim the town is one of neglect. Without a police department, which was disbanded in 2014, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office serves the community.

It’s reasons such as those that push residents and members of the Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch Program to protect their own. “When we saw that the police weren’t helping us, every able-bodied man in the neighborhood, with or without a gun, has stood guard and has been standing guard ever since,” Dominic Brewton Jr., who runs a repair company in the town, said.

However, such safety comes with pushback. Business owners claim the protection group is scaring some residents as they tend to stop traffic, questioning people about their whereabouts in the city. Business owner Jim Meister claims armed men pointed a rifle at him and threatened to shoot when he approached a parked car in a vacant parking lot that he owned, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. When he said he would call the police, group members responded saying, “We are the police. What’s wrong? We’re protecting Lincoln Heights.”

Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said she doesn’t support the “neighborhood militia” as a department spokesperson claims there have been an abundance of 911 calls reporting them. However, Daniels continues to push that the group is nothing more than Americans doing what’s best for their community. “The only thing that’s happening is that these Americans are protecting their community against Nazis,” he said.

Other Lincoln Heights residents like Julian Cook, pastor of the Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church, celebrate the movement, reminding law enforcement why they are here to begin with. “I pass them daily as I head to and fro,” Cook said.

“And it’s important to remember that they have arisen out of a need.”

by Mitti Hicks

February 28, 2025

Jobless Claims Reach Largest Weekly Spike

242,000 jobless claims were filed last week.

The number of jobless claims increased more than expected last week as more first-time applicants applied for unemployment benefits.

According to CNN, an estimated 242,000 jobless claims were filed last week, an increase of 22,000 from the prior week. Economists, however, were reportedly expecting to land around 220,000 claims.

The number of jobless claims filed last week is the largest weekly spike in more than four months. Weekly claims have also been at their highest levels since December.

Despite the uptick, the U.S. Labor Department said snowstorms in parts of the country and the Presidents Day holiday are to blame, which could result in some volatility, Reuters reports.

“Extreme winter weather was chiefly responsible for the pickup in initial claims last week,” Samuel Tombs, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told the publication.

How Mass Layoffs at The Federal Level Impact Unemployment

What remains unclear is how the mass layoffs at the federal level, spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who oversees the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), will impact claims. According to Reuters, federal employees file separate unemployment compensation, which is reported to have a one-week lag. The latest data from Feb. 15 shows 614 people filed for benefits, which is only up by one from the previous week.

“We will have to wait another week for the detail on precisely how many initial claims were filed nationwide by former Federal civilian employees, but the number totaled 614 in the week ending February 15, up just one — that’s not a misprint — on the previous week,” Tombs told wrote in a note to investors on Feb. 27, as reported by CNN. “It will take another week or two for the job cuts implemented mid-month to come through fully in the claims data.”

The February jobs report is scheduled to be released on March 7. Economists reportedly expect employment growth to increase again, predicting the U.S. will add about 160,000 jobs in February.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 28, 2025

Man Discovered With Over 715 Pounds Of Marijuana, Infused Gummies Worth Over $2M

Police officers found the large amount of drugs in his vehicle

A Jamaican national who was in the United States on a work visa was arrested for trafficking a controlled substance when he was discovered with over 715 pounds of marijuana and over 26,500 marijuana-infused gummies during a traffic stop in Mississippi.

According to WLOX 13, Jermaine Barrett was arrested by the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 24 after the police officers found a large amount of drugs in his vehicle. Officers from the Criminal Investigation Division Narcotics Unit conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle near Sherman in Pontotoc County. Authorities stated that the street value of the marijuana and gummies impounded is more than two million dollars.

Yardhype reported that the 31-year-old man was living in Nevada and was reportedly transporting the drugs from California to North Carolina when he was caught. No other details have been released from the sheriff’s department at this time.

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This is not the first time a large volume of drugs was confiscated in Pontotoc County during a routine traffic stop.

The Vicksburg Daily News reported in December 2024 that the sheriff’s department had seized about 600 pounds of illegal narcotics when they stopped a van traveling on the I-22 Sunday, Dec. 21. The estimated street value of the drugs discovered was one million dollars. The police officers found the drugs when they stopped the van for a traffic violation.

Officers arrested the driver, 39-year-old Almas Bekzhanov of Kazakhstan. Sheriff Leo Mask stated that he was in the country illegally and had been charged with trafficking of a controlled substance. After Bekzhanov was detained by police officers, the department notified the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the suspect’s immigration status.

Pontotoc Progress reported that when the officer stopped Bekzhanov, he detected the odor of marijuana, which led to a search of the vehicle. This is when more than 200 bags of ball-rolled marijuana and 10 jars of waxed marijuana, as well as a number of boxes of already-rolled marijuana cigarettes, were discovered. Pontotoc County Sheriff Leo Mask said the suspect was traveling from California to the Carolinas.

Virginia State University Alumna Hired As Associate VP Of Athletics

by Sharelle B. McNair

February 28, 2025

Virginia State University Alumna Hired As Associate VP Of Athletics

Sykes replaces Peggy Davis, who died in October 2024.

Virginia State University (VSU) alumna Tiffani-Dawn Sykes is returning home. The HBCU has hired the 20-year college sports veteran as its associate vice president for intercollegiate athletics, HBCU GameDay reports.

The job starts March 31.

Sykes was the first woman to serve as vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics at Florida A&M University from 2023-2024. She then headed to the University of Maryland as a player development assistant and advisor to the head football coach.

Sykes has also had prominent roles in athletics at multiple Division I and Division II institutions.

“Virginia State University athletics has a long history of excellence, and I am confident in Tiffani-Dawn Sykes’ ability to uphold that tradition. Her values, vision, professional experience, and passion for our University made her a perfect fit for this role,” VSU President Dr. Makola M. Abdullah said in a statement. “We are extremely fortunate to have her back home as a member of our Trojan Family.”

Sykes, a former student-athlete, served on a number of NCAA committees after earning her bachelor of science degree in health, physical education, recreation, and dance degree.

According to HBCU Legends on SI, Sykes received the Nike Executive of the Year Award in Division-FCS at the Women Leaders in Sports Symposium.

“My experiences as a student-athlete at VSU ignited my passion for college athletics, and the education I received here laid the foundation for a fulfilling and progressive career,” said Sykes, a 2001 graduate. “I am excited to continue leading our student-athletes, coaches, and staff in the pursuit of national excellence—both in the classroom and in competition.”

Sykes has some huge shoes to fill. She succeeds Peggy Davis, who died in October 2024, and spent nearly 30 years working for the Trojans.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

February 28, 2025

Southern University Marching Band Member Dead After Fraternity Ritual

The school had suspended activities for all student organizations, including fraternities, sororities, and student clubs

A member of the Southern University Human Jukebox marching band died while participating in a Greek fraternity ritual.

According to WAFB, 20-year-old Caleb Wilson, who hailed from Kenner, Louisiana, collapsed and later died after he was taking part in a fraternity ritual while off-campus at North Sherwood Forest Community Park. He was reportedly pledging the Omega Psi Phi fraternity when the incident took place. An autopsy will be performed to find out the cause of his death.

After Wilson collapsed, he was taken to Baton Rouge General Hospital on Feb. 27. At 3:15 a.m., where he was pronounced dead. The Baton Rouge Police Department was contacted, which started an investigation into his death.

The school’s marching band issued a statement regarding the band member’s death.

“Honoring the Life of Caleb Wilson

“With heavy hearts, we share the devastating loss of one of our own, Caleb Wilson, a beloved member of the Southern University Human Jukebox and an incredible part of our Jaguar family.

“A talented trumpet player, a dedicated student, and a bright soul, Caleb was a mechanical engineering major who poured his passion into both his studies and his time with the Human Jukebox. His energy, spirit, and impact on those around him will never be forgotten.”

Due to Wilson’s death, Southern University Division of Student Affairs issued a statement saying that the school had suspended activities for all student organizations, including fraternities, sororities, and student clubs. The suspension will remain in effect until further notice. The school has not said if Omega Psi Phi will face any sanctions or further investigation into the incident. The national chapter has declined to make a statement regarding the incident.

As Wilson’s father, Corey is a deputy at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the department also released a statement.

“On behalf of Sheriff Joseph Lopinto, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office extends its condolences to Deputy Corey Wilson and his family following the heartbreaking loss of his son Caleb. Dep. Wilson retired last year as a sergeant after serving 35 years with the JPSO. Dep. Wilson’s commitment to public service has continued with him currently serving in our Reserve Division. The JPSO stands in support of Dep. Wilson and his family. We ask that their privacy be respected as they mourn this unimaginable loss.”

by Ahsan Washington

February 28, 2025

Never Forget: 11 Really Racist Moments In Black History

These haunting moments remind us of ugly racism is

African Americans have endured centuries of oppression solely due to the color of their skin. America’s foundation is deeply rooted in racism, with a long history of Black people experiencing firsthand the brunt of a racist society at the start of our enslaved arrival to this country. As we reflect on these last few days of Black History Month, BLACK ENTERPRISE is highlighting 11 really racist moments in Black history. These are just a few. While there are plenty more documented racially motivated injustices, let us remember we can never forget these heinous acts against our humanity.