Southern University — 2C2K Photography, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

by Sidnee Michelle

August 26, 2026

Southern University Board Chairman Pushes For Student Dress Code

Tony Clayton raised the idea during an Aug. 21 board meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The chairman of the Southern University System Board of Supervisors wants its campuses to consider adopting a student dress code, citing to similar policies at historically Black colleges and universities, including Tuskegee University, the Louisiana Illuminator⁠ reports.

Tony Clayton raised the idea during an Aug. 21 board meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and said he wants chancellors from Southern’s five campuses to discuss the proposal before the board’s Sept. 18 meeting.

“I walked around campus the other day. I think we need it,” Clayton told board members.

No formal dress code proposal has been introduced or approved for the public university system.

Clayton’s comments follow Tuskegee’s implementation of new student attire requirements for the fall 2026 semester. Tuskegee President Mark A. Brown told students that the private Alabama university’s dress code is intended to help prepare them for professional environments.

Under the Tuskegee policy⁠, students must arrive on campus prepared with appropriate attire for business meetings. The university prohibits revealing clothing in classrooms, the cafeteria, and official settings such as convocation. Bedroom shoes, bonnets, and durags are also prohibited in classrooms and the cafeteria. Faculty members are authorized to address students who violate the guidelines.

“The goal here is not meant to restrict you from enjoying the Tuskegee Experience, but to prepare you with a solid foundation for the workforce you will enter once you leave Tuskegee,” Brown wrote.

Some Tuskegee students have questioned the policy and how the university presented it publicly.

“I think that releasing it in the way that they did made it look like students were kind of walking around here looking any type of way, and that’s just not true,” junior biology major Serenity Mitchell told the Alabama Reflector⁠.

Tuskegee declined to comment to the outlet about the policy, which does not specify penalties for violations.

Campus attire standards vary among HBCUs. Hampton University and Fisk University maintain dress codes, while Howard University and Morehouse College have attire requirements that do not apply campuswide, the outlet reported.

For Southern University, however, a dress code remains only an idea under consideration. Clayton has called for system leaders to discuss the issue, but the Board of Supervisors has not adopted a policy.

Sandbach, Tinne and Company, Malik Al Nasir, slavery, The Slavery Abolition Act — Photo by Thato Moiketsi: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-sitting-cross-legged-with-chain-around-hands-26800347/

by Sidnee Michelle

August 26, 2026

1847 Letter Reveals British Company Trafficked Enslaved Africans Decades After Abolition

"By process of deduction, we can see these are people illegally trafficked from Africa," Al Nasir told the outlet.

An 1847 letter provides new evidence that a prominent British company continued illegally trafficking enslaved Africans to Guyana decades after Britain outlawed the slave trade and after the company’s affiliates received taxpayer-funded compensation connected to abolition, The Guardian reports.

The letter was sent to the Liverpool office of Sandbach, Tinne and Company by Peter Miller Watson, who managed the company’s interests in Demerara, then a British colony that is now part of Guyana. Watson documented the arrival of the Parker, a ship in the company’s fleet carrying 324 Africans, including 123 children. The ship carried 115 adult men, 86 adult women, 82 children younger than 14, and 41 children younger than 4.

One man and two children died during the voyage, according to the correspondence.

Author Malik Al Nasir, whose research is detailed in the book “Searching for My Slave Roots,” argues that language in the letter indicates the Africans were illegally trafficked rather than indentured workers or Africans liberated from slave ships by the Royal Navy. Watson referred to the Africans as “cargo,” a term Al Nasir said was associated with enslaved people rather than liberated Africans.

“By process of deduction, we can see these are people illegally trafficked from Africa,” Al Nasir told the outlet.

British corporation continued the trafficking of enslaved Africans to Guyana 40 years after abolition

Letter written in 1847 to Sandbach, Tinne and Company’s Liverpool office reveals it engaged in practice after receiving taxpayer-funded compensation https://t.co/VPBVIe80t7
— Socialist Voice (@SocialistVoice) August 23, 2026

The discovery adds another layer to Britain’s history with slavery. Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act in 1807, prohibiting the slave trade in British territories. The Slavery Abolition Act followed in 1833, abolishing slavery across most of the British Empire.

By 1847, Sandbach Tinne and its subsidiaries had already received compensation for people they had enslaved before abolition. The British government compensated enslavers for their purported financial losses while formerly enslaved people received nothing. The taxpayer-backed debt used to finance those payments was not fully paid off until 2015, according to the outlet.

Sandbach Tinne and families connected to the company were major players in Demerara’s sugar trade. Al Nasir’s research also points to an 1847 missionary account describing continued illegal trafficking from areas including Angola as slave traders attempted to evade British naval enforcement.

The findings helped inspire Overwriting-Underwriting, a research initiative examining the financial networks behind enslavement and their lasting legacy. The project launched Aug. 23 at the Museum of Liverpool.

workplace surveillance, privacy, trust — AI-generated Image via Magnific

by Selena Hill

August 26, 2026

Your Boss May Be Watching: How Workplace Surveillance Is Reshaping The Future of Work

Employers are using more sophisticated monitoring tools, raising new questions about worker productivity, privacy, and trust

The next time you log onto a company laptop, clock in through an app, or use a work-issued phone, there may be more than a manager keeping tabs on your performance.

Employers are increasingly using workplace surveillance technology — often referred to as “bossware” — to monitor everything from keystrokes and web activity to location data, screenshots, and time spent at a desk, reports The Associated Press. The trend has accelerated as companies navigate hybrid and remote work using technology designed to measure how, when, and where employees work.

Employers say monitoring tools can help protect sensitive information, improve efficiency, manage distributed teams, and identify operational bottlenecks. However, the technology also raises questions about how much oversight is too much.

Employers have a range of options to track workers, from software installed on computers to GPS-enabled devices and AI-powered systems that analyze employee activity. However, some question whether technology will damage workplace trust. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has noted that while digital surveillance can affect more than productivity, it can also potentially influencing worker morale, stress, and the relationship between employees and management.

The technology itself is also becoming more sophisticated. AI is being integrated into workplace analytics, allowing companies to process larger amounts of employee data and potentially use those insights to evaluate performance and manage operations. But the growing use of automated systems also raises concerns about transparency and how data may influence decisions about promotions or layoffs. Experts have also raised concerns that employees with less power may experience the effects of surveillance differently than executives or highly autonomous professionals. They warn that although technology can generate more data than ever before, data alone does not create better management.

As workplace surveillance moves deeper into the AI era, companies will have to balance efficiency with transparency and ensure that monitoring employees does not come at the expense of the trust needed to keep them.

Biggie Smalls The Notorious B.I.G., estate battle — Notorious B.I.G. 1995 (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)

by Selena Hill

August 26, 2026

Biggie’s Son Says His Grandmother’s Will Was Altered Before Her Death

Christopher “C.J.” Wallace Jr. is challenging changes made to his grandmother Voletta Wallace’s estate plan just days before her death.

The business of protecting The Notorious B.I.G.’s legacy is facing another courtroom battle.

Christopher “C.J.” Wallace Jr., the son of late rap icon and R&B singer Faith Evans, is challenging changes made to his grandmother’s estate plan shortly before her death in February 2025.

According to TMZ, C.J. Wallace filed a petition in Pennsylvania alleging that a codicil signed 15 days before his grandmother, Voletta Wallace, died, dramatically altered her original estate plans. The filing claims that C.J. and his half-sister, T’yanna Wallace, were removed as successor trustees and co-executors and replaced by Wayne Barrow, a long-time associate and former manager of Biggie.

Under Voletta Wallace’s reported 2020 will, her grandchildren were set to receive personal assets including her jewelry, furs, Biggie’s music awards, a Mercedes-Benz SUV, and property in Jamaica. Her interest in the business managing her son’s intellectual property was designated for her foundation. Now, C.J. Wallace is questioning whether the late amendment accurately reflected his grandmother’s wishes.

The court filing alleges that Voletta Wallace was in declining health and taking multiple medications when the changes were executed. It also challenges the signatures on the documents as “facially inconsistent” and seeks to have the amendment invalidated, reports Complex. A
court has not yet ruled on the validity of the documents.

The dispute carries significant business implications because Voletta Wallace spent nearly three decades protecting and monetizing her son’s catalog, likeness, and intellectual property after his murder in 1997. She and Biggie’s widow, Faith Evans, were central figures in the management of Notorious B.I.G. LLC, the entity connected to the rapper’s business interests.

The estate’s value and future stewardship have become increasingly important following a deal with music publisher Primary Wave that valued Biggie’s catalog and related rights at more than $200 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The estate fight also follows a recent Delaware court victory for Barrow in a separate dispute involving Evans and control over portions of Voletta Wallace’s trust and the management of Biggie’s intellectual property. Court proceedings have affirmed Barrow’s role as trustee in that separate matter, while C.J.’s Pennsylvania challenge to the estate documents remains pending.

For the Wallace family, the latest legal battle is about more than personal belongings. It could help determine who controls part of one of hip- hop’s most valuable legacies, in addition to how the business built around Christopher Wallace’s name continues for the next generation.

Job search, Unemployed, Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs — Photo by cottonbro studio/Pexels

by Sidnee Michelle

August 26, 2026

Nearly 1 In 4 U.S. Workers Are ‘Functionally Unemployed’ New Data Finds

The institute's findings contrast with the federal government's official unemployment rate.

Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. workers were considered “functionally unemployed” in July, according to an alternative labor-market measure that counts people who are jobless, unable to secure full-time work, or earning poverty-level wages, CBS News reports.

The Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity reported Aug. 20 that its True Rate of Unemployment rose to 24.9% in July, up from 24.7% in June. The rate has increased for four consecutive months and is 1.3 percentage points higher than in March.

The institute’s findings contrast with the federal government’s official unemployment rate. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics⁠ reported that the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% in July, while the number of unemployed people remained little changed at 6.9 million.

The difference stems largely from how the two measures define employment. The Ludwig Institute classifies workers as functionally unemployed if they do not have a job, want full-time employment but cannot secure it, or earn less than $26,000 annually before taxes.

Women experienced a substantially higher rate of functional unemployment than men in July. The rate among women reached 31%, compared with 19.5% among men. Black workers had a functional unemployment rate of 27.3%, compared with 26.7% for Hispanic workers and 23.8% for white workers.

Official employment data also showed limited hiring in July. U.S. nonfarm payroll employment declined by 23,000 jobs, while employment estimates for May and June were revised downward by a combined 103,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Gene Ludwig, the institute’s chairman, said the four-month increase warrants attention if the trend continues.

“We shouldn’t read too much into a single month, but four months begin to tell a story,” Ludwig said.

Some economists caution against treating the institute’s measure as equivalent to the government’s unemployment rate because the two track different conditions. Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told CBS News⁠ that an unemployment rate above 20% does not correspond with other indicators of the U.S. economy.

401(k), small businesses, retirement benefits — (Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill, via Getty Images)

by Sidnee Michelle

August 26, 2026

More Small Businesses Are Offering 401(K) Plans To Workers

About 31% of small businesses had active retirement plans in 2026, up from 19% in 2019.

Small businesses are increasingly offering retirement plans to employees, expanding access to a workplace benefit that has historically been less common among the nation’s smallest employers, HR Brew reports.

About 31% of small businesses had active retirement plans in 2026, up from 19% in 2019, a 64% increase, according to an analysis from payroll and benefits platform Gusto. The research examined private-sector businesses with two to 99 employees using payroll data through June 2026.

The growth has been particularly significant for hourly workers. The share with access to a workplace retirement plan rose from 21% in 2019 to 38% in 2026. Hospitality businesses tripled their adoption rate from 4% to 12%, while recreation and agriculture businesses increased by 147% and 122%, respectively.

“Most of that growth has been happening at very smallest employers,” Nich Tremper, head of Gusto Insights and a senior economist, told HR Brew.

Government policies have helped fuel the expansion. As of June, 18 states had enacted automatic IRA programs requiring many private employers to either offer a retirement plan or facilitate employee enrollment in a state-managed program, according to the outlet. The federal SECURE 2.0 Act also provides qualifying businesses with one to 100 employees with tax credits to help offset the cost of establishing retirement plans for up to three years.

But policy is not the only factor. Separate Gusto research analyzing payroll records from more than 500,000 small businesses found companies offering 401(k) plans had about 8% fewer first-year employee quits than otherwise similar businesses without them. Gusto noted the findings show an association and do not prove that 401(k)s directly cause lower turnover.

“It’s expensive to have to go back out into the market and find somebody new and train them, and then also all of the lost productivity while you’ve got vacancies,” Tremper told HR Brew.

The expansion could be particularly consequential for workers historically less likely to have workplace retirement benefits. Earlier Gusto research found 5.6 million more small-business workers had access to active retirement plans than in 2019. Access among Black employees increased 52%, while access among Hispanic employees rose 71%.

Still, Gusto found that more than half of small-business employees remain without access to a workplace retirement plan.

San Diego Padres, Kwanza Jones, MLB, José E. Feliciano — (Photo: Steshka Willems/Pexels)

by Sidnee Michelle

August 26, 2026

San Diego Padres’ New Ownership Brings Diverse Leadership And World Series Ambitions

Feliciano will serve as the Padres' control person under MLB governance requirements, while the couple will jointly lead the ownership group.

Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano have taken control of the San Diego Padres, with the new majority owners setting an immediate goal for the Major League Baseball franchise: winning its first World Series championship, MLB.com reports.

Jones and Feliciano, who are married and longtime business partners, were formally introduced Aug. 24 at Petco Park in San Diego. MLB owners unanimously approved the transfer of control on Aug. 17, and the transaction was completed on Aug. 21.

Feliciano will serve as the Padres’ control person under MLB governance requirements, while the couple will jointly lead the ownership group.

“We need to win the World Series,” Feliciano said. “It’s that simple.”

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The championship pursuit comes as the Padres build on one of the most successful stretches in franchise history. The team has reached the postseason four times in the past six seasons but has never won a World Series title.

Jones made clear that the couple plans to take an active approach to ownership.

“We are all in; it’s not lip service,” Jones said. “We are absolutely committed to this organization, and we are absolutely overjoyed.”

The couple brings extensive business, investment, and philanthropic experience to the franchise. Jones and Feliciano co-founded the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, a private family office established in 2014. Jones serves as CEO and oversees its strategic direction, governance, and investments. Feliciano is co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital Group.

Their ownership follows the Seidler family’s November 2025 decision to explore selling the franchise, two years after former Padres owner Peter Seidler died. The family reached an agreement in May to transfer control to an ownership group led by Jones and Feliciano, pending MLB approval.

Jones and Feliciano said their plans extend beyond baseball. They intend to build on the Padres’ community work under Seidler, including efforts throughout San Diego and the Baja region. Jones also proposed a “listening tour” with Padres CEO Erik Greupner to learn more about local organizations and community needs.

“Sports is just much more than a business,” Feliciano said. “Sports is an integral part of the community.”

Anthony Anderson, Law & Order, XCEL Summit For Men — Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

by Kenneth Meeks

August 26, 2026

Anthony Anderson Shares a Secret Behind the Hit Sitcom ‘Black-ish’

While people didn’t find the name funny, the story behind it certainly Is.

With a career in television and films spanning a little over 30 years, Anthony Anderson is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor, comedian, and game show host. He has displayed a wide range of acting talent from his supporting roles in the drama “Hustle & Flow” and Martin Scorsese’s crime film “The Departed” to the iconic crime drama “Law & Order.” But it was the groundbreaking family sitcom “Black-ish” that had a tremendous impact on his life. For eight seasons, he was known for his leading role as Andre “Dre” Johnson. It starred Tracee Ellis Ross, Jenifer Lewis, and Laurence Fishburne.

Anderson explained it was a challenge to get people to watch the show. Turns out, people hated the name. Yet, ABC picked up the pilot for the 2014-15 television season, and the sitcom became an instant success. Anderson, a 2023 Xcel Summit Honoree, sat down with fellow Honoree Ed Gordon and shared the secret behind the show’s controversial name and what he and show creator Kenya Barris were willing to do to keep it. With the 10^th anniversary of the XCEL Summit for Men approaching, BLACK ENTERPRISE offers a sneak peek at the diverse cadre of talented African Americans who attend. They are not just corporate executives and middle management; they’re entertainers, singers, basketball players, and the list goes on. They share their stories and offer insight into the world around us. Check out Anthony Anderson’s insight behind the “Black-ish” name.

Michigan, letter grades, first-year students — Photo by ajay_suresh/flickr, small image (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

by Sidnee Michelle

August 25, 2026

University Of Michigan To Drop Letter Grades For First-Semester Students

The change will apply to first-year students in the university's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, or LSA.

The University of Michigan will change how thousands of first-year students are graded beginning in fall 2027, replacing first-semester letter grades on external transcripts with a pass or no credit designation, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The change will apply to first-year students in the university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, or LSA, which enrolls about half of Michigan’s roughly 8,000 incoming first-year students. The pilot program is intended to ease students’ transition to college, reduce academic pressure, and encourage them to explore challenging coursework.

Under the new system, students will continue to receive letter grades and feedback from instructors. However, those grades will not appear on external transcripts or factor into students’ GPAs during their first semester.

The university will retain internal records of students’ letter grades for purposes including academic advising, scholarships, awards, compliance, and certain applications for internships or academic programs. After the first semester, students will return to traditional letter grades that appear on transcripts and count toward their GPAs.

The University of Michigan joins several institutions that have adopted similar approaches to first-year grading, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College, and Wellesley College.

MIT, which launched its program in 1968, uses a pass or no-record system for first-year students during their first semester and January Independent Activities Period. Students transition to an A, B, C, or no-record system during the spring semester before moving to standard A-F grading as sophomores.

Michigan’s decision comes amid a broader debate over academic pressure, student mental health, and grading practices in higher education. The university has described its approach as “grade covering,” with the goal of giving students time to adjust to university-level expectations while continuing to receive feedback on their academic performance.

Beginning with the fall 2027 class, LSA students’ official transcripts will note that all first-semester grades were automatically designated as pass or no credit. Traditional letter grades will appear on their transcripts for subsequent semesters.

Black mother and daughter success parents — AI-generated image via Magnific

by Selena Hill

August 25, 2026

Pschologyist Warns Parents Not To Tell Children They Can Be Anything

A psychologist says parents may better prepare children for success by having honest conversations about fear, setbacks, skills, and growth.

For generations, parents have offered children a familiar piece of encouragement: ‘You can do anything you put your mind to.’ But psychologist Juli Fraga says that message may do more harm than good.

“If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything,” is “one of the most common lies I hear parents in my psychotherapy practice tell their kids,” Fraga wrote in a recent CNBC report.

The problem, according to Fraga, is not encouragement. It is the implication that effort alone can guarantee an outcome — whether that outcome is becoming a pop star, landing on the moon, or going to an Ivy League school.

“Most of the time, though, these parents don’t even realize they’re relaying a false message,” Fraga wrote on LinkedIn.

For families thinking about the long game, that distinction matters. Career development, entrepreneurship, and financial success rarely follow a straight line. Skills must be developed, opportunities can be limited, and setbacks are part of the process. Fraga, who has spent more than 20 years working with parents, warns that an excessive focus on outcomes can reinforce “external motivation,” in which a child’s drive is tied to praise, grades, trophies and other rewards that may not be fully within their control.

Instead, the focus should shift toward helping children navigate challenges. That can mean acknowledging that a new experience is scary, validating disappointment and showing children that falling short of a goal does not mean they have failed. It can also mean parents sharing their own experiences with setbacks, missed opportunities and changing course. Rather than selling children a fantasy of guaranteed success, she says parents can encourage ambition while also helping young people understand their strengths, develop skills, and recognize that progress does not always produce immediate rewards.