Dame Dash Says He's ‘Like a Proud Broke' and Has Actually Been 'Losing Money for Years’ — (Photo: Monica Morgan/Getty Images)

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 16, 2025

Damon Dash Must Sell Assets To Satisfy Debt Owed To Author Edwyna Brooks

The Harlem entrepreneur has defaulted on payment from a lawsuit the author won in 2020

In the latest lawsuit news for former Roc-A-Fella Records owner Damon Dash, the Harlem executive has been ordered to sell his businesses to satisfy one of his debts.

According to AllHipHop, since Dash’s company, the Dash Group, is listed under his wife’s name, a federal judge has told Raquel Horn to sell her ownership in the business and his other assets. A receiver was appointed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to oversee the sale of her interest in The Dash Group, which, according to court filings, is owned 100% by Horn.

This decision comes after author and filmmaker Edwyna Brooks returned to court in December 2024 because Dash had not fulfilled his financial obligation to her stemming from a case she won against him in 2020. She stated in the recent lawsuit that Dash and Horn, “[comingled] and [used] their companies as one entity and attempt to use the entities in an elaborate liability shifting scheme to avoid judgment debtors on behalf of themselves and their entities.”

Brooks won a $300,000 copyright infringement case against Dash after accusing him of marketing and selling a film project based on one of her characters, a female crime boss from a book series she wrote, “Mafietta.” He then countersued but eventually lost that case as well.

The suit, filed in December, alleges that Dash and his company, Poppington LLC, tried to hide his assets by moving them to a company not named in the suit.

“Mr. Dash has about $10 million in personal debt. If we would have been made whole from the auction, this lawsuit would not be necessary.”

“Poppington began fraudulently conveying Poppington assets” to a new entity, The Dash Group, “to avoid Brooks’ judgment.”

The Dash Group owns the America Nu streaming network, the CEOByDash website, and the children’s book “Dusko Goes To Space.”

The judge has stated that proceeds from the sale will go toward the debt owed to Brooks.

John Ewing Jr. , Omaha, Nebraska — JonClee86 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

by Sharelle B. McNair

May 16, 2025

John Ewing Jr. Becomes Omaha, Nebraska’s 1st Black Mayor After A Year Of Racial Limbo

History was made after Ewing, the Douglas County Treasurer, beat Stothert, who served for 12 years, in a rare fourth term race in Nebraska's largest city.

Omaha, Nebraska’s first female mayor, Jean Stothert, conceded in a major upset to the city’s first Black mayor, John Ewing Jr, CNN reports.

History was made on May 13 after Ewing, the Douglas County Treasurer, beat Stothert, who served for 12 years, in a rare fourth-term race in the state’s largest city, which has nearly 25% of Nebraska’s population. In her concession speech, Stothert said Ewing is receiving a city with a strong foundation.

The overall population of Black folks in the state is 23%.

“I called John Ewing, and I congratulated him,” Stothert said. “John Ewing is inheriting tonight a great city, and we leave a strong foundation for the city that we love. We are grateful and we are hopeful.”

The heated race between Stothert and Ewing revolved around local issues such as street repairs, garbage service, hiring more police officers, and affordable housing, something Ewing claimed the incumbent did not focus enough on. However, voters took on more hot-button issues on the national scale, like the President Donald Trump administration and transgender rights, that sent the former police officer over the winning edge. “People just feel like she’s had her time, and it’s time for somebody new,” Ewing said.

While the city’s mayor’s office is labeled nonpartisan, the candidates clarified their party stances. Stothert ran a TV ad saying, “Ewing stands with radicals who want to allow boys in girls’ sports.” In response, Ewing said being treasurer has not given him much time to deal with topics like transgender issues. Swinging back, the retired Omaha Police Department officer labeled Stothert as being connected to the Trump administration with a split screen saying, “Let’s say no to the chaos and elect a mayor who will actually get things done.”

According to KETV 7, state GOP Gov. Jim Pillen said he was “disappointed in Ewing’s win and pointed the finger at conservatives for not showing up to support Stothert. “I have great confidence, even though tonight ended the mayor’s run four years early, I have great confidence because of extraordinary leadership,” Pillen said.

“We all know culture wins and that culture will withstand decisions that none of us are going to agree on for the city of Omaha for the next four years.”

But not everyone showed the same disdain. Republican Congressman Don Bacon, representing Nebraska’s second congressional district, congratulated the new mayor and wished Stothert well.

“We will work together to serve the great citizens of Omaha,” Bacon said.

President and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber, Heath Mello, also congratulated Stothert on the legacy she built for the city. He acknowledged wanting to work with the newly elected mayor during his tenure. “Congratulations to Mayor-Elect John Ewing on his election victory,” he wrote in a statement.

“We look forward to meeting with him soon and collaborating on plans for Omaha’s bright future.”

Beyond the gates, ChelseaKat — CBS Presents BEYOND THE GATES ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

by Jameelah Mullen

May 16, 2025

‘Beyond The Gates’ Renewed For Season 2, Veteran Black Soap Stars Are Thrilled

The New Blackity Black soap opera is making waves—and instilling hope.

Beyond The Gates, the first soap opera to feature a majority Black cast since 1991, has been renewed for a second season.

The show premiered in February and averaged 2.28 million cross-platform viewers in its first week.

Darnell Williams, who played Jesse Hubbard on ABC’s All My Children from 1981 to 1987, said he is hopeful the show can provide more opportunities for Black actors.

Meanwhile, Veronica Redd played Mamie Johnson on The Young and the Restless.” Redd said she was both surprised and impressed with the show’s first season.”

“I was not prepared,” she told the Associated Press about the opening episode, which starts with a woman driving a Mercedes-Benz through the gates of a country club while “Best of My Love” by the Emotions played in the background.

“They got me hooked,” Redd said.

The show is a joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP, in partnership with P&G Studios. It tells the story of the Duprees, an affluent and influential family living in one of Washington, D.C’s most posh suburbs. Underneath the prestige lies a web of family secrets and unscrupulous endeavors.

Michelle Val Jean, show creator, showrunner, and executive producer, said she wanted to create a project that features some of the genre’s most loyal viewers.

“Black women are big soap opera viewers. I grew up in a soap opera-watching family. My grandmother watched. My mother watched. But one of the things that troubled me was that there weren’t many people that looked like me. There was an occasional best friend. Sometimes a family would come in and go out. I didn’t see people who looked like me driving the story. I think a lot of Black women felt that way, “ she told Soap Opera Central.

Beyond the Gates CBS airs weekdays on CBS at 2 p.m. EST. It’s also available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+ and CBS TV.

RELATED CONTENT: First Black Lead On A Soap Opera Dead At 92

brandon scott, Baltimore, XCEL Summit for Men — (Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 16, 2025

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Angela Rye, And More To Speak At Third United Justice Coalition Summit

A lineup of powerhouse criminal justice reform advocates are taking to NYC for the third UJC Summit.

The United Justice Coalition (UJC) and Roc Nation have a powerhouse speaker lineup for the third Justice Coalition Summit.

Taking place at The Shed in New York City on May 30, this year’s summit will feature over 30 leaders, advocates, and changemakers for a full day of powerful conversations on criminal justice reform, a press release announced. Speakers include UJC Advisor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who will deliver the invocation, along with IMPACT Strategies CEO Angela Rye, CNN anchor and Chief Legal Analyst Laura Coates, and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.

Panel discussions will explore urgent issues at the heart of America’s fractured justice system, including probation, prison, and parole reform, police misconduct, the link between mental health and incarceration, and the unique challenges faced by women behind bars. The sessions will lean on insights from industry experts, personal accounts, and actionable steps toward real change.

One of the featured panels, inspired by the Corruption Uncovered podcast, will explore the widespread corruption within the Kansas City, Kansas, police department under the leadership of the late former detective Roger Golubski, 71. Accused of decades-long misconduct, Golubski was found dead in Kansas just hours before jury selection was set to begin in December 2024.

Survivors of abuse and justice advocates featured in the podcast will share their stories in a powerful discussion examining what paths to justice remain when accountability breaks down—a reality all too common in cases of police misconduct. The families of Atatiana Jefferson, Botham Jean, and John Albers will also take part in the summit to share firsthand accounts of the lasting pain of losing their loved ones to police-involved shootings and their ongoing pursuit of justice. They will share their stories while also offering actionable steps to bring communities together to create meaningful change.

A vibrant community exhibition space will be a centerpiece of the summit, aimed at bringing together over 40 nonprofit and advocacy groups from across the nation to engage with attendees and spotlight their work. Participating organizations include the American Probation and Parole Association, Center for Policing Equity, Children of Promise, Dream.org, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Sheriff’s Association, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, Right on Crime, Gathering for Justice, Ladies of Hope Ministries, Until Freedom, and many others.

The new wave of speakers follows UJC’s announcement earlier this year that radio and television personality Charlamagne tha God, MSNBC host Ari Melber, and Innocence Project Co-Founder Barry Scheck would be taking the stage to speak on the crucial need for criminal and social justice reform.

A Flint, Michigan, man who spent 52 years behind bars for being “in the wrong place at the wrong time” is finally set to walk free.

On May 13, Horace Peterson, 72, appeared at a resentencing hearing that made him eligible for immediate release from the Michigan Department of Corrections, MLive reports.

The move followed a joint effort by prosecutors and defense attorneys to secure a plea deal, reducing his first-degree murder charge to a no-contest plea for second-degree murder.

The agreement carried a sentence of 25 to 40 years, with credit for the 52 years Peterson has already served. The charges stem from a 1973 crime Peterson didn’t commit. He just happened to be with the person who did.

“He paid a steep price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Peterson’s attorney, Michael Manley, told Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Brian S Pickell. “… He just wants to go home to his family.”

Peterson was 20 when he accompanied his friend Nathaniel Porter (who now goes by Nathaniel Owusu) to a music store, where Porter fatally shot 20-year-old employee Laurie Snyder. In November 2020, Owusu wrote to Peterson’s family, stating that Peterson wasn’t involved in the robbery and that the killing was accidental.

Unfortunately for Peterson, his conviction came years before the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that first-degree murder charges require proof of malice or intent. It was also long before the court decided that 19- and 20-year-olds convicted of first-degree murder cannot be automatically sentenced to life in prison.

Now, after 52 years, Peterson will finally be able to return to his family, just in time for his daughter’s 55th birthday.

“We did it,” Peterson’s daughter, Onquette Woodyard, said after the ruling.

Peterson’s family beamed with joy upon receiving the news of his impending release. After hearing the verdict, he turned around to smile at his 11-year-old great-grandson, Ethan Woodyard.

“I just want to send him love,” Ethan said. “It felt good just to see everybody joyful and to see him joyful–it just means a lot to me.”

Peterson said there isn’t a day that goes by when he doesn’t pray for Snyder and her grieving family.

“I have a very passionate heart for Laurie,” Peterson said. “… I wish her family the absolute best.”

Alondra Nelson — photo credit: Staff photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

by Stacy Jackson

May 16, 2025

Alondra Nelson Resigns From National Science Board And Library Of Congress

She resigned with a clear message that she will not participate in dishonest systems

Despite Alondra Nelson’s deep care for the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council, the policy advisor says certain boundaries have been crossed, leading her to step away from both federal institutions.

“Today, I am resigning,” Nelson wrote in a May 13 essay published by Time. “The aim of my resignation is to break free of powers that seek to limit knowledge and silence voice.”

Nelson, the Institute for Advanced Study’s Harold F. Linder professor, explained that her decision to resign stems from the growing realization that institutions like the National Science Foundation, the Library of Congress have lost sight of integrity and “it is impossible to fulfill their missions in good faith.”

Nelson wrote that scientists, librarians, program officers, and policy analysts have continued their work despite the increasingly hostile political environment among these institutions. Since January, she has witnessed civil servants face termination under claims they did not reach the mark, vendor contracts ignored, and the cancellation of grants and fellowships.

“In both these roles, over the past few years, I’ve been asked to serve on diverse bodies that offer guidance about how the executive and legislative branches can be stewards of knowledge and create structure to enable discovery, innovation, and ingenuity,” wrote Nelson. “In the instance of the National Science Board, this ideal has dissolved so gradually, yet so completely, that I barely noticed its absence until confronted with its hollow simulacrum.”

Nelson was appointed to her role with the National Science Board in 2024, an independent agency that has invested in transformative technologies and supported vital research in the social and behavioral sciences. However, the arrival of the Department of Government Efficiency may have resurfaced tension between “the promise of scientific freedom and the peril of political control.”

“Last week, as the Board held its 494th meeting, I listened to NSF staff say that DOGE had by fiat the authority to give thumbs up or down to grant applications which had been systematically vetted by layers of subject matter experts,” said Nelson. “When grant applications are vetoed, and whole organizations restructured, the freedom to speak becomes meaningless when disconnected from the possibility of being heard.”

Nelson now believes her course of action lies in the refusal to participate in dishonest systems.

Room to Read 2025 New York Gala, Salt n Pepa — (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Room to Read)

by Jameelah Mullen

May 15, 2025

Salt-N-Pepa Performs At Room To Read’s Annual New York Gala

The hip-hop queens ripped the stage for a worthy cause

Room to Read, a global education nonprofit that provides educational support to underserved communities, held its annual New York Gala on May 13 at Tribeca Rooftop.

The organization celebrated its silver jubilee with a performance by the legendary hip-hop duo, Salt-N-Pepa. The rappers, whose real names are Cheryl James (Salt) and Sandy Denton (Pepa), were excited about the gig, which they hyped on Instagram.

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A post shared by Salt ‘N’ Pepa (@saltnpepaofficial)

“Push it real good… for education! We’re excited to hit the stage at the @roomtoread New York Gala next month, supporting the organization’s mission to create a world where every child has the room to read, learn, and grow – because education changes everything.”

The Grammy-winning group performed a medley of their hits for 350 attendees. The event, hosted by Room to Read’s Regional Board of Directors, honored supporters who helped the organization raise more than $1 billion to support global education, including Goldman Sachs, which has invested more than $27 million in the organization.

The emcees are no strangers to lending their celebrity to a worthy cause. In 1992, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, the group remixed their song “Let’s Talk About Sex” to “Let’s Talk About AIDS” to raise awareness about safe sex and to debunk stigmas surrounding HIV and AIDS.

In 2020, Cheryl ‘Salt’ James recorded another remixed version of their hit song called “Let’s Talk About Salt.” The song, along with an animated music video, was a joint collaboration between Hip Hop Public Health and the American Heart Association aimed at teaching children the health risks of excessive sodium intake.

Salt-N-Pepa, along with DJ Spinderella, whose real name is Deidra Roper, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 8 in Los Angeles.

Khalid Kamal, mayor, Kobi, racist, messages, investigation, south Fulton — (Photo: Prince Williams/WireImage)

by Kandiss Edwards

May 15, 2025

Mayor Khalid Kamau’s Alleged Misuse Of City Property Dates Back To 2022

South Fulton, Georgia's outgoing mayor has had questionable practices with the city’s resources since 2022, according to emails

Mayor Khalid Kamau’s misuse of city equipment was brought up in South Fulton, Georgia’s May 13’s council meeting, leading Kamau to walk out of the meeting.

Councilmember Helen Willis said the issue has been ongoing and is not limited to the mayor.

“We need clear guidelines, and we need to make sure when people use our city vehicles, they are only used for city use and not personal use,” she said.

In February, Kamau was stripped of his city-issued vehicle due to alleged misuse.

Emails from 2022 reveal that former finance director Karen Slaton-Dixon raised concerns about the mayor’s request to use a city vehicle for a retreat, noting it could be considered “double dipping” since he already received a monthly car allowance intended for personal vehicle use on city business.

The council is now considering proposals to establish comprehensive policies to ensure city vehicles are used appropriately for business-related trips.

The outgoing mayor has faced significant scrutiny over his financial practices during his tenure. A city council audit revealed that Kamau spent approximately $26,000 on international travel to destinations such as Ghana, Colombia, and France, as well as on office furnishings, including a $1,800 pool table.

Kamau defended these expenses as efforts to promote South Fulton to the global diaspora, aiming to attract economic development to the city.

“We’ve been chasing these Fortune 500 companies, trying to get them to invest in our city, and all we get are warehouses and data centers. When I started talking about us being the blackest city in America, we started getting invitations from all over the world.”

Despite his justifications, the city council took action, stripping him of most of his privileges, including access to the mayoral budget and city buildings.

Additionally, Kamau’s wages were garnished after he failed to pay a local small business for an unauthorized mural in his office. Facing mounting controversies and financial challenges, Kamau announced he would not seek re-election. His term ends this year.

Minnesota Vikings — photo credit: Kyle Engman, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 15, 2025

Ex-Morgan State Football Player Elijah Williams, Signs With Minnesota Vikings

Elijah Williams, who attended Morgan State University, has just signed an NFL contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

An undrafted Jersey City defensive tackle who attended Morgan State University has just signed an NFL contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

According to the NFL team, after being invited to the Vikings’ rookie minicamp, Elijah Williams impressed the coaches with his stellar play, resulting in a signed contract. The team also announced the signing of another tryout player, Matt Harmon.

Morgan State made it known that Williams had joined the Vikings.

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A post shared by Morgan State Football (@msubearsfb)

While attending Morgan State from 2021 to 2024, Williams was active in 42 games, making 216 tackles, 52 tackles for loss, performing 31 sacks, three passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He saved his best play for his last season at the institution when he registered several career highs in games played (12) and sacks (11). The 15 tackles for loss were the second most he had in a season during his collegiate career. He had 19 during the 2022 season. Although he had four sacks as a freshman in 2021, he had at least seven sacks in each of his final three seasons.

Some of his accolades include MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, AFCA Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-American, BOXTOROW HBCU All-American, and Stats Perform FCS All-American. He was also a Buck Buchanan Award finalist. Williams was also one of 10 finalists for the Urban Edge Network’s inaugural HBCU+ National Player of the Year Award.

He is in the top 10 in career sacks for the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference). The 31 sacks place him in the seventh position in the conference.

Before heading to Morgan State, Williams played three seasons at Lincoln High School, where he recorded 74 tackles (57 solo) in 10 games as a senior. He was the Defensive MVP during his junior year, and during a game on Sept. 28, 2018, he collected 10 tackles and five tackles for loss, and that effort earned him the Defensive Player of the Week.

suge, knight, request, denied — (Photo: Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

May 15, 2025

Suge Knight Thinks Diddy ‘Has A Fair Shot’ At Trump Pardon If He’s Found Guilty

Suge Knight thinks Diddy has a strong chance of getting pardoned if he’s found guilty

Sean “Diddy” Combs may be behind bars as he awaits the fate of his high-profile trial, but Suge Knight believes that if convicted, he could still walk free with a pardon from President Trump.

The former Death Row CEO appeared on NewsNation’s CUOMO on May 13, where he explained why he’s not worried about Combs’ fate in his ongoing racketeering and sex trafficking trial.

“I still feel that Puffy’s gonna be all right and have a fair shot at it, because Puffy didn’t — he’s not a dummy,” Knight told host Chris Cuomo, as captured by The Hill.

“I’m quite sure somebody’s going to talk to those jurors and convince one or two of them — that’s all you need, is one,” Knight continued. “So, at the end of the day, it’s going to be a real exciting situation, but I think he’s going to be all right.”

When Cuomo asked the Knight, 60 if he thinks Combs will be “all right,” possibly due to jury tampering, the imprisoned former hip-hop executive, who’s currently serving a 28-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter, cited Combs’ “influence,” adding that it doesn’t “seem like the prosecution is that bad against him.”

“I think he got some favors with the government. I think they’re going to show him a little leeway. It might not seem like it when it’s all said and done, but I don’t think he had nothing to worry about,” Knight said. “I don’t think he’s worried, because he’s going to be federal. And if he gets convicted, Trump’s going to pardon him.”

Sex trafficking charges are a different ball game, but Knight still feels the Bad Boy founder has a good chance of securing a pardon from Trump should he be found guilty.

“S‑‑‑, he pardoned Michael Harris,” Knight said, referencing the founder of Godfather Entertainment, the parent company of Death Row Records. Harris spent 33 years in prison on drug charges before being granted clemency in 2021 and endorsing Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.

“They don’t care about that. It’s all about, you know, what’s in it for the long run,” Knight added.

The incarcerated Death Row founder remains optimistic about Combs’ outcome despite being mentioned during Cassie Ventura’s testimony. Ventura recalled a “freak off” incident where Combs abruptly left after learning Knight was dining nearby. She also testified that Combs kept weapons at home and expressed fear that he might confront Knight.

”Please don’t do anything stupid,” Ventura recalled telling Combs about his longstanding feud with Knight.