• HBCU

by Daniel Johnson

May 11, 2025

Shaquille O’Neal Reps Alabama State, Announces Plans To Become College Professor

O'Neal recently opened up about his personal connection to HBCUs during an episode of his podcast, 'The Big Podcast with Shaq.'

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NBA Hall of Famer and “Inside The NBA” television personality Shaquille O’Neal showed love to Alabama State University through a wardrobe choice and an announcement of his future plans on the May 8 broadcast of the show.

According to Sports Illustrated, in addition to wearing the bold black and gold of Alabama State University and flashing a “Que Dawg” salute, O’Neal hinted that he would leave the studio in two years after he becomes a college professor after concluding his studies at Alabama State University.

After Ernie Johnson asked O’Neal why he was wearing the ASU gear, he replied, “From now (on) I would like to be addressed as Professor O’Neal, because when I graduate in two years, I will leave you and become a college professor on mentorship and business administration. I love you.”

O’Neal recently opened up about his connection to HBCUs more broadly during an episode of his podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” after an HBCU student asked him what he does to support HBCUs.

“I always supported. It was an HBCU that helped me graduate from LSU. A lot of people don’t know the story, but I had to transfer to Southern for summer school. So it, I mean, I’ve always been a big supporter,” O’Neal said.

He continued, “Going there, the flavor, the feeling—like, sometimes I sit and I say, ‘Man, I wish I would’ve went to an HBCU. Because I went to the HBCU tournament when it was in Atlanta a couple weeks ago. And the DJs, the culture, the band, the cheerleaders—it’s just fun. And I’m a really big supporter of HBCUs.”

O’Neal’s son, Shaqir, has been intentional about playing at HBCUs, first enrolling at Texas Southern University out of high school in 2021, intending to “change the narrative” regarding the basketball programs at HBCUs.

Shaqir would later transfer to Florida A&M University for the 2024-2025 basketball season, where he recorded his first double-double as a collegiate athlete. Shaqir recently transferred to Sacramento State, where he will join a basketball program that employs former Sacramento Kings guard Mike Bibby as its head coach and his father as its general manager.

According to The Athletic, O’Neal’s position is on a voluntary, unpaid basis, and he follows other NBA luminaries like Stephen Curry and Trae Young into the position, albeit the latter pair have a more personal connection to their positions, Davidson and the University of Oklahoma are the alma maters of Curry and Young, respectively.

The Bibby/O’Neal era is already paying dividends. Just one day after O’Neal was officially announced as the general manager, the program signed former four-star prospect Mikey Williams. Despite Williams’ troubled past, which included nine felony gun charges stemming from a 2023 shooting near his home in San Diego, he is still a big splash for the university.

As O’Neal said in a statement to The Athletic, he sees his job as preparing young men to face life more than he sees it as raising championship banners and trophies. “This is about more than banners and trophies, but preparing these student-athletes for life on and off the court,” O’Neal said.

RELATED CONTENT: Shaquille ‘Secure-The- Bag’ O’Neal Launches New Spiked Lemonade

• Celebrity News

by Daniel Johnson

May 11, 2025

Jalen Green’s Wingstop Ad Called ‘Most Racist’ By Controversial Comedian Shane Gillis

Shane Gillis, the comedian who was fired from Saturday Night Live in 2019 for making racist and homophobic jokes, recently called Jalen Green's Wingstop advertisement 'the most racist' he has ever seen.

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Shane Gillis, the comedian who was fired from “Saturday Night Live” in 2019 for making racist and homophobic jokes, recently called Jalen Green’s Wingstop advertisement “the most racist” he has ever seen on an episode of his podcast, and criticized the NBA for running it often during the playoffs.

Gillis said at one point during the podcast that “They (presumably, the NBA) are targeting the African American community with intensity. Every single commercial is catered to Black people…It’s not race war stuff, but Wingstop’s taking up a bunch of ad space….It’s like every chicken place. You’re watching it going, ‘Dude, chill, spread it out, dude. Put one on the PGA tour to throw it off a little.’”

Gillis continued, “The Wingstop commercial is the most racist commercial I’ve ever seen,” Gillis said. “I can’t even describe the Wingstop commercial without sounding racist. I think it’s supposed to be an NBA player, and he’s doing the whole fashion walk-through that they do, and then he hops in a limo and just crushes chicken. And every white guy on Earth goes, ‘I knew that’s what they’re doing. I knew that’s what was going on in those cool limos.’”

According to Little Black Book, Green’s spot with Wingstop is the Houston Rockets’ rising star’s first collaboration with the brand, which is the Official Wing & Chicken partner of the NBA, and was unveiled in February as part of the league’s advertising rollout for the NBA All-Star Game.

As NBC News reported, Gillis’ entire schtick is based around “pushing boundaries,” according to his now deleted tweet, which apologized for the firestorm of controversy, which led to his ouster at SNL. However, people from marginalized communities, the butts of some of his more controversial jokes, would most likely describe those boundaries as punching down.

According to Life And Thyme, fried chicken is a staple of the American South, where Wingstop hails from, it began as a small operation in Garland, Texas, and the relationship of Black people to fried chicken is not as straightforward as Gillis makes it out to be, just because a Black person is eating chicken on camera does not make it racist. Fried chicken, in particular, helped Black people in the South achieve a form of financial freedom.

“If you look at the historical roots of entrepreneurship of people of African descent, since they became enslaved people, [fried chicken] was one of the few things that one could multiply and sell. It’s really a part of what I call African American subsistence of culinary freedom, that the fried chicken evolves out of entrepreneurship,” Babson College professor of history and foodways, Frederick Douglass Opie, told the outlet.

Similarly, associate professor and chair of American studies at the University of Maryland, and the author of “Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs: Black Women, Food and Power,” Psyche Williams-Forson, described the tense relationship between Black people and negative stereotypes associated with eating fried chicken in mixed company.

“By virtue of what people think you look like, you’re subjected to whatever crazy stereotype is circulating at the moment. You can be the most intelligent, the most brilliant, and you will get reduced to a stereotype. I think it’s important that we celebrate, but I also think it’s short-sighted to celebrate without pointing out the other side of this narrative, which gives rise to why we need to celebrate on some level,” Williams-Forson said. “It’s not just because we’re celebrating our innovation level. It’s also because if we don’t continue to remind people of our economic, social, political empowerment vis-à-vis foods, it is very likely that we will fall prey to the stereotypes by regurgitating them.”

RELATED CONTENT: Rick Ross Offers Don Lemon a Job and Brand Sponsorship Opportunity

• Events

by Ahsan Washington

May 11, 2025

Mother’s Day Events Are Going Down In A Major City Near You

Events range from brunches and cruises

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This year you can find special ways to honor Mother’s Day through BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s selection of nine major city events that celebrate mothers in exceptional ways. Events range from brunches and cruises to wellness experiences and cultural gatherings that provide unique celebrations for mothers with different interests. These events serve as ideal choices for creating enduring memories.

Atlanta

Atlanta moms, you can celebrate yourselves at Throwedoffjuan’s “That’s Just My BabyMama” Mother’s Day Comedy Show. It boasts to be one crazy night filled with honest humor, laughs, and jokes you won’t forget. 

Baltimore

Baltimore mommas looking for a fun way to celebrate Mother’s Day? We’ve got you covered! Go to Body Butter Making Workshop and treat yourself or that special mother in your life to some well-deserved pampering. You’ll get your hands messy in the best way, creating your own luscious, personalized body butters that smell divine. Keep your concoction as a little self-care treat or wrap it up as a heartfelt gift. 

Charlotte

Got a mom in Charlotte? Why not make her day extra special with The Sunday Groove’s Mother’s Day Edition at Marquee Live Music. It’s the perfect chance to kick back and enjoy live music, soak up the atmosphere, and give Mom some good entertainment. 

Chicago

This Mother’s Day, ditch the flowers and chocolates and treat yourself or the amazing moms in your life to a blissful yoga session. Nothing says “I appreciate you” quite like an hour of stretching, breathing. It’s the perfect chance to unwind. Every mom deserves a moment of peace and wellness. 

D.C.

Calling all DC mamas! Go crack up at the MOTHER of All Comedy Shows featuring the hilarious Liz Barlow. Perfect opportunity to ditch the mom-duties for the night. Bring your friends or just treat yourself. 

Detroit

Go celebrate your moms awesomeness at the BSG! & Friends Mother’s Day celebration with dinner and a concert! This night will be one for the books with tons of laughs, amazing live music, and food that’ll make your taste buds dance. There will be a whole lot of soul, heaps of style, and music that’ll feed the spirit.

Houston

The Art Studio is hosting an amazing Paint N’ Sip event that’s next-level. We’re talking about a super fun painting session, a photoshoot to remember the day, a comedy show, and plenty of wine. 

Los Angeles

Give the incredible mothers in your life the night out they deserve this Mother’s Day. We’re talking indulgent food, cocktails mixed with flair, jaw-dropping performances, and every mom gets her own rose. Right in the heart of Hollywood, it’s the perfect spot to create those “remember when” moments she’ll treasure.

New York

Come aboard our Mother’s Day Cruise New York City where you’ll soak up the jaw-dropping city skyline views. There will be great music, delicious food, and it beats another gifted candle. 

RELATED CONTENT: Two Therapists Launch Mother’s Day Event For Black Mothers Mental Health Awareness

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 10, 2025

Pope Leo XIV Has Haitian, Black Roots As Family Ties Traced Back To New Orleans

The new pope has Haitian blood, and his great-grandparents were listed through census records as 'free people of color' living in Louisiana.

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Research has led to reports that the new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, has Black family roots that trace back to New Orleans.

According to The Associated Press, the first pope born in America is a person of color, based on records discovered by a New Orleans genealogist. Jari Honora, who looked up Pope Leo’s given name because he has a French-sounding last name, Prevost. She found out that his lineage comes from a family that had roots in the Louisiana city.

“It was special for me because I share that heritage and so do many of my friends who are Catholic here in New Orleans,” said Honora, who works as a historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection, a museum in the French Quarter.

Through her research, she found that his great-grandparents, Jacques Martínez and Marie Rosa Ramos, were listed through census records as “free people of color” living in Louisiana. His other set of great-grandparents, Fernandid Baquié, and Eugenie Grandbois, were found to be “Mulatto.” Although his mother, Mildred Martinez Prevost, is listed as white on her birth certificate, her father, Joseph Martinez, was listed as Haitian, while her mother, Louise Baquié, was described as Black and “Mulatto.”

ABC News reports that photos of their grandparents were shown to Pope Leo XIV’s brother, John Prevost, and he confirmed it was them to the media outlet. Prevost did admit that they knew that their grandparents were Haitian and about their ties to New Orleans, but the family never discussed racial matters with them.

“In that intervening period, they not only migrated from New Orleans to Chicago in the period between 1910 and 1912, but they also changed their racial identifiers, which is very common,” Honora said. “Many families did this as a question of their livelihoods as an economic decision, they passed for white.”

New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell said, “The City of New Orleans is a melting pot of different religions and beliefs. We are thrilled to welcome Pope Leo XIV, who embodies morality, unity, and inclusivity.”

RELATED CONTENT: Catholic Africans Hope For A Black Pope, But See It As A Distant Possibility

• News

by Daniel Johnson

May 10, 2025

NY AG Letitia James Targeted In Federal Probe Sparked By Trump Ally

New York Attorney General Letitia James has emerged as a strident critic of the Trump administration.

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Federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James following allegations contained in a referral from the Trump administration that she be investigated for potentially falsifying paperwork regarding properties that she owns in Virginia and New York, sources familiar with the matter revealed to The Guardian.

Per their reporting, the investigation marks a significant shift toward retaliation against James, whose pursuit of charges against Donald Trump ended in more than $450 million in penalties for him after he was found guilty of inflating his net worth to secure financial benefits.

According to their sources, the status of the investigation seems to be in its early stages as prosecutors have designated a federal grand jury to hear evidence in the Eastern District of Virginia, following the recommendation from William Pulte for the Justice Department to bring charges against James in April.

As Reuters reports, James has emerged as a strident critic of the Trump administration’s clashes with the judicial branch and has joined other Democratic attorneys general in mounting legal challenges to Trump’s orders regarding election overhauls, cuts to education, health, and numerous moves, including the targeting of judges and law firms.

Notably, the criminal referral contains the same allegations raised by Trump allies online that in 2023, James potentially committed fraud by making a house in Norfolk, Virginia, a home she was helping a relative to buy, as her primary residence while James was the attorney general of New York.

Whether or not the allegations raised by the investigation will stick is yet to be determined, but what is accomplished by this investigation, regardless of the veracity of the claims from the Trump administration, is showcasing that it is willing to go after Trump’s adversaries using the weight of the federal government’s legal system.

Per USA Today, Trump, of course, couldn’t resist attacking James when given the opportunity during his May 6 media availability, saying that James is a “disaster for New York” and a “horrible, horrible human being” as well as a “total crook.”

He continued, “That’s just my opinion. Pam is going to have to do what she wants. She’s a very bad person. She’s a very, very bad, a very bad person who campaigned solely on, I’m going to get Donald Trump, over and over again.”

James has responded to the allegations. On May 8, two days after Trump’s statement, the referral for James to be charged was brought by Pulte.

James has referred to the allegations from the Trump administration as falsehoods and characterized the allegations as politically motivated retribution. In a letter she sent to the Justice Department in April, James said that the director made a cherry-picked argument in his recommendation.

“Director Pulte cherry-picked an August 17, 2023, power of attorney that mistakenly stated the property to be Ms James’ principal residence,” James’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, wrote in the letter. “The broker understood this, and that Ms James was not a Virginia resident.”

Lowell explained their view of the allegations to The Guardian, “This appears to be the political retribution President Trump threatened to exact that AG Bondi assured the Senate would not occur on her watch. If prosecutors are genuinely interested in the truth, we are prepared to meet false claims with facts.”

RELATED CONTENT: Letitia James Going After Trump Administration With Insider Trading Inquiry

• News

by Mary Spiller

May 10, 2025

Edda Fields-Black Wins Pulitzer For Groundbreaking Book On Harriet Tubman’s Combahee River Raid

Edda Fields-Black won the prize for her book 'COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War.'

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Edda Fields-Black was announced as the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for her book “COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War.” For her work in history, Fields-Black accounted with firsthand records on how Tubman led what Fields-Black called the largest “slave rebellion in U.S history.”

Fields-Black was awarded the Pulitzer on May 5 in history. The prize is shared between Combee and “Native Nations: A Millennium in North America” by Kathleen DuVal. The pieces are “distinguished and appropriately documented books on the history of the United States.”

Fields-Black opened up to the Miami Herald about her win, describing getting more phone calls and emails with congratulations than she expected. However, the event feels monumental for Black historians.

Fields-Black told the outlet, “It’s a form of validation, almost, that these stories are important and that they must be told with the backing of the Pulitzer Prize, even under these very difficult circumstances.”

She is just one of two women who have won the Pulitzer Prize in history, alongside the trailblazing author Annette Gordon-Reed.

Fields-Black’s book details the Combahee River Raid of 1863, and the Miami native historian spent 10 years researching and writing the book. Utilizing Civil War pension files to accurately identify the men involved in the raid, it was important to Fields-Black to tell the story with as many firsthand accounts as possible.

According to the Miami Herald, she began her journey researching the Combahee River Raid after learning about a man named Linus Hamilton.

Hamilton is an 88-year-old man who recounted what happened to him and his wife on the morning of the raid.

“It is such an extraordinary story and historical document,” Fields-Black said. “It is extremely rare to know an enslaved person’s name, first and last name. It’s extremely rare to hear their voice, and it’s almost unheard of to hear them tell in their own words how they felt at any point in their lives.”

“In reading the literature about the raid, I began to connect it to Linus Hamilton. It had not been connected before, and I began to think maybe there’s a story here that hasn’t been told.”

Fields-Black identified dozens of people that Harriet Tubman helped to liberate, and the rice plantations in which the raids took place.

Fields-Black’s mother and founder of the Miami Black Archives, Dorothy Jenkin Fields, is more excited than anyone else for her daughter.

Fields is no stranger to Black history work, as the founder of Miami’s Black Archives, she is committed to preserving the history of people of African descent who reside in South Florida. Fields told the Herald that [Fields-Black]’s achievements “are a testament to her strength and perseverance. Her hard work and dedication paid off, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

She continued, “Once-difficult-to-access records are now digitized, giving African American families opportunities to recover more of our lost past.”

When Fields-Black’s Pulitzer Prize win comes at such a time when Black History is being policed in curricula, it is even more important to acknowledge the importance of her work.

Fields-Black told the Miami Herald that she just wants people to take away two things from her work on her book, and that is that Tubman was an integral part of the Civil War leading the Combahee River Raids, and also that Civil War pension files are a useful point of contact in connecting Black people to the stories of their ancestors.

RELATED CONTENT: Novelist Percival Everett Wins 2025 Pulitzer Prize For ‘James’

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 10, 2025

BET Awards’ 25th Anniversary Will Reunite ‘106 & Park’ Hosts

AJ Calloway, Free, Julissa Bermudez, Keshia Chanté, Rocsi Diaz, Terrence J, and Mr. '106 & Park' himself, Bow Wow will be there

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As the BET Awards celebrates 25 years, it is bringing back its iconic hosts from the music video show, “106 & Park.”

The network announced that on June 9, during the live ceremony, the hosts from the countdown show will all reunite on stage. Those participating include AJ Calloway, Free, Julissa Bermudez, Keshia Chanté, Rocsi Diaz, Terrence J, and Mr. “106 & Park” himself, Bow Wow.

106 & Park is making a grand return at the #BETAwards2025 🎤 Get ready for iconic hosts, throwback legends, and unforgettable moments. https://t.co/NzCcpLbg8n

— BET (@BET) May 6, 2025

Along with the reunion, a tribute will include performances by Bow Wow, Amerie, B2K, Jim Jones, Mya, T.I., and more.

“’106 & Park’ was more than just a music countdown show; it was the heartbeat of Black youth culture and one of the highest-rated BET programs for over a decade,” stated Scott Mills, president and CEO at BET, in a written statement. “From Freestyle Friday to unforgettable live performances, it launched careers, influenced fashion, and became a platform where voices, style, and sound converged. 106 & Park both celebrated and fueled many of the most important musical and culture evolutions that occurred during its two-and-a-half-decade tenure.”

The network recently announced that Compton lyricist Kendrick Lamar has been nominated for 10 awards. The most-talked-about diss record in history has been nominated multiple times this year.

“Not Like Us” has been nominated for Video of the Year and a Viewer’s Choice Award.

Following Lamar’s 10 nominations, his real-life nemesis, Drake, is behind him again with six nominations. Including the Canadian artist, rappers GloRilla, Future, and Doechii also have six chances to win an award.

Metro Boomin has earned himself five nominations, and SZA and The Weeknd have received four nominations apiece, while Arya Starr, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Maverick City Music, Playboi Carti, Teddy Swims, and Tyler, the Creator each have garnered three nominations.

The main event, the BET Awards, will air live on BET on June 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

RELATED CONTENT: BET Awards Brings On Star-Studded Performances As Taraji P. Henson Returns As Host

• Politics

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 10, 2025

Trump Admin To Fly In White South African Refugees While Forcing Out Other Migrants

Approximately 60 white South Africans are being flown in on a chartered U.S. government plane.

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Amid ongoing controversy over the forced — and reportedly unlawful — removal of migrants, reports reveal that the Trump administration is set to welcome a chartered plane of white South African immigrants into the U.S. on May 12.

According to The Washington Post, approximately 60 white South Africans, labeled as refugees, will touch down in Washington, D.C., via a State Department-chartered plane. The refugees that are arriving in the United States next week have allegedly faced racial discrimination in their home country, and the president has approved for them to be relocated outside Virginia to 10 states.

The South Africans will be flying into Dulles International Airport, where they will be met by federal and Virginia officials who will announce them at a ceremonial news conference.

“The U.S. government is prioritizing the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees, and [the Office of Refugee Resettlement] is coordinating services to ensure they receive the support they need from the very initial days of their arrival,” Miro Marinovich, who is in charge of the Refugee Program Bureau at the Department of Health and Human Services, stated in an email to federal officials last week. “The first flight of Afrikaner refugees is set to arrive on Monday, May 12.”

No reason was given by the government on why this is being allowed, and specifically, why this particular group of South Africans is being labeled refugees. The media outlet reported that a memo obtained by them from the State Department claims that most of them have “witnessed or experienced extreme violence with a racial nexus.”

However, a statement was released by the Republic of South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation disputing the classification the United States used as a reason to call these South Africans refugees.

“We reiterate that allegations of discrimination are unfounded. The South Africa Police Services statistics on farm related crimes do not support allegations of violent crime targeted at farmers generally or any particular race,” said Chrispin Phiri, Spokesperson of the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in a written statement. “There are sufficient structures available within South Africa to address concerns of discrimination. Moreover, even if there are allegations of discrimination, it is our view that these do not meet the threshold of persecution required under domestic and international refugee law.”

Critics have blasted the Trump Administration for their refusal to allow refugees from other regions the same courtesy.

Trump and Musk are about to give refugee status to 60 white South Africans — who do not need it — while Trump locks up and deports refugees here who face genuine dangers in other countries.⁰
This is the sick global apartheid policy being adopted by this lawless administration.… pic.twitter.com/hDN3qbk9Fe

— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) May 9, 2025

Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, also responded to the criticism the administration is facing. “What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created.”

“This is persecution based on a protected characteristic, in this case, race. This is race-based persecution.”

RELATED CONTENT: Trump Administration Offering $1K to Illegal Migrants Who Voluntarily Leave The United States 

• Politics

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

May 10, 2025

Pentagon Orders Military Libraries To Get Rid Of Materials Related To DEI, Gives Deadline To Comply

Pentagon issued an order to review and pull all library materials that are related to diversity, anti-racism, and gender issues.

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The Trump Administration has continued its attack on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), as the Pentagon recently issued an order to review and pull all library materials that are related to diversity, anti-racism, and gender issues before May 21.

A statement was released by the U.S. Department of Defense May 9 regarding the recently imposed deadline for the exclusion of the materials from military libraries.

“Military educational institutions, such as War Colleges and Military Service Academies, will preliminarily identify this content no later than May 21, 2025, then conduct a deliberate review to determine the final disposition of that content. A temporary Academic Libraries Committee consisting of knowledgeable leaders, educators, and library professionals across the Department will assist throughout that process,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell wrote in a written statement. “A preliminary review using Committee-developed criteria will identify materials requiring further evaluation. Throughout the process, all reviews will use a ‘viewpoint-neutral’ approach, using definitions laid out in Executive Order 14168, ‘Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,’ and Executive Order 13950, ‘Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping.’

In April, the U.S. Naval Academy removed nearly 400 books from its library per instructions from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his office. They were told to review and discard books that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Initially, a search identified approximately 900 books to be discarded, but it was lowered to 400 before Hegseth visited the academy on April 1.

• Health and Wellness

by Daniel Johnson

May 10, 2025

Clarksdale, The Center Of Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners,’ Fights Food Apartheid With Fresh Produce At Town’s Only Black-Owned Grocery: ‘We Can Own Our Food’

In Mississippi’s Delta, fresh produce returns to the shelves at J’s Grocery—thanks to local farmers, community organizers, and a vision to reclaim food justice.

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Clarksdale, Mississippi, the setting of Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster film Sinners, is enjoying a moment of newfound media attention. However, its residents are fighting for food justice — in a town that often doesn’t have access to fresh vegetables — through J’s Grocery, the only Black-owned supermarket in the Clarksdale area.

According to The Guardian, the supermarket — an established presence in Clarksdale since 1997 — underwent more than a year of renovations before reopening to the community on May 2. Thanks to a partnership between local farmers and owner Al Jones, the store now offers fresh produce for the first time.

Jones told the outlet that the renovation was needed to support the collaboration because the store was often too hot for them to sell fresh produce. “We started with a storefront, then we added a piece on the back. But we still didn’t have fresh vegetables. The store was too hot all the time to carry vegetables,” Jones said.

Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical giant based in Denmark; Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), a nonprofit that focuses on providing access to healthy food; Rootswell, a group based in the Mississippi Delta that focuses on shifting food apartheid systems; and other food justice groups came together to work on the new fresh food stocks. A collaboration between Jones and the local farmers reshaped the community’s ability to reliably access fresh food.

Noreen Springstead, PHA’s president and CEO, noted the juxtaposition between what the groups were doing to support the local Clarksdale community and the federal government pulling funding for various federal divisions at the opening of the store.

“At a time in our country when the federal government is just pulling money back everywhere, we invested in people and community,” Springstead said.

Clarksdale lost its only grocery store, a Kroger, in 2017. Although residents wanted another big box store to take its place, Tyler Yarborough, the director of Mississippi Delta programs for PHA, and some others, wanted the town to get back to its locally owned, locally operated roots that also featured storefronts serviced by a number of Chinese, Lebanese, and Italian immigrants who came to call Clarksdale home, as depicted in Coogler’s film.

“It is in our food-system history of having these neighborhood corner stores,” Yarborough told The Guardian, as he noted that the Brickyard neighborhood and downtown Clarksdale once had 12 such shops. “This project is honoring that legacy and reminding us that we can own our food and the stores that we shop from.”

Clarksdale, a town of nearly 14,00, still remains primarily Black, and although the Mississippi Delta has abundant farmland, there are gaps in what the region produces and what ends up on the tables of the community, according to Robbie Pollard, one of the farmers who sells his produce at J’s Grocery.

Farms in the Mississippi Delta “produce a lot of commodity crops, like corn, soybean, cotton. They don’t produce a lot of food that we eat,” Pollard said. “We’re trying to change the landscape to start producing more food in the Delta, like converting some of that land that’s used for row-crop production.”

He continued, “It feels good to just be able to offer people the types of food that they’re looking for, not just trying to push something off to them. Being able to provide them with a lot of the food that they grew up on – it’s an honor to be able to provide fresh produce to my community.”

RELATED CONTENT: Help The Black Farmer’s Index Combat Food Insecurity And Agricultural Inequity