Women of Power 2025 Luminary Jemele Hill
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton
April 30, 2025
Mississippi DoorDasher Arrested for Trying To Steal Items Ordered By Paralyzed Ex-Deputy
Jackson resident Terel Hampton is accused of picking up an order and not delivering it to the retired deputy
A man working for DoorDash has been arrested after authorities say he tried to steal an order from a retired, paralyzed deputy.
According to WLBT, the incident took place April 28, in Mississippi. Jackson resident Terel Hampton picked up an order placed by former police deputy Brad Sullivan at Academy Sports, which was never delivered to him.
After not receiving the items he had ordered for his son, Sullivan checked the status on DoorDash, which stated that the order had been picked up by someone who signed off as “Dennis K.” Sullivan then contacted the store. The manager informed him that “Dennis K” had indeed picked up the order and left the store.
Some time later, the order was cancelled, but Sullivan told police officers that he never canceled it.
Sullivan then contacted Hampton, who denied having the order.
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
April 30, 2025
Ohio State Graduation Ceremony For Black Students Changes Name Over Anti-DEI Order
The school's Black alumni society took matters into its own hands to keep the ceremony alive
Ohio State’s graduation ceremony for its Black students will conduct the event in a different fashion due to President Donald Trump’s DEI crackdown.
According to The Lantern, Ohio State’s student newspaer, OSU’s Afrikan American Farewell Ceremony has honored graduates of color since the 1990s. Now, as the Trump administration orders federally-funded schools to eliminate its race-specific programming, the ceremony must take on a new name.
The school already complied with the demands by shutting down its Office of Diversity and Inclusion on February 28. Following the shutdown, many graduates and event organizers feared that the ceremony would also face elimination over funding issues.
However, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the umbrella council for Black sororities and fraternities, worked on a solution with the school’s Sorority and Fraternity life. Now, the graduation will proceed as “The Farewell Celebration.”
The Ohio State Black Alumni society shared the update to its Instagram on April 8.
“With this partnership, SFL will provide nominal financial support and lead the on-campus management of the AAFC with the contingency that the name be changed to The Farewell Celebration sponsored by the NPHC,” the caption read.
The society noted its “frustration” with the university’s decision to comply with Trump’s demands and remove its diversity initiatives, but said it will “remain committed to our students and our community.”
“The historic Afrikan American Farewell Celebration was a part of this review process, and the event is continuing with a few alterations, including that the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) student organization will take the lead on the event,” Ohio State spokesperson Chris Booker said. “Because it was also necessary to be clear that the event is open to all students, we recommended revising the name, which will now be the Farewell Celebration, presented by NPHC.”
The alumni society raised over $26,000 from its extended community to conduct the ceremony without school funding, but some Black students and alumni worry about future students at Ohio State and its legacy.
The school has its own history with race relations. Arguably its most famous alumnus, track and field legend Jesse Owens, had to live off-campus due to racial restrictions at the university. Owens also did not receive scholarships, despite winning four individual NCAA championships during his matriculation.
Now, his alma mater’s regressive decision has some alumni recalling Owens’ infamous treatment.
“These changes to the graduation ceremony take progress away—think back to Black alumni like Jesse Owens and Fred Patterson; they weren’t allowed to live on campus,” explained Jevon Collins, who graduated from the school in 2004.
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by Jeroslyn JoVonn
April 30, 2025
The Obamas’ Old Martha’s Vineyard Rental House On The Market For $39 Million
The Obamas summered there from 2009 to 2011
The luxurious farmhouse-style estate in Martha’s Vineyard, where the Obama family spent their summers, has hit the market with a staggering $39 million price tag.
Owned by the family of acclaimed British architect Lord Norman Foster, Blue Heron Farm is where the Obamas stayed during the summer months of Barack Obama’s presidency from 2009 to 2011, Elle Decor reports. Seated on 30 acres of Martha’s Vineyard, the home offers potential buyers a chance to connect with rich presidential history.
From the Obamas’ summer getaways during key years of his presidency to the dinner party Bill and Hillary Clinton attended in 1998, Blue Heron Farm adds to Martha’s Vineyard’s signature allure—boasting connections to two presidents during their time in office.
Situated in Chilmark, Massachusetts, the estate spans approximately 30 acres and features a 7,000-square-foot main house adorned with classic white clapboard and a charming wraparound porch. Ideal for hosting family and friends, the property also includes a traditional Cape-style guesthouse, a boathouse, and a 150-year-old barn relocated from Pennsylvania.
The grounds are rich with amenities that connect residents to the land, including a riding ring, tennis and basketball courts, multiple gardens, an apple orchard, and a private stretch of waterfront along Tisbury Great Pond.
Foster wasn’t the one who rented the house out to the Obamas. The architect behind landmarks like London’s Gherkin and Wembley Stadium purchased the home in December 2011 for $22.4 million from Mollie and William Van Devender, who leased it to the former First Family.
Foster made significant upgrades to boost its value, including a full renovation of the main house, planting new trees, and adding a pool and pool house.
While the median home price on Martha’s Vineyard is currently around $1.1 million, properties with celebrity ties often fetch a premium. In 2023, Diane Sawyer’s home sold for nearly $24 million.
The sale of Blue Heron Farm will benefit the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank, which collects a 2% fee on real estate transactions to support local conservation efforts. If the estate sells for its $39 million asking price, the buyer would owe the Land Bank $780,000 at closing.
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by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
April 30, 2025
Childhood Home Of Atlanta’s First Black Mayor Remodeled Into Affordable Housing For Spelman College Staff
The building will now house six to eight Spelman staffers and faculty
In the heart of Atlanta, a new affordable housing project comes from one of the city’s legendary figures.
The childhood home of the city’s first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson Jr., will now serve as an affordable housing facility for Spelman staff and faculty. The building held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 28 with current Mayor Andre Dickens and other city leaders in attendance, Axios reports.
The home, once owned by Jackson Jr.’s father, Rev. Maynard Jackson, sits close to Spelman’s campus in the Atlanta neighborhood of Vine City. Now, it will help those working at the HBCU as they pursue homeownership. 11Alive News shared footage of the building.
With rising rents limiting many from living in the city, the opportunity will lower costs for the educators and staff. One of the building’s first tenants, Michele Ogden, said her dreams of owning a home could now come to fruition.
“In my previous home, the rent jumped to $2,250 a month, which was completely unaffordable for me in my current field,” Ogden said. “I really have been dreaming of owning a home for forever.”
The home has greater historical significance due to its location. Built in 1949, it sits across from Dr. Martin Luther King’s childhood home. The home also served as housing for Black co-eds during the 1950s and ’60s.
The Westside Future Fund led the restoration of the home through two years of revitalization efforts. “Preserve the legacy, return it to service and to make it a place that is fit for the next generations of leaders,” said Westside Future Fund Board Chair T. Dallas Smith.
Jackson served three terms as mayor, from 1974 to 1982, and then from 1990 to 1994. Born to a family of civil rights leaders, he sought to help his marginalized constituents and soothe race relations while in office.
During his tenure, he championed affirmative action programs that helped minority- and women-owned businesses. Jackson also opposed the creation of freeways through in-town neighborhoods. One of his most notable impacts, however, lies in the critical upgrades made to Atlanta’s airport. The airport and its international terminal were eventually named in his honor.
“I know that Maynard would be so proud of this house being renovated and standing again to serve the community,” said Valerie Jackson, the mayor’s widow.
Moreover, the fund hopes the renovation will inspire others in Atlanta to turn outdated homes into modern, affordable units. With many calls to address the housing affordability and homelessness crisis, the restoration of the Jackson home aims to help remedy this issue.
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by Sharelle B. McNair
April 30, 2025
Insiders ‘Nervous’ As USPS Teams Up With Trump Administration To Combat Illegal Immigration
A top DHS official calls the USP collaboration a “key part” to guaranteeing Trump keeps his “promise to the American people to remove violent criminals from our streets.”
Insiders are nervous after the Washington Post broke a report revealing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been quietly cooperating with federal immigration officials to assist with efforts to locate people suspected of being in the country illegally.
An investigative force within the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has joined forces with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) task force, which focuses on identifying, detaining, and deporting undocumented immigrants. The collaborative efforts include looking for pictures on the outside of envelopes and packages, known as “mail covers” in addition to gaining access to the postal investigation agency’s surveillance systems that include online account data, package- and mail-tracking information, credit card data, financial material and IP addresses, according to the anonymous insiders.
As USPS’s Postal Inspection Service is primarily tasked with keeping safety protocols within the mail system, investigating threats and attacks on postal workers and mail facilities, and keeping illegal items like narcotics and child pornography out of the mail, insiders feel this is a heightened escalation of Trump’s immigration crackdown. However, it is not far-fetched, as Homeland Security officials have previously worked with tax, housing, and public health authorities.
In an email to the agency’s 1,700 officers, leaders agreed to participate in the shakedown, stating, “We want to play well in the sandbox.”
While it’s not uncommon for the Inspection Service to conduct raids or multi-agency operations, insiders believe this is different.
“The Inspection Service is very, very nervous about this,” one USPS insider familiar with the situation said.
“They seem to be trying to placate Trump by getting involved with things they think he’d like. But it’s complete overreach. This is the Postal Service. Why are they involved in deporting people?”
However, a top DHS official calls the move a “key part” to guaranteeing Trump keeps his “promise to the American people to remove violent criminals from our streets.” “Under President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security will use every tool and resource available to secure our border and get criminal illegal aliens out of our country. The safety of American citizens comes first,” the official said, according to the Daily Beast.
As efforts advance across numerous federal agencies, experts are giving the side-eye to the number of immigrants the Trump administration has allegedly deported during the president’s first 100 days in office. Border czar Tom Homan reported on April 28 that the White House has deported 139,000 people since Inauguration Day, after the announcement of the country’s largest deportation efforts.
However, data from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement paints a different picture. Numbers suggest that 57,000, a little less than half of Homan’s figure, have been deported.
by Sharelle B. McNair
April 30, 2025
UPS To Cut 20,000 Jobs—But Not Because Of Trump’s Tariffs
CEO Carol Tomé labeled Amazon as 'not profitable for us, nor a healthy fit for our network'
Delivery giant UPS has announced plans to cut 20,000 jobs, but it’s not due to President Donald Trump’s ongoing tariff wars, CNN reports.
The reason: the increased use of technology in the industry and efforts to minimize its business with Amazon, UPS’s largest customer. The company wants to reduce its Amazon business by half by mid-2026.
CEO Carol Tome labeled the eliminated business as “not profitable for us, nor a healthy fit for our network.”
“The actions we are taking to reconfigure our network and reduce cost across our business could not be timelier,” Tomé said in a statement, according to ABC News. “The macro environment may be uncertain, but with our actions, we will emerge as an even stronger, more nimble UPS.”
The volume of UPS packages from Amazon decreased by 16% toward the end of the most recent quarter, which was larger than the original projected forecast. By the end of June 2025, the next steps of the “glide down” plan include closing 73 buildings in the United States.
In addition, Tomé said UPS facilities will utilize automation, ranging from sorting packages to label application and loading and unloading trucks. The goal is to have 400 of its facilities become partly, if not entirely, automated.
“With this reconfiguration, we will also lessen our dependency on labor,” she said.
UPS employs 490,000 workers. The Teamsters union represents more than 300,000 of UPS’ hourly workers.
“If UPS wants to continue to downsize corporate management, the Teamsters won’t stand in its way,” president Sean O’Brien said. “But if the company intends to violate our contract or make any attempt to go after hard-fought, good-paying Teamsters jobs, UPS will be in for a hell of a fight.”
UPS spokesman Glenn Zaccara said the company has every intention of living up to the terms of its contract.
While UPS’ cuts don’t correlate with Trump’s tariffs, they are a topic of concern for the company, which has experienced some effects from the 10% tariff on most imports, and more so from the 145% tariff on Chinese imports.
“There’s so much uncertainty in the back half (of the year), because all those (tariffs) will ultimately impact the U.S. consumer,” Tomé said. “Current consumer sentiment is down from where it was at the beginning of the year. (But) the consumer is still pretty healthy.”
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by Kandiss Edwards
April 30, 2025
Megan Thee Stallion Dives Into Entrepreneurship By Opening A Popeyes Chicken
'It's still just bones right now, but this is about to be the littlest Popeyes ever.'
Megan Thee Stallion is a restaurateur. The Grammy-winning rapper announced that she is opening her first Popeyes franchise location.
In a TikTok post, the bejeweled Texas Hottie walked through the under-construction site in fashionable attire that included a crop top, blue denim cargo pants, and a “hottie” construction helmet, People observed.
“My very own Popeyes is opening this summer, Hotties,” she said in the video. “I just stopped by to check out the location. It’s still just the bones right now, but this is about to be the littlest Popeyes ever.”
This development takes Pete’s 2021 partnership with Popeyes to a new level. The two brands collaborated and introduced the “Hottie Sauce.” The limited-edition item was a blend of honey, vinegar and Aleppo pepper. The collaboration also included a line of co-branded merchandise and a franchise agreement, making Pete a multi-unit franchise owner.
Beyond her business endeavors, she recently released her new single “Whenever,” the lead in the third chapter of the rapper’s MEGAN album series.
As Megan Thee Stallion, 30, continues to diversify her portfolio, she has been navigating a few legal challenges.
In January, a Los Angeles judge granted her a five-year restraining order against rapper Tory Lanez, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting her in July 2020. Megan testified that Lanez continued to harass her from prison through third parties and online attacks on her credibility.
She also filed a defamation lawsuit against blogger Milagro Gramz, also known as Milagro Elizabeth Cooper. accusing Gramz of spreading false information and sharing an altered, deepfake video of Megan engaged in sexual acts without her consent. The allegations suggest that Gramz worked to smear Megan’s reputation on behalf of Tory Lanez.
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by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton
April 30, 2025
Former NBA Player Vernon Maxwell Calls Draymond Green ‘The O.J. Simpson Of Basketball’
The former Houston Rockets player made the comment on social media
During an NBA Playoff game, which saw the Houston Rockets match up against the Golden State Warriors, a former NBA player compared Warriors player Draymond Green to another famous former athlete, O.J. Simpson.
Former NBA champion Vernon Maxwell, who won his two titles while a member of the Rockets in 1994 and 1995, took to social media to draw a comparison to the oft-controversial player known for his aggressive play and combative nature on the basketball court.
Draymond Green is the OJ Simpson of basketball.
— Vernon Maxwell (@VernonMaxwell11) April 24, 2025
Based on the reputation of Green and the fact that Simpson was acquitted of murder in 1995, but spent nine years in prison for an armed robbery 2008, it can be safely assumed that it wasn’t a compliment. Although Simpson was an NFL Hall of Famer, we can’t imagine that Maxwell would compare Green’s possible Hall of Fame selection after he retires from the game to Simpson’s successful football career.
Maxwell was also an aggressive NBA player during his career, which spanned over a decade from 1988 to 2001. He played for several teams during his time after being drafted by the Denver Nuggets, and on draft night, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, where he began his NBA career.
Some of his fans remembered that Maxwell was no slouch on the basketball court and could play against Green, matching, if not surpassing, the same energy the Warriors player gives during a game. One fan even suggested that Maxwell put on a Rockets uniform and insert himself in the game to “take Draymond’s head off his shoulders.”
we need you to suit up next game unc and take draymonds head off his shoulders 🙏🏼
— ? (@f33lingill) April 29, 2025
Another fan recently came up with a solution of his own, suggesting the same thing as the above poster. Place Maxwell on the bench, and when he is needed to “stop Draymond,” throw him in the game to “stand up” to him.
Tough Rox loss. Solution? Hire @VernonMaxwell11 to sit on the bench for game 5 and 6. He’s the only one who can stand up and stop Draymond.
— Todd Waldman (@summeroftears) April 29, 2025
However, as we are sure Maxwell will not be coming out of retirement, he had a suggestion of his own (not specific to Green, but to the team in general).
If any of my young Rockets wanna lay any of these Warriors out I’ll pay the fine (if I can get my money from Vincent Askew).
— Vernon Maxwell (@VernonMaxwell11) April 29, 2025
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