by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 10, 2024

Usher Joins Ribbon Cutting Ceremony For Content Studio At ATL Boys And Girls Club

Usher took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony hours before his Atlanta show.

Ahead of his concert at the State Farm Arena, Usher joined some younger fans to celebrate a new content studio at an Atlanta Boys and Girls Club.

Usher took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony hours before his show on Dec. 9. The Grammy-winning singer donated mics, soundboards, and computers to the club’s new state-of-the-art content studio. Now, future generations of artists will be able to grow their talents through the space.

Usher called his hometown Boys and Girls Club in Chattanooga a “motivational place” and wanted to spark this feeling in the youth in his hometown.

“For me in Chattanooga, Tennessee, being raised by an entire village, mother, my mother and my grandmother, grandfather — my father wasn’t there. The Boys and Girls Club welcomed me with open arms and was a motivational place for me,” stated the R&B star.

The donation came about in partnership with Usher’s New Look Foundation. According to its website, the charitable venture serves underserved youth through immersive programming. The singer also remains a vocal advocate for other youth-focused organizations. He serves as an ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance’s “Lights On” campaign and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

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The 46-year-old added, “This is the idea of what we’re investing in because we’re investing in our future. We’re investing in the youth. And I’m an example.”

The head of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, David Jernigan, also attended the event. Furthermore, Jernigan shared that Usher’s contribution will allow young people to pursue their artistic interests.

“Look up here at this lab, the Spark Lab, and it is partnerships like what we have here today represented in this room with Usher’s New Look that allows us to spark the creativity in young people, to ignite their passion, and to ignite their potential. And we’ve been doing that in metro Atlanta for nearly nine decades now,” said Jernigan.

The nonprofit hopes this inaugural Spark Lab will lead to more studios at Boys and Girls Clubs nationwide.

by Sharelle B. McNair

December 10, 2024

Minimum Wage Set To Rise In Close To 25 States In 2025

Thank goodness there are some states that care about their workers....

A number of states and localities have decided to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour or higher in 2025 as a way of providing a financial cushion in an unstable economy, USA Today reported.

Data from worker advocacy group National Employment Law Project (NELP) shows 21 states and 48 cities and counties will raise their minimum wages on Jan. 1. More states are planning to join later on in the year. Illinois, Delaware and Rhode Island will pinpoint $15 as pay base for the first time, joining seven other states that are already there or above it. In Burien, Washington, the pay rate will be raised to $21.16 from the $16.28 minimum pay for employers with 500 or more workers, making it the nation’s highest pay floor.

California and New Jersey will be raising the pay rate to $17 or higher for some health care workers.

Senior researcher and policy analyst for NELP, Yannet Lathrop, feels while the raise wont make workers wealthy, it’s a good place to start.

“Remember that a full-time worker earning $17 per hour is only earning $35,360 annually pretax. Those wage levels won’t make workers wealthy, but they will help with paying for the basics, for a few luxuries (hopefully),” Lathrop said.

“Those higher wages may also improve their mental and physical health, their ability to access credit, and may lead to better educational outcomes of their children.”

Some states are raising the wage but have not reached the $15 peak just yet. Missouri’s base pay will increase from $12.30 to $13.75 and Nebraska’s to $13.50 from $12. Food workers are concerned on how they will make ends meet for some of life’s joys outside of the necessities. Kaamilya Hobbs, who works at an Arby’s location in Kansas City, Missouri, earns $13.44 an hour working 20 to 25 hours a week. The mother of three makes additional income as a DoorDash delivery driver but it’s still not enough.

With her boyfriend mostly taking care of their kids, the couple’s combined pay is barely enough to pay basic expenses. Sometimes, payment on rent or a cell phone bill is delayed for 30 days. “It’s a little bit tricky,” Hobbs said.

“After rent and food and expenses for the kids, we don’t have too much left over to be able to do anything day to day.”

Hobbs says the state’s minimum wage increase to $13.75 “would help a little” but she feels more needs to be done. “The cost of living is still going to be going up,” she said. “We can’t live on $13.75.”

Workers may be in for a fight in the Show Me State. According to The Associated Press, business groups are opposed to the pay raise, so much so that a lawsuit was filed on Dec. 8 to try to stop a voter-approved law that, along with a pay raise, will require employers to give workers paid sick leave.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry claims the law violates a state constitutional requirement that ballot measures only address one issue since it included both the minimum wage increase and paid sick leave. Advocacy group members like Terrence Wise of the Fight for 15 said it’s “sickening that corporations are trying to steal our victory away and quiet the will of the voters who made this win possible.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 10, 2024

Rest In Power: Nikki Giovanni, Acclaimed Poet And Activist Dies At 81

Giovanni's words on Black pride and experience made her a pioneer of the Black Arts Movement.

Nikki Giovanni, the acclaimed poet and activist known for her contributions to the Black Arts Movement, has died at age 81.

Born Yolande Cornelia Giovanni on June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee, Giovanni grew to become one of the most revered African-American poets. After graduating from Fisk University, the author released her first poetry collections, Black Feeling, Black Talk and Black Judgement, in 1968.

The works focused heavily on Black empowerment and Black radicalism, taking inspiration from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements she witnessed growing up. Alongside fellow acclaimed writers such as Amiri Baraka and Audre Lorde, Giovanni’s words on Black pride and its experience made her a pioneer of the Black Arts Movement.

Giovanni went on to release more poetry, also expanding her art to children’s literature in the 70s. She also appeared on the television program Soul!, a variety show that promoted Black art and political expression, holding conversations with fellow Black public figures like James Baldwin and Muhammad Ali.

She continued using her pen to advocate for Black upliftment and gender equality, advocating for feminist ideologies within this racial lens. Her work engaged in the intersections of race, sexuality, and gender, offering her readers a vivid perspective into the Black woman’s unique plight as well.

Giovanni taught at several colleges throughout her career, particularly at Virginia Tech during her later years. She was a University Distinguished professor at the school until her retirement in September 2022.

Respected and loved by her peers such as Rosa Parks, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and Baldwin, Giovanni was a pivotal voice for Black reflection and thought. As for her chosen literary art, Giovanni described her journey to becoming a poet as a way to “put things together.”

“My dream was not to publish or to even be a writer: my dream was to discover something no one else had thought of,” she wrote on her website.

“I guess that’s why I’m a poet. We put things together in ways no one else does.”

A honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Giovanni won numerous awards, including a Langston Hughes Medal and eight NAACP Image Awards. Also a 2008 recipient of BLACK ENTERPRISE’s Women of Power Legacy Award, she remains one of the most celebrated poets in Black and U.S. history. Her latest book of poetry, titled The Last Book, will be released posthumously in fall 2025.

Giovanni died of complications with lung cancer on Dec. 9, as confirmed by CNN. She died peacefully with her wife Virginia Fowler by her side. Giovanni also leaves behind her son, Thomas and her granddaughter, Kai.

Spelman, HBCU, HBCYou, doll,dolls, Target

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

December 10, 2024

Woman Transforms Historic African-American Doll Collection Into A Free Museum In Omaha

A passionate doll collector is transforming her collection into a free museum that showcases America's Black history.

A woman out of Omaha, Nebraska, has transformed her personal collection of more than 750 historic African-American dolls into a free museum.

WOWT reported that the Doll Museum of African-American History is showcasing LaVon Stennis-Williams’ remarkable collection of Black dolls, which spans over three centuries. The exhibit’s goal is to tell America’s history over the last 300 years through the eyes of a doll.

Located next to Stennis-Williams’ other African-American history museum, Mama’s Attic, the dolls offer a distinctive way for the collector to educate others about the past.

“Dolls have been more than a plaything throughout our history. They help tell the story of what America was like,” Stennis-Williams said.

She began collecting dolls more than 35 years ago to teach her daughter about history. What started as a personal project soon grew into a hobby of over 1,000 dolls. She now refuses to spend more than $100 on a doll, but happily dedicates time to restoring old dolls to their original beauty.

“My start was collecting baby dolls and, of course, collecting African-American dolls as a way to help teach my daughter about different things, about her race and culture.”

The dolls had been sitting in storage, with a few on display in her home and office, until she launched the free exhibit.

“I got to a point where I wanted to make sure that they were available for the public to see,” Stennis-Williams shared.

The exhibit offers attendees the opportunity to experience America’s history through the lens of African-American dolls, ranging from those crafted by enslaved women in the 1850s to post-slavery dolls. Those later dolls, while featuring more defined faces and features, still often depicted Black children in stereotypical ways.

“Some of the dolls were still considered to be very derogatory, and unlike the slavery period, many of these dolls here were not made by Black mothers. They were made by white manufacturers who produced these dolls,” said Stennis-Williams.

There are also dolls made by the first Black doll company in the United States, called The Negro Doll Company. The company was founded in the early 1900s by a formerly enslaved man named Richard Henry Boyd.

“Slavery had ended. You had Blacks that were climbing the economic ladder. They wanted more for their children than just the mammy and the other derogatory dolls that were on the market,” she said.

The dolls showcase the economic growth of the Black community during the 1920s and 1930s, as well as the collaboration of Jackie Ormes, the first Black cartoonist, with the Terri Lee Doll Co. to create the Patty Jo Doll. Dolls from the 1960s highlight the Civil Rights Movement and include those used as evidence in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which desegregated schools. Stennis-Williams noted that a study presented in the case revealed that, when given the choice, Black children overwhelmingly preferred to play with white dolls over Black dolls.

“The study was done by the Clarks. It was used by the Supreme Court to show the devastating effects when kids are separated in their education,” she said.

The free museum is part of Stennis-Williams’ reform efforts as a formerly incarcerated woman who also runs a nonprofit, ReConnect Success, where she and her team assist currently or formerly incarcerated individuals in finding meaningful careers.

Both of her museums are open to visitors by appointment only. Free admission is available for everyone, including school groups and clubs. Appointment information can be found on the Mama’s Attic website.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

December 10, 2024

Kalamazoo Celebrates 4th Cohort of the Black Entrepreneur Training Academy

Kalamazoo's Black Entrepreneur Training Academy recently celebrated the graduation of its fourth cohort from the free program.

A new group of cohorts in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is celebrating its graduation from the city’s Black Entrepreneur Training Academy (BETA).

The fourth cohort of BETA was all smiles at their graduation ceremony last month. Graduates shared their excitement about applying what they learned to their businesses. The program is committed to giving Black entrepreneurs equal access to essential resources.

Created through a partnership between Black Wall Street Kalamazoo and Sisters in Business, BETA is a free, five-month cohort-based program for Black entrepreneurs that offers expert-led guidance on entrepreneurship. Graduates also have the opportunity to compete in a pitch competition for up to $5,500 in funding.

“You’re coming out of here with the knowledge to make it in the marketplace,” Lyonel LaGrone II told MLive, a 2024 graduate and the husband of Sisters in Business co-founder Alisa Parker-LaGrone.

LaGrone joined BETA to elevate his non-emergency medical transportation company, Michigan Ambulatory Services. He was inspired by the success of Doreen Gardner, the owner of Papa’s Brittle and a 2021 BETA graduate. Gardner joined Can-Do Kalamazoo (formerly Can-Do Kitchen), gaining the tools to perfect her peanut brittle. Her journey led her to win the 2022 Catalyst University Makers’ Mart and secure the NAACP Powershift Grant, a prominent national competition with personal mentorship from Shark Tank’s Daymond John.

Teaching students everything from financial planning, marketing, and establishing an LLC to offering professional bookkeepers and business coaches, LaGrone applauds BETA for being a “360-degree approach from conceptualization to realization” that “demystifies” entrepreneurship and helps graduates find a “realistic entry point into the market” to expand their business further.

The program continues well after graduation, with BETA leaders continuing to check in with graduates for a year afterward. Resources remain accessible, and a private Facebook group keeps students and alums connected, fostering a community and providing ongoing opportunities.

“If we can get into that (private) room and be a bridge, be a voice … that creates equitability,” Sisters in Business Co-founder Nicole Parker said.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 10, 2024

Omar Fateh, First Somali-Muslim American In Minnesota Senate, Announces Minneapolis Mayoral Run

In his announcement, he cited the re-election of Donald Trump as a reason for his mayoral run.

Omar Fateh shared the news of his campaign on Dec. 2. In his announcement, he cited the re-election of Donald Trump as a reason for his mayoral run.

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“For working people, it’s getting harder to build our lives in Minneapolis. And with Donald Trump stepping back into the Oval Office, everything we’ve worked so hard to create is in jeopardy. It’s not enough to just stand up to Donald Trump. It’s time to push back with forward-thinking leadership,” Fateh wrote in his announcement.

A member of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor party, Fateh is known as a progressive voice within the state’s legislature. According to CBS News, he has sponsored policies such as funding free college tuition for low-income Minnesotans and minimum wage for rideshare drivers. The latter, which also secured other protections for those workers, went into effect in the state this month.

Fateh currently represents District 42, which also includes parts of south Minneapolis. In his statement, he added that he hopes to work with the progressive city council to help the working-class community.

“Serving in the Minnesota Senate, I’ve seen firsthand what a progressive legislature can do with the right executive,” continued the elected official. “As Mayor, I will work with the progressive City Council to achieve tangible wins for our neighbors and uplift those of us who are struggling to get by. Minneapolis is full of people who are ready to invest in long-term solutions that will bring security and stability to our communities. Minneapolis residents work hard for the city we love. We deserve a Mayor that works as hard as we do.”

Fateh will challenge the incumbent, Mayor Jacob Frey, in the 2025 election. If elected, Fateh would become the second Somali American mayor in the U.S. and Minnesota’s history. Nadia Mohammed was the first to do so when elected mayor of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, in 2023.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

December 10, 2024

Quavo Named Humanitarian Of The Year For Work Against Gun Violence

Quavo thanked 'everyone fighting for change and fighting for my brother Takeoff, who inspires me every day.'

Quavo was honored as Humanitarian of the Year for his efforts in combating gun violence at Variety‘s eighth annual Hitmakers Brunch in Los Angeles.

The Migos rapper reflected on the loss of his nephew and group member Takeoff in 2022, sharing how the tragedy motivated him to advocate against gun violence. Quavo explained how channeling his grief into anti-violence initiatives, such as his Rocket Foundation, gave him a renewed sense of purpose.

“Losing my brother Takeoff was the worst moment in my life. I didn’t know where to go, where to turn, I didn’t know if I still wanted to make music,” Quavo said during his acceptance speech.

He ended by thanking “everyone fighting for change and fighting for my brother Takeoff, who inspires me every day.”

Greg Jackson, deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, presented Quavo with the award and commended the rapper’s relentless dedication to tackling gun violence through his Rocket Foundation.

Founded in November 2022 in memory of Takeoff, who was that same month in Houston, the foundation supports community-focused programs addressing gun violence and has quickly grown into a significant force for change.

Quavo’s advocacy efforts include meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris during the Congressional Black Caucus legislative conference in September 2023 and hosting the first-ever Rocket Foundation Summit on Gun Violence Prevention in Atlanta earlier this year. He also joined Harris at a rally supporting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, one of the most sweeping federal gun control laws in U.S. history, and helped in the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Quavo’s anti-gun violence efforts have made a meaningful impact on both local and national levels. In March, the Rocket Foundation launched Sparks Grants, awarding $10,000 each to 10 Atlanta organizations committed to fostering safer communities. Over the summer, Quavo collaborated with the Offender Alumni Association to host a music education workshop for at-risk youth as part of the Rocket Camp initiative.

The Rocket Foundation collaborates with partners such as the Offender Alumni Association, H.O.P.E. Hustlers, Community Justice Action Fund, and LIVE FREE, focusing on community-driven solutions to combat gun violence.

Anti-DEI Legislation, Diversity, Inclusion, DEI,

by Sharelle B. McNair

December 10, 2024

University Of Michigan Board Fails To Vote On Defunding DEI But Ends Diversity Statements

Let's hope they stand their ground...

The University of Michigan’s Board of Regents failed to vote on whether or not to defund its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program but decided that diversity statements are no longer required, NBC News reports.

The board failed to openly say if it would not vote on dismantling the DEI program after spending $250 million on diversity initiatives since 2016. However, diversity statements for faculty members — hired or promoted — would no longer be required. While there has been speculation on the program being canceled, board member Michael Behm warns people to be careful with what they read on the internet. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” Behm said.

“There are no plans to make any cuts to these programs.”

Over 500 students, faculty, and staff gathered on campus on Dec. 5 to protest the program’s potential cancellation. As word got out that the board did not vote, students turned their attention to the decision over diversity statements. “We’ve seen it all over the nation. DEI has been added to the long list of dog whistles and buzzwords that many bureaucrats are now too scared to touch,” student Yasin Lowe said.

“Many have DEI completely wrong, instilling terror and fear for a reason I must attribute to ignorance at best, malice at worst.”

Other students, like Nicholas Love, challenged the institution to look at “who it serves, who it excludes, who it claims to be and create a model where we are consistently improving access to education and prosperity.” However, some board members are eager to get rid of DEI in Michigan, claiming the money could be used for students instead. “It is my hope that our efforts in D.E.I. focus on redirecting funding directly to students and away from a bloated administrative bureaucracy,” Mark Bernstein said, according to Fox News.

Michigan’s Black students look at the school’s DEI initiatives as a failure, calling efforts “superficial” and portraying “a general discomfort with naming Blackness explicitly.” A spokesperson for the school’s Black Student Union, Princess-J’Maria Mboup, said: “The students that are most affected by D.E.I. — meaning marginalized communities — are invested in the work, but not in D.E.I. itself.”

Prior to being elected as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump pledged to pull back on DEI at colleges receiving federal funding. Schools like Texas and Florida have banned DEI programs at their state-funded universities. At Michigan, physics professor Keith Riles hopes for the elimination of all DEI programs, calling them “discriminatory” along with the Black Lives Matter Movement being a “grift.”

In 2022, The New York Times revealed a report finding that “students and faculty members reported a less positive campus climate than at the program’s start and less of a sense of belonging.”

New Yorkers Host Look-A-Like Contest for UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooter: ‘I Wear This Everywhere’

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

December 9, 2024

New Yorkers Host Look-A-Like Contest for UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooter: ‘I Wear This Everywhere’

New Yorkers responded to the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO with a grim twist.

A group gathered in New York City’s Washington Square Park on Friday, Dec. 6, to seemingly mock the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by holding a look-a-like contest.

Eight contestants, all dressed in hooded outerwear and face masks, participated in the outdoor contest, drawing a crowd of onlookers who cheered and watched in fascination, the New York Post reports.

One contestant fired a bubble gun while wearing a handwritten sign over their black attire that read “Deny Defend Depose”—the exact words the gunman had scribbled on the shell casings left at the scene.

“Bro, I don’t know if you all should be doing this—but your life choices, I guess,” one passerby shouted as the contestants stood together, according to the Post.

The winner, who took home $50, wore a green jacket and face covering and shared that he headed to the park after learning about the contest earlier that morning.

“I got no looks until I got over here, and now everyone wants a picture with me,” he said. “I wear this everywhere,” he said, noting that he didn’t need to dress up for the event since the outfit was part of his regular wardrobe.

The winner, known as “contestant number six,” bore a striking resemblance to the actual assassin, prompting one onlooker to remark, “He’s the one.”

He also voiced his frustrations with the healthcare industry, sharing that although he isn’t a UnitedHealthcare member, he has faced challenges with insurance companies covering some of his medications.

Addressing the startling lack of sympathy for Thompson , the look-alike winner pointed to the widespread dissatisfaction with America’s healthcare system as a likely factor.

“People do not feel great about the current state of things in our world,” he said.

The look-alike contest took place two days after Thompson was fatally shot outside a Midtown hotel in the early morning hours while walking to an investor event alone and without security.

On Monday, authorities detained a person of interest in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The individual was found with a manifesto, a gun, a silencer, four fake IDs, and other items described as “consistent” with what investigators were seeking in the case.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 9, 2024

Big Sean Thanks Tyler Perry For Bringing Grandmother’s Story To Life In ‘The Six Triple Eight’

'I told Tyler Perry how thankful I was because it’s such an overlooked crucial piece of American history and Black history.'

Detroit recording artist Big Sean gave Tyler Perry props for helping tell a story that was very close to the rapper’s heart.

Perry’s latest film, The Six Triple Eight, tells the story of World War II’s only all-Black, all-female unit, the 6888th Battalion, whose members include Sean’s grandmother.

The rapper publicly thanked Perry after the Netflix film’s red carpet premiere in Los Angeles on Dec. 3. Kerry Washington stars as the commanding officer of the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion, Charity Adams.

“I told Tyler Perry how thankful I was because it’s such an overlooked crucial piece of American history and Black history,” Big Sean told The Hollywood Reporter. “The Six Triple Eight Battalion connected millions and millions with over 17 million pieces of mail where there was no other means of communication to families and information about loved ones. They were fighting their own war, being strong Black women during segregation and fighting for their country.

“I’m just proud of them, not just my grandmother, proud of all of them. I’m happy to be raised by such strong Black women that are embedded in my DNA, and I’m forever grateful for it. It’s a super emotional night.”

@entertainmenttonight Big Sean is honoring his late grandmother Mildred V. Leonard at the premiere of upcoming war drama ‘The Six Triple Eight’ 🥹 #bigsean #thesixtripleeight #wwii #music ♬ original sound – Entertainment Tonight

The Six Triple Eight will debut Dec. 20 on Netflix.

The “Clique” rapper was recently seen in Las Vegas, where he announced a cookie-inspired merch collection with Chips Ahoy! They debuted the line at ComplexCon where the brand also celebrated the Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie.

Co-designed by Big Sean, items include a Don Life T-shirt emblazoned with the Big Chewy Cookie; a premium heavyweight sweatshirt in a chocolate brown color, which has a large cookie design that shows off what a Chips Ahoy! cookie should look like; and an oversized tote bag that has a perfectly sized slit to place the Big Chewy Cookie in or its new nostalgic lunchbox tin.