She's Exposing Students to the HBCU Experience

An excerpt from Essence - 

Meet The Woman Who's Exposing High School Students To The Value of the HBCU Experience

FOUR YEARS SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE HBCU WEEK FOUNDATION HAS CONSISTENTLY OFFERED ASPIRING COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

BY JASMINE BROWLEY

CREDIT: ASHLEY CHRISTOPHER

“There’s nothing like walking onto a campus of an HBCU as a freshman, especially as someone who’s always been the other. There, you’re the norm.” 

Ashley Christopher, founder of HBCU Week and the HBCU Week Foundation says she wants every student of color to feel the way she did while in college. The double HBCU grad said her time at Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia instilled a sense of confidence in her that was necessary for future success. 

This year, ‘HBCU Week’ will take place in Wilmington, Delaware and virtually, Sept. 26 – Oct 3, giving students of color and their families the opportunity to participate in events such as Battle of the Bands, an R&B concert featuring Wale and Queen Naija, and a comedy show hosted by celebrated comedian and HBCU Alum Wanda Sykes.

“The academic and familial experience offered by HBCUs go beyond the classroom,” Christopher said. “The cultural benefits that make HBCUs unique, from mentorships to celebrating traditions can only be found on HBCU campuses.” 

Her life-changing time as a student drove her to found the HBCU Week Foundation years later in 2017, which began as a job fair for local students in Wilmington, Delaware. After the initial list of 200 quickly grew to 700 high schoolers, Christopher knew she had something special on her hands. 

“Beyond the career fair, I wanted to give students a glimpse into the fun and excitement that comes with attending an HBCU,” said Christopher. 

Now, four years later the HBCU Week Foundation has consistently offered aspiring college students from across the country the chance to gain insight into the value of attending a historically Black or university during a week-long series of events, mirroring the legendary HBCU Homecoming experience. 

https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/ashley-christopher-hbcu-week-foundation/

Getting to Know Your Pharmacists

From Black Enterprise - 

THESE 3 BLACK WOMEN DOCTORS CREATED A PODCAST DEDICATED TO GETTING TO KNOW YOUR PHARMACIST

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors 

3 Friends Talk

Dr. Leah Jeanelle Miller, Dr. Courtney V. Jones, and Dr. Sylvia Perry met in college and all lived on the same floor of the freshman dorm at Xavier University of Louisiana.

There they formed a bond and decided to start broadcasting a podcast called 3 Friends TALK in 2019.

Created by three southern women forever bonded through their HBCU education,  3 Friends TALK is grounded in sisterhood, a bond made stronger through each doctors’ individual commitment to her respective sorority; Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta, Inc. 

As three Black pharmacists, they understand the history and mistrust of the medical system due to healthcare disparities that directly affect our communities. The podcast breaks down  tough medical conversations in a fun way and equips you to hold your own at your next doctor’s visit!

For the month of October, the doctors are implementing the “Know Your Pharmacist Movement” to mobilize Black people to build a rapport with their local pharmacist.  With nearly 9 in 10 Americans living within 5 miles of a community pharmacy, the pharmacist may be the health professional you see most and can speak with about your health regularly.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/these-3-black-women-doctors-created-a-podcast-dedicated-to-getting-to-know-your-pharmacist/?test=prebid

First 2 Black Women Inducted Into the Inventors Hall of Fame

From NPR - 

Meet The First 2 Black Women To Be Inducted Into The National Inventors Hall Of Fame

By RACHEL TREISMAN 

                                                        Engineer Marian Croak (left) and ophthalmologist Patricia Bath
                                                        are the first Black women to be inducted into the
                                                        National Inventors Hall of Fame in its nearly 50-year history.

National Inventors Hall of Fame

The National Inventors Hall of Fame has been around for nearly five decades but hasn't included any Black women in its ranks — until now.

Engineer Marian Croak and the late ophthalmologist Patricia Bath will make history as part of the next cohort of inductees, the nonprofit announced this past week. They are the first Black female inventors to receive this honor, which has been bestowed on some 600 other innovators both living and dead.

A spokesperson told NPR over email that there are 48 female inductees and 30 Black inductees in the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF).

"Innovation drives the worldwide economy forward and improves our quality of life. This is especially apparent given what we have experienced over the past 18 months," Michael Oister, the NIHF's CEO, said in a statement. "It's why at the National Inventors Hall of Fame we are privileged to honor our country's most significant inventors, who are giving the next generation the inspiration to innovate, create, and solve current and future problems."

Croak and Bath are among the seven honorees announced this month and will join the 22 others announced last year as the hall of fame's Class of 2022. All 29 will be celebrated and inducted at back-to-back ceremonies in Alexandria, Va., and Washington, D.C., in early May.

npr.org/2021/09/27/1040795026/patricia-bath-marian-croak-national-inventors-hall-of-fame-first-black-women

Checkout These Podcasts

An excerpt from Essence - 

21 Black Podcasts We're Listening To This Fall

BLACK PEOPLE ARE CREATING AUDIO CONTENT THAT CELEBRATES OUR GENIUS, GATHERS OUR COINS, HELPS BUILD OUR VILLAGES, REVIEWS OUR CONTRIBUTIONS, AND AMPLIFIES OUR HISTORY.

BY KEYAIRA BOONE · UPDATED SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

Black podcasts offer a place for kindred spirits, idea collectors, and nonsense lovers to come together virtually. 

From movies to murder, if you’re interested in it there’s a podcast about it hosted by your that new best friend you’ve been waiting to appear in your head. Black people are creating audio content that celebrates our genius, gathers our coins, helps build our villages, reviews our contributions, and amplifies our history. 

Independent and corporate podcasts featuring Black voices telling the stories of our sports champions, single moms, prolific scammers, broadway babies, tinder conquests, and music icons are increasing in numbers.

Today, OWN is launching “The SonRise Project.” Hosted by Emmy Award-winning creative Kelli Richardson Lawson, who founded the organization of the same name, the weekly podcast will serve as a resource for Black parents with children struggling with mental health and addiction issues. The new offering is just one of the many we’re plugging into this season. Check out 20 more Black podcasts that should be on your radar below.

https://www.essence.com/entertainment/black-podcasts-were-plugged-in-to-this-fall/#1100096

Young Black Women Entrepreneurs

An excerpt from Black Enterprise - 

MEET 3 BLACK WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS WHO BECAME MILLIONAIRES IN THEIR 20S

by Charlene Rhinehart 

                         Image Credit: Instagram)

Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States, Fortune Magazine reported.

However, Black females typically report average revenues that are less than their White, Latina, and Asian American counterparts. According to the 2019 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express, Black women entrepreneurs earn average revenue of $24,000 per firm.

Although those revenue figures are devastating, it’s not the story of every Black woman-owned business. Many Black women are surpassing revenue barriers, building wealth, and teaching others how to do it.

Here are three Black women who are growing successful businesses and normalizing Black wealth as millionaires in their 20s.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/meet-3-black-women-entrepreneurs-who-became-millionaires-in-their-20s/?test=prebid

Get on the Good Foot!

From Black Enterprise - 

GET ON THE GOOD FOOT AND MEET THE TALENTED TRIO OF SISTERS TAKING OVER TIKTOK

by Jeroslyn Johnson

Instagram

Norah, Yarah, and Rosa Mukanga have become viral sensations through their dope fashion style, trendy choreography, and amazing dance skills.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/get-on-the-good-foot-and-meet-the-talented-trio-of-sisters-taking-over-tiktok/?test=prebid

Black Animators & So Much More

An excerpt from Black Enterprise - 

This Couple Spent 60 Years Developing Animated Content For Black Children Around the World 

By Black Enterprise Editors

Leo Sullivan and Ethelyn O. Stewart Sullivan (BlackNews)

Meet legendary Hollywood producer, director, and animator Leo Sullivan and his wife Ethelyn O. Stewart Sullivan who have been working together for 60 years to uplift and inform Black families through animated interactive content.

Their brand is called Afrokids® and pairs many digital properties including AfroKids.com and AfroKids.TV. Recently, they were honored by the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s “Operation Push” with a “Legacy Award” for their outstanding lifetime achievements.

The couple realized early on that in this fast-paced world families need a place that is both educational and entertaining with positive images and role models where Black children can see themselves in a positive way. “Our message is just as relevant today, as it was in the ’60s,” says Leo.

To get their message across, the couple developed the Afrokids® brand with the mission of building Black children’s self-esteem and cultural awareness so that they can better learn from life lessons; respect others and themselves, and take responsibility for their own actions.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/this-couple-spent-60-years-developing-animated-content-for-black-children-around-the-world/amp/

How to Respond to "All Lives Matter"

An excerpt from Readers' Digest - 

How to Respond When Someone Says “All Lives Matter”

By Lorna Grisby

DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/GETTY IMAGES

There is actually a productive, positive way to counter this statement that can help promote understanding and combat racism.

Conversations about race are difficult even in the best of times. But over this past contentious year, Americans—both White and BIPOC—have argued over different perspectives on race relations, including whether Critical Race Theory should be taught in schools, how prevalent institutional racism actually is, whether there can be voting-rights restrictions, and the idea of police reform. But few issues are more polarizing than the language people use in their conversations about how to stop racism or whether racism even exists. That’s why you’ve probably heard the slogan “Black Lives Matter” countered with the phrase “All Lives Matter.”

But that response is not only insensitive—it is also completely off-point and lacks historical context, explains David W. Campt, PhD, an expert in cultural competence and the founder of The Dialogue Company. “Of course all lives matter,” he explains. “The reason that I say Black Lives Matter is because, historically, the sad fact is that all lives haven’t mattered equally. That is why I and others are pointing out that Black lives matter also.”

For further context, look at the founding of this country, says Matthew Harper, PhD, an associate professor of History and Africana Studies at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. The Declaration of Independence may have had some lofty ideals of all men being created equal, he notes, but it was written by a man who enslaved 200 Black people. And many constitutional amendments applied only to White people for a very long time. That’s why Harper suggests affirming the statement that all lives do matter and then following up with: “I’m OK with you saying that if it’s not being used to avoid saying Black Lives Matter. Let’s say All Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter.'”

That’s just one of the many comments you may hear and want to respond to in an appropriate and productive way. Here’s how to have calm, productive exchanges, according to our experts. You might also want to listen to these podcasts about race for more tips and a greater understanding of the impact of Black Lives Matter.

https://www.rd.com/article/response-all-lives-matter/

Handle With Care

An excerpt from LoveWhatMatters - 

This Teacher’s 3-Word System To Help Students Through ‘Bad Days’ Is Empathy At It’s Finest

Edited By Sophia San Filippo

Facebook

The world becomes a better place when we not only recognize that everyone has bad days, but when we also care enough to act accordingly.

No matter how big or small, there are just some moments where we could use a little grace. Fourth-grade teacher Rachel Harder recognizes this, and she found an amazing way to help out both her students and their families.

A few years ago, the Kansas teacher attended a trauma conference. She learned that some police stations partner with schools so they can let teachers know when one of their students has a police encounter, something that could cause them to need extra care or attention.

“We loved this idea and figured there had to be a way to make this work within our own classroom community,” Rachel said.

A year after the conference, Rachel had a student with autism who frequently had tough days. To support her, Rachel told the student’s mom to simply text her “handle with care” to let her know when it was going to be one of those days.

https://www.lovewhatmatters.com/teachers-3-word-system-to-help-students-through-bad-days-is-empathy-at-its-finest-kindness/

 

Introducing This Black Woman Master Captain

An excerpt from Essence - 

This Black Woman Master Captain Created A Paint, Sip and Sail Boating Experience

IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT A BLACK WOMAN FILLING A NICHE IN AN OVERWHELMINGLY WHITE LEISURE BOATING MARKET IS MAKING WAVES — LITERALLY.

BY KIMBERLY WILSON

CREDIT: NASHAWN TAYLOR

If there’s one thing Black women will do, it’s excel on land, in the air, and of course, by sea. That’s why it’s no surprise that a Black woman filling a niche in an overwhelmingly white leisure boating market is making waves — literally.

Captain Nashawn Taylor is the genius behind the country’s premiere paint, sip, and sail boating experience, Be You!. But her journey to the company’s current success was not met without its challenges.

Taylor, also a trained police officer, was stunned to find that there were so few Master Captains chartering yachts were Black women. She used her job on the force to find a way to merge her love of water and boating with her every-day work. She realized this would be a stepping stone to getting into the yacht industry.

“I said, what if I just join the marine division [of the U.S. Coast Guard]? The marine division is a special operations division. It’s one of the most elite in the police industry and it’s male dominated,” she says. “In order to get into that unit you had to do obstacle courses, you had to be physically fit. Most women hardly ever try out, but for the most part I was an athlete growing up, and the love of the water was a passion for me.

https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/nashawn-taylor-paint-sip-sail-boating-experience/

Prime Real Estate Returned to Rightful Black Owners

From the LA Times - 

Bruce’s Beach can return to descendants of Black family in landmark move signed by Newsom 

BY ROSANNA XIA

From left, Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, Sen. Steven Bradford, Gov. Gavin Newsom,
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Anthony Bruce, great-great grandson
of Charles and Willa Bruce, during Newsom’s signing of SB 796,
authorizing the return of ocean-front land to the Bruce family.
(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

In a history-making move celebrated by reparations advocates and social justice leaders across California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has authorized the return of property known as Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of a Black couple that had been run out of Manhattan Beach almost a century ago.

Senate Bill 796, signed into law Thursday by Newsom before an excited crowd that had gathered on the property, confirms that the city’s taking of this shorefront land — on which the Bruces ran a thriving resort for Black beachgoers — was racially motivated and done under false and unlawful pretenses.

“The land in the City of Manhattan Beach, which was wrongfully taken from Willa and Charles Bruce, should be returned to their living descendants,” the legislation declares, “and it is in the public interest of the State of California, the County of Los Angeles, the City of Manhattan Beach, and the People of the State of California to do so.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-30/newsom-signs-law-to-return-bruces-beach-black-family

First Black Admitted to Auburn University

An excerpt from the Montgomery Advertiser -

Harold Franklin broke through racist barriers as Auburn University's first Black student

By Derryn Moten

Dr. Harold Franklin, photographed in 2014 for an Auburn Univerity
alumni publication became the university's first Black student
when he registered for classes in 1964 under a federal court integration
order. Jeff Etheridge / Auburn University

Harold Franklin graduated from Alabama State College, now University, in the spring of 1962.  In the fall of 1963, he made history becoming the first Black student ordered admitted to Auburn University by a federal court.  Franklin is to Alabama State University and Auburn University what Autherine Lucy is to Miles College and the University of Alabama.

~~~~~

U.S. Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall and the U.S. Justice Department joined the complaint against Auburn on behalf of Franklin. This was the administration of U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

Middle District Court of Alabama Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. handed down his opinion on November 5, 1963, three days after Harold Franklin’s thirtieth birthday.  Judge Johnson wrote, “. . . the State of Alabama is as much to blame for the plaintiff’s inability to satisfy Auburn’s requirement for admission to its Graduate School as if it had deliberately set out to bar the plaintiff from Auburn because he is a Negro.”

On November 6, 1963, a headline in The Burlington Free Press read, “Wallace Calls Admitting Negro to Auburn ‘A Tragic Decision.’”  Governor George Wallace made those remarks at Dartmouth College.

https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/opinion/2021/09/30/harold-franklin-made-history-black-student-auburn-university/5931487001/

Mike Tyson Explains His Biggest Career Fight

https://youtu.be/hi9Hb408Smk

Pastor Speaks the Truth

An excerpt from Comicsands - 

Pastor Gives Christians Who Claim 'Religious Exemption' From Masks And Vaccines An Epic Bible Lesson

By Mike Walsh 

https://www.comicsands.com/pastor-marshall-christian-religious-exemption-2655075172.html

From Housekeeper to Owner of 5-Star Luxury Hotel

An excerpt from Black Enterprise - 

MEET THE FORMER HOUSEKEEPER WHO IS NOW THE OWNER OF A 5-STAR LUXURY HOTEL

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

Souadou Niang (BlackBusiness.com)

Meet Souadou Niang, a serial entrepreneur and the owner of Palms Luxury Boutique Hotel in Dakar, Senegal, who used to work as a housekeeper at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the United States.

“I started out cleaning toilets. Today, I am the manager of my own five-star boutique hotel with 60 employees,” Niang told BBC Africa.

Born and raised in Dakar, Niang moved to the U.S. at the age of 18. She went from New York to Washington, DC, where she applied for work at the Ritz-Carlton to help pay for her education.

For 10 years, Niang worked cleaning rooms at the hotel while also studying. Throughout those years, she always kept in mind that she would someday become more successful in the field. Sure enough, she eventually got a job with the management team at the same hotel she started working as a housekeeper.

“I rose through the ranks and that’s where I got the passion. I said one day I will go back to my country and show that luxury and quality of service can be achieved there,” Niang said.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/meet-the-former-housekeeper-who-is-now-the-owner-of-a-5-star-luxury-hotel/?test=prebid

Amazon's Only Black Board Member

An excerpt from Black Enterprise - 

Former Goldman Sachs Executive Edith Cooper Elected As Amazon’s Only Black Board Member

By Jeroslyn Johnson

Edith Cooper (Amazon)

After making history with her executive role at Goldman Sachs, Edith Cooper has been elected to Amazon’s board.

The Slack director is the only Black person on Amazon’s board following Roz Brewer’s exit earlier this year, Seattle Times reports. Cooper has an extensive resume that includes board positions with Etsy, Slack, PepsiCo, and the investment groups MSD Acquisition and EQT AB Group.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/former-goldman-sachs-executive-edith-cooper-elected-as-amazons-only-black-board-member/amp/

Military Recruitment Hurting

An excerpt from Defense One - 

Racial Division, Troops’ Role in Protests Has Hurt Minority Recruiting, Air Force Says

Black interest in military service plummeted after the George Floyd protests. Can the Pentagon undo the damage? 

By Tara Copp

                                            U.S. Air Force basic military graduation Apr. 16, 2020, at the                                                                             320th Training Squadron’s Airman Training Complex on                                                             Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
                                    U.S. AIR FORCE / JOHNNY SALDIVAR

                                                

Years of racial tension, and the use of National Guard troops last June after the death of George Floyd, have hurt the military’s ability to recruit minorities, the head of Air Force recruiting said Wednesday. 

That drop is part of a worrisome long-term trend that the military is fighting against: that fewer recruitment-age youth show an interest to serve. 

According to the Defense Department’s latest twice-a-year Futures Survey, released in August, the share of eligible youth who reported they have an interest in military service has dropped about two percent overall in the last couple of years, said Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service. 

Most concerning, Thomas said, was that “the biggest drop in propensity to serve is from Black males, Hispanic males, and females.” 

The percentage of Black respondents who reported an interest in military service dropped from 20 percent in summer 2019 to 11 percent in summer 2020, according to the data. By fall 2020, the percentage of Black respondents interested in military service had dropped to 8 percent. 

The percentage of Hispanics reporting an interest in military service dropped from 18 percent to 14 percent over the same time. Interest from recruitment-eligible whites remained steady, from 8 percent in summer 2019 to 9 percent in summer 2020. 

“The last couple of years has done damage, there’s no doubt,” Thomas said. “The data shows us that the racial division in our nation has done damage to our recruiting efforts.”

https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/09/racial-division-troops-role-protests-has-hurt-minority-recruiting-air-force-says/185540/

Mack Wilds On Fatherhood and Mental Health | They Call Me Dad | OWN

https://youtu.be/5VHniUSk04w

https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/mack-wilds-own-spotlight-fatherhood-tristyn/

Michael Kenneth Williams Tribute | HBO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilXnAe6uI68&t=1s

Remember?

From Buzzfeed - 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/lizmrichardson/things-gen-z-wont-understand 

Chapter 2 - Golf at an HBCU

An excerpt from AOL Sports - 

J.R. Smith's HBCU journey is a shining example of Black excellence

By SHALISE MANZA YOUNG

J.R. Smith is a two-time NBA champion and a former Sixth Man of the year who earned millions of dollars over the course of his 16 seasons. 

When he retired after his second title, with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, he could have done just about anything. Smith had enjoyed a long basketball career, had picked up a serious love of golf, and presumably had the means to travel the world pursuing that passion.

Instead, the 36-year-old, who jumped straight from Newark's famed St. Benedict's Prep to the NBA, entered college.

And not just any college, the largest HBCU in the country: North Carolina A&T.

What's more, he joined the Aggies golf team.

Best of all for the rest of us, he's basically live-tweeting his experience.

https://www.aol.com/sports/j-r-smiths-hbcu-journey-212019497.html

Soul Food Starter Kits in Stores Nationwide

An excerpt from Black Enterprise -  

BLACK CHEF TURNED ENTREPRENEUR LAUNCHES LINE OF SOUL FOOD STARTER KITS IN GROCERY STORES NATIONWIDE

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

                        Claude Booker (Black News)

Meet culinary expert and business leader Claude Booker, the CEO and founder of Booker’s Soul Food Starters which are now available in over 1,000 grocery stores across the country. His business providing Southern side dishes for buffets was decimated as a direct result of the pandemic, and most buffets remain closed.

He pivoted his business during the pandemic and went from ideation to grocery store shelves with Booker’s Soul Food Starters in nine months. He did not shy away from his commitments to building a supply chain filled with domestic Black-owned businesses. The partnership with other Black businesses encourages more opportunities for those businesses and allows them to employ other Black Americans.

“When the pandemic hit in 2020, I lost 90% of my hot food and steam table business during the shutdown,” said Claude. “We pivoted and created pantry-ready seasonings for soul food during the pandemic because more people were eating at home. We went from creation to 1,000 stores in the midst of a pandemic.”

Booker’s Soul Food Starters enables any home cook to create the traditional flavors of collard greens, mac and cheese, peach cobbler, and more by adding their own fresh ingredients to the starter. The products are now sold online and in over 1,000 locations nationwide, including at Meijer, Stop & Shop, KeHE, Cost Plus World Market, VW Roses, and Sam’s Club.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-chef-turned-entrepreneur-launches-line-of-soul-food-starter-kits-in-grocery-stores-nationwide/?test=prebid

Senate Honors the First Black National Bee Finalist from 1936!

An excerpt from Black Enterprise -

SENATE PASSES RESOLUTION TO HONOR FIRST BLACK NATIONAL SPELLING BEE FINALIST WHO WAS CHEATED OUT OF POSSIBLE VICTORY

by Ashantai Hathaway

Cox (Twitter)

The U.S. Senate passed a resolution to honor the nation’s first Black National Spelling Bee finalist.

On Thursday, the Senate passed the resolution that would honor MacNolia Cox. In 1936, Cox, just 13-years old, was considered a spelling prodigy with an IQ that was off the charts. Cox was from Akron, Ohio, and became the First Black to qualify as a finalist for the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.

However, getting there was far from easy, and competing was met with racism. Because segregation and Jim Crow laws were still very much in place, Cox and another Black child, 15-year-old Elizabeth Kenny from New Jersey, were forced to travel to the National Spelling Bee in the “colored” car of the train.

The children could not stay at the hotel with the other contestants and were forced to use the back door to enter the Spelling Bee competition.

They also could not sit with the other contestants and instead were told to sit at a card table.

Despite it all, Cox went on to become the first African-American finalist in the Top Five. She was well on her way to win the competition, having thoroughly studied the 100,000 word list given to each speller. 

But the judges, who were all white southerners, plotted against Cox and pulled a word that was not on the list. 

A. Van Jordan, author of “M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A, a book about Cox and the National Spelling Bee, “said that what happened next was a despicable move from the Bee’s judges.

“They pulled a word that was not on that list, and you can’t make this up: the word was nemesis,” Van Jordan said.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/senate-passes-resolution-to-honor-first-black-national-spelling-bee-finalist-who-was-cheated-out-of-possible-victory/?test=prebid

The Signs Alone Will Make You Stop

From Bored Panda - 

https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-restaurant-signs-texas-el-arroyo/

Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (A capella)

https://youtu.be/87FjkqtK67o

Your Precious Love

An excerpt from UDiscoverMusic - 

It Takes Two: The Greatest Duets In Motown History

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s hit inspires our Motown duets playlist.

By Paul Sexton

On the Billboard Hot 100 for September 9 1967, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell had the highest new entry of the week, at No.73, with “Your Precious Love,” which went on to reach No.5. Their hit-making duet inspires our playlist of Motown’s greatest (and, in at least one case, weirdest) duets.

“Your Precious Love,” written by regular Tamla hitmakers Ashford & Simpson and produced by Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol, was one of many great examples of the vocal chemistry between Marvin and Tammi before her life was so cruelly cut short. “What we accomplished was to create two characters and let them sing to each other,” Gaye later told writer David Ritz. “That’s how the Marvin and Tammi characters were born. While we were singing, we were in love…but when the music ended, we kissed each other on the cheek and said goodbye.”

https://youtu.be/4Z3btjnwscU

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/takes-two-motowns-greatest-duets/

Oscar Robertson: Standing Up For Them All

An excerpt from the Daily Beast - 

The Basketball Great Who Stood Up to the NBA to Protect His Fellow Players

Oscar Robertson paved the way for athletes to protest and demand the right to choose their employers, at a time when standing up to the league could get a player barred for life.

By Robert Silverman

Bettmann / Getty

Oscar Robertson, one of the greatest players in NBA history and a visionary labor rights leader, is riding out the current stretch of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic down in Florida. It’s not his permanent residence, but like many in the Sunshine State and across the globe, the 82-year-old is worried, Robertson told me in an August phone conversation. He’s been vaccinated, and is taking every precaution, including wearing a mask outdoors, until conditions improve. “Goodness, gracious,” he said. “It’s unbelievable, unbelievable.”

He was baffled to read that a number of pro football players were making a public show of refusing to get the jab. Beyond the spread of the new variant, the risks posed to children and family members, Robertson couldn’t comprehend why an athlete wouldn’t at a bare minimum be looking out for their teammates, regardless of what misinformation they’d been fed. “Why would a player say ‘I don’t want to get the shot’ if he's going to be around other players?” he plaintively asked. “Why would he do that?"

That Robertson would view the ongoing health crisis as requiring greater labor solidarity shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

For all the Big O’s successes on court—the awards and accolades, the titles and medals won, his name scrawled at the top of the NBA’s record books, and the effusive praise from his contemporaries—Robertson’s legacy is also built on the decades spent fighting for justice and equity. He’s stood up to groaning bigots that treated him as less-than-human and threatened his life; he locked arms in solidarity in order to bring an All-Star game to a halt; and he dragged the NBA court and then testified before Congress, demanding that he and his in-demand, talented colleagues should (at a minimum) be able to choose their place of employment. All this was accomplished at a time when an outspoken athlete could easily find themselves on the unemployment line.

“There is a long tradition in our league going back to Oscar and others, including Bill Russell, who spoke out about civil rights issues,” Commissioner Adam Silver told Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum in 2020. “It’s a culture that’s been passed down from generation to generation, and Oscar led the fight.”

Over the summer, Robertson watched the Milwaukee Bucks win their first NBA title in 50 years, since he and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last led the team to glory. It delighted him to no end. He marveled not just at the tens of thousands who had crammed into what the team dubbed “the Deer District” outside the stadium, but franchises now worth billions, and contracts for the biggest stars topping $200 million. As much as any NBA player, Robertson fought to ensure at least a somewhat more equitable distribution of wealth, though this stretch of NBA and labor history may have faded over time for fans and players alike.

“Some don’t know what the Oscar Robertson Rule is all about,” he said of the 1976 settlement agreement granting NBA players the right to free agency before any of the other major pro sports leagues. According to Robertson, those unaware of his battles should probably ask themselves, “How did it get this way?”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/when-basketball-great-oscar-robertson-stood-up-to-the-nba-to-protect-his-fellow-players

Looking for College Gear? Check Here First.

An excerpt from Spy - 

The Best Places to Buy College Apparel Make Showing College Pride Too Easy

By Jake Cappuccino

1. Fanatics

Courtesy of Fanatics

BEST OVERALL

Of all the best places to buy college apparel, Fanatics has to be the single best overall for most people. It has an enormous selection of official apparel and merchandise for hundreds upon hundreds of college teams.

In fact, multiple other big retailers of college apparel just use Fanatics to sell their college apparel, including NCAA Sports, FansEdge and Lids. So when you shop from those retailers, you’re getting the same experience you’d get on Fanatics.com. And there’s good reason for that. Not only does Fanatics have great coverage of schools — seriously, we’ve never even heard of the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs or the Hampton Pirates, but they’re covered — it sells a branded version of pretty much anything you could ever want. If you’d rather show support for a conference, Fanatics even has you covered there with Pac-12, ACC, Big Ten gear and more.

We could show any one of a million different examples, but we’ll just leave these awesome USC Trojans Nike Zoom Pegasus 38 Running Shoes to get your mind running.

https://spy.com/articles/gear/style/best-places-to-buy-college-apparel-1202788151/

FAMU Business Students Are Collaborators With Hair Care Line

An excerpt from the Tallahassee Democrat - 

Wakati Black hair product line gives nod to FAMU students for their collaboration

By Byron Dobson

Florida A & M University business students helped design
the marketing and business concept for Wakati Hair Products
which are sold at Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.com
Tori Schneider Tallahassee Democrat

Felyicia Jerald often shops at Target for its assortment of hard-to-find hair products for African American consumers. But on a recent visit, she noticed a new product line — Wakati.

"I looked to the right and saw the purple bottle on the shelf, and it seems as if it had orange and green tones to it a well. I said, ‘I want to check it out really quick,' " said Jerald, a 1988 journalism graduate of Florida A&M University, whose school colors are orange and green.

“I started reading the ingredients, the benefits of the product and it wasn’t until I flipped it over did I see the FAMU logo on it. That got my interest.” 

Jerald ended up purchasing a moisturizer, a moisturizing spray and shampoo.

“I’m impressed with the look of the product and when I saw FAMU on the back that was another draw to help me to decide to buy it and try it out,” said Jerald, manager of communications for Mercedes-Benz U.S. International.

She posted the find on Facebook, where she discovered “quite a few” family members and FAMU friends were aware of the product and the school shout-out on the packaging.

Her post reads: “Was so excited to see this product on the shelves at Target! I think the orange and green and cute packaging drew me in, then when I flipped it over and saw that #FAMU business students helped design the marketing and biz concept, that sold me. Great job students!”

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/famu-news/2021/09/10/famu-business-students-credited-hair-product-line-collaboration-wakati-sbi-kaousa/5392252001/

Cedric The Entertainer on Phone Call from Michael Jackson and Flirting w...

https://youtu.be/NWySL9sKuR0

Introducing . . .Miss Ireland!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Ireland 2021 👑 (@pamela.ashley.uba)

Deion Calls Out ESPN

 

https://www.si.com/college/hbcu/football/deion-sanders-blasts-espn-getty-imagn-no-photos-of-hbcu

Being the Only One

An excerpt from INC - 

She Was the Only Black Woman in the Room. So She Decided to Become the Best in the Business. They say it's lonely at the top. But here's what they don't say: Knowing how to go it alone is the secret to getting you there.

BY PHYLLIS NEWHOUSE, FOUNDER AND CEO, XTREME SOLUTIONS, INC

When Athena Technology Acquisition Corp. listed on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year, I became the only Black female CEO of an NYSE-listed SPAC. When I launched Xtreme Solutions in 2002, I became the only Black woman CEO of a cyber­security company.

Before that, I spent 22 years in the Army, including three stints at the Pentagon, where I was often the only Black woman in the room when crucial decisions were being made.

Being "the only" in any situation can be lonely for some, but it doesn't bother me. Some of this year's Inc. 5000 honorees are "the only" in their fields, and, as they likely know, it's a unique position with distinct advantages. There have been more than 820 SPAC IPOs since 2009, but Athena is the only one with a Black woman as CEO--so everybody knows who I am. I embrace the opportunity to share a perspective others don't have.

https://www.inc.com/magazine/202109/phyllis-newhouse/athena-technology-xtreme-solutions-only-black-woman-greatest.html

Beautiful Braided Creations

An excerpt from the Cut - 

The Beautiful Language of Braids Black hairstylists and creative muses open up about their love for the iconic style.

By Faith Cummings

The Black hair salon is a sanctified space, with each chair getting its believer closer to goddess-level status, from the wash bowl to the hair dryer to the styling chair. These shops are portals to transformation — equal parts magic and the sweat and toil of the artisans who lather, roll, bump, press, and braid day in, day out, with unparalleled results.

These parlors of beauty and style are also spaces of choice, converting even the most ambivalent and unsure into full-blown sirens simply with a decision pulled from the salon walls. There’s no shortage of potential styles to select from blown-up poster collages in full color, fashioned on models who look like you, your mother, and your friends, with a few sightings of our patron saints Beyoncé and Rihanna in all their coiffed Black-girl glory for good measure.

I’ve reveled in these spaces all my life, from pictures that remind me of the braids I had done right before a childhood graduation to earlier this summer when friends’ weddings called for hairstyles that could emanate elegance in the face of New York’s subtropical heat and humidity. Over the past year and a half, these salons have been a lifeline when I sought to protect my hair and make it ready for anything, shifting the energy from styling it to carrying on despite a devastating virus and its resulting chaos. I bonded with braiders who were strangers mere hours before about the state of our world and politics, when we all started getting waist-long braids and all the tricks we have for not letting them fall into unsavory places, and relationships, as I definitely hopped out of the chair and headed straight to a marathon date just months ago.

https://www.thecut.com/2021/09/the-beautiful-language-of-braids.html

Lessons in Living Abroad

An excerpt from Buzzfeed - 

Two Years Ago, I Moved From The US To Europe — Here's How I Did It & My Advice For Those Wanting A Similar Change

Plus, my advice for anyone considering a similar life change.

by Michelle No

                Michelle No / BuzzFeed

Hey all! I'm Michelle and I'm an American currently living in Berlin, Germany. Ever since I moved here two years ago (and wrote all about it), a lot of BuzzFeed readers have reached out to me directly. They've been curious about what inspired such a big move, or how, logistically, I even did it. To help anyone considering a similar change, I wanted to outline exactly how it all went down.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/michelleno/moving-to-berlin-germany

Simply Stunning!

An excerpt from My Modern Met - 

Street Artist Uses Flowering Trees as “Natural Hair” To Complete Portraits of Women and Girls

By Sara Barnes

Portrait inspired by Egypt Sarai

Brazilian street artist Fábio Gomes Trindade combines painting and nature to create singular works that are only complete when viewed together. With the help of tree branches that sit above his vibrant murals, he produces portraits where only part of the head is present—such as the face and a portion of the hair. But when paired with colorful flowering trees and green leaves, the portrait has a full, beautiful coif. It's a clever and charming way to combine elements of the urban environment with the natural one.

Two of Trindade’s latest pieces are inspired by a child model named Egypt Sarai. The young girl is depicted in two ways by the artist; one with an afro comprising pink flowers and the other with her hair separated into two poofs atop her head. In each painting, Trindade captures the sweet, soft features of Sarai through spray paint and enhances her beauty with the trees.

https://mymodernmet.com/fabio-gomes-trindade-street-art/

Kingsley Ben Adir on transforming into Malcolm X and Barack Obama | Brit...

https://youtu.be/N8_oda286ys

All-Black Lineup in Baseball - 50 YEARS AGO!

An excerpt from the Undefeated - 

On this day in 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded the first all-black and Latino lineup

By Bryan Cortes

Pittsburgh Pirates Al Oliver (center) is grabbed
by teammates Willie Stargell (left) and Roberto Clemente (right)
after his three-run-homer which gave the Pirates a 9-5 victory
over the San Francisco Giants and the National League Pennant.
Getty Images

The Pirates made history with a lineup only put together due to injuries 

There were only 11,278 fans at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 1971, but history was made anyway. The date marked 24 years after Jackie Robinson officially broke baseball’s color barrier and the Pirates became the first Major League franchise to field an all-black and Latino starting nine.

Although the normal Pittsburgh Pirates starting lineup that year was usually filled with players of color, it had never been entirely made up of men of color until Sept. 1. Normal starters Richie Hebner (third base) and Gene Alley (shortstop) were both nursing injuries, which allowed Dave Cash and Jackie Hernandez to fill in.

“The Pirates were known for their black and Latin players, and of course on that particular team, we were loaded,” former Pirate Al Oliver told MLB.com. “I don’t know how many we had on the 1971 team, but if I had to guess, maybe 11 or 12 black and Latin players. As a rule, we would start five – if Dock pitched, then it would be six.”

https://theundefeated.com/features/on-this-day-in-1971-the-pittsburgh-pirates-fielded-the-first-all-black-lineup/

Foo Fighters "Everlong" w/ 11-Year-Old Nandi Bushell, The Forum, Los An...

https://youtu.be/jsDgrKdczAE

A Refuge From Racism

An excerpt from Vice News - 

Where Black Americans Seek Refuge from Racism

Scores of Black Americans have flocked to Tulum to take a mental break after a year of so much grief.

By Adizah Eagan

All the posts about Tulum on social media this past year really got our attention: Everyone seemed to be living it up in the small Mexican fishing town south of Cancun. Some were flocking there to have a good time, but others were seeking something much deeper: They wanted to escape racism, find like-minded people, take a mental respite after a year of so much grief.

“Tulum popped up on Airbnb. [I’d] never heard of Tulum, didn't know Tulum existed,” said Kendrick Little, a photographer. “So I booked a stay here for a whole month. Then the George Floyd thing happened in the States. I had no desire to leave this tranquility of Mexico to go back voluntarily to madness.”

Another traveler, Faris Gebril, had a similar feeling. “I'm coming to Tulum because America is a cult, and I want to be anywhere else,” he said.

VICE producer Adizah Eagan went to Mexico to experience the vibes of Tulum for herself—and dig into why Black people have been seeking refuge in this beachy bohemian getaway. 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/epn95a/where-black-americans-seek-refuge-from-racism

Black Bodies Redefined

An excerpt from the Guardian - 

The big picture: the black body redefined

Pioneering young black photographer Dana Scruggs’s celebration of movement and form

By Tim Adams 

Dana Scrugg

The headline act at this summer’s photography festival in Arles is an exhibition devoted to the young black photographers who are – literally – changing the face (and bodies) of fashion photography. The New Black Vanguard features the work of Tyler Mitchell, the first black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover, and Dana Scruggs, who achieved the same extraordinarily overdue milestone at Rolling Stone, when she photographed the rapper Travis Scott in 2019.

Scruggs, born in Chicago and based in New York, started out photographing vintage clothes and furniture for her own Etsy store a decade ago. In 2016, frustrated by the continuing lack of diversity in advertising and fashion, she crowdfunded the launch of her own magazine, SCRUGGS, to showcase her distinctive ways of expressing light and movement, focusing on the black male body. “There’s a fearfulness of black men in American society and globally,” Scruggs said. “I wanted to change the narrative.”

This picture, shot in Death Valley in 2018 for a swimwear campaign, is characteristic of Scruggs’s work. “I focus on shapes and bodies and skin,” she suggests. “I don’t view the model as a [clothes] hanger.” She invites her subjects – the model here is LA-based Nyadhuor Deng – to loosely improvise and take control of their presentation. “I want people to understand that black people are powerful and have autonomy over our bodies,” Scruggs has said. 

https://amp.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/aug/29/the-big-picture-the-black-body-redefined

Hot Sauce Heaven

An excerpt from Black Enterprise - 

Twin Lawyers, Howard U Grads Team Up to Revive Grandmother’s Hot Sauce Business

A family-owned hot sauce business is now back up and running after twin sisters worked to revive it.

(Photo: Alice Crowe-Bell and Alicia Crowe)

Identical twin sisters, Alice Crowe-Bell and Alicia Crowe, are Howard University School of Law graduates who have practiced as attorneys for more than 20 years but decided to use their business acumen to help get a family business off the ground.

Emmaline’s All-Natural Hot Sauce is their grandmother’s recipe. They’ve teamed up to keep their family legacy alive. They have relaunched their family business in honor of their late grandmother, Emmaline Humphries Stinson.

The twins’ mother dreamed of selling the hot sauce, so they helped their mother sell it at various farmer markets and food tastings throughout the tri-state area. It did not take long for the sauce to develop a loyal following and by  2007 Emmaline’s Hot Sauce won the Whole Foods Local Hero Award. 

Emmaline passed away last year, and the twins decided to honor their mother’s dream and continue their grandmother’s legacy by relaunching the hot sauce.

Now, the hot sauce has Emmaline’s 1910 wedding photo featured on the front of the bottle.

“The minute we reached out to her customers, within minutes, they were ordering the sauce, some by the case. They were so happy to know that we were moving forward with the sauce. That kind of response, it wasn’t because of me or my sister, it was because of my mother. She was so passionate and made her food with love,” Crowe said.

The sisters said they relaunched Emmaline’s Hot Sauce on Juneteenth and have received praise from customers for doing so.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/twin-lawyers-howard-u-grads-team-up-to-revive-grandmothers-hot-sauce-business/amp/

HBCU's in Florida

An excerpt from the Miami Herald -  

How many HBCUs are in Florida? Here’s where they are and some of their famous alumni

BY JASON DILL

Florida Memorial University President Jaffus Hardrick speaks during a
joint commencement ceremony for students graduating
in the class of 2020 and 2021 at the FMU campus in Miami Gardens, Florida,
on Saturday, May 8, 2021. SAM NAVARRO SPECIAL FOR THE MIAMI HERALD

The Orange Blossom Classic highlights two Historically Black Colleges and Universities with a football game and an event schedule away from the gridiron highlighted by the Battle of the Bands and a concert.

Florida A&M is one of the participants in the game, having to face Jackson State, which is coached by Pro Football Hall of Famer and Florida State alumnus Deion Sanders.

How many HBCU schools are in Florida? Where are they located? What are they known for?

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/article253785913.html

Why Do "We" Have to Crossover?

An excerpt from the LA Times - 

Column: Why do we praise Black performers for ‘crossing over’ to white audiences?

BY LZ GRANDERSONCOLUMNIST 

Janet Jackson, queen of pop?
(Mark Von Holden / Invision via Associated Press)

Saw a debate on Twitter this week that caught my attention: Madonna or Janet Jackson — who is the real queen of pop?

The conversation was started by Lizzo, who in sharing her list of music royalty gave the coveted title to Jackson, which set off Madonna fans. Billboard magazine, the music industry’s longtime chart tracker, gave the title to Madonna some time ago. Jackson is ranked third, behind Mariah Carey.

Before we forget the original, though, let’s be clear that in 1976, Billboard had already named Diana Ross the female entertainer of the century. She became the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of music, too often overlooked whenever people debate the “greatest of all time.”

That sort of amnesia is one of the many reasons I dislike debates of this nature to begin with. 

But this “Madonna vs. Jackson” conversation drifted toward an interesting topic: crossover appeal.

Janet Jackson’s popularity is noteworthy for crossing racial lines, which highlights the fact that Madonna’s success did not.

That’s not to say Madonna doesn’t have Black fans. Of course she does. I’m one of them.

But despite working with iconic R&B producers such as Babyface, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Dallas Austin and Timbaland, Madonna has managed just one Top 10 R&B/hip-hop single, “Like a Virgin,” which peaked at No. 9 back in 1985. The song’s producer, Nile Rodgers, is known for adding some funk to a number of white artists, such as David Bowie (“Let’s Dance”) and Duran Duran (“Notorious”).

Madonna was able to build an iconic career relying heavily on R&B production without the burden of needing to appeal to R&B listeners. She went for as Black a sound as she possibly could without being hindered by the music industry’s racism. Ranking on the R&B charts was unnecessary.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-09-01/janet-jackson-and-other-black-performers-dont-need-a-white-blessing