Keith C. Holmes has spent over 30 years researching inventors of color. His company, Global Black Inventor Research Projects, Inc., which he launched in Brooklyn and now has branches on six continents, provides a canopy under which students of all ages can expand their perspectives on African creativity and spark their own inventive genius.

In 2008, Holmes published Black Inventors: Crafting Over 200 Years of Success, a book highlighting the innovative accomplishments of Black men and women from six continents and more than 70 countries. One of the book’s focal points is the pioneering work of Henry E. Baker, an African American who attended the United States Naval Academy and worked as a copyist with the United States Patent Office in the early 20th century. Baker was interested to know how many men and women of color in the world had filed for patents.

While Western countries have a system of filing patents, not all inventions are registered in patent offices. In fact, every society and civilization has developed its own ideas and inventions with or without patents. So Baker sent more than 2,500 letters to lawyers across the United States to learn if people of color had filed for patents. He received a number of responses from people who scoffed at and ridiculed the idea of black men and women inventing anything. Undaunted and undeterred, Baker continued his inquiries and ultimately received a number of letters documenting more than a thousand inventions by Black men and women from Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the United States.

For Holmes himself, it all started in 1988, when he attended the International African Arts Festival in Brooklyn and a book called Black Inventors in America by McKinley Burt caught his eye. After buying and reading the book, he was so fascinated and enlightened by its contents that he considered purchasing additional copies and selling them.

Instead, his mentor and his family encouraged him to write his own book about Black inventors. Holmes initially laughed the idea off, but, still intrigued by Black Inventors in America, eventually took their advice and embarked on a research journey that took over 20 years to complete. His research proves that the invention bug did not only burrow into the African American imagination but also into that of Africans in the diaspora.

For more information about Holmes’ book and his other efforts to promote the accomplishments of Black inventors, visit GlobalBlackInventor.com.

Artificial intelligence has been on many people’s minds in recent months due to platforms like ChatGPT and music producers utilizing voices from deceased artists. Many fear the troubles that can happen with the technology, and actor Samuel L. Jackson has stated he is not a fan of it in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

While discussing his role in the new Disney + series, Secret Invasion, he spoke about the dangers of AI and his experience working with the technology.

When questioned about another esteemed actor, Tom Hanks expressing his fears about artificial intelligence, Jackson seemed perplexed that people are just now questioning the latest technology that has been around for some time.

“People just started worrying about that? I asked about that a long time ago. The first time I got scanned for George Lucas [for The Phantom Menace], I was like, “What’s this for?” George and I are good friends, so we kind of had a laugh about it because I thought he was doing it because he had all those old guys in Episode I, and if something happened to them, he still wanted to put ’em in the movie.”

He has experienced the use of AI during his filming in the Marvel movies he has been involved with over the years.

“Ever since I’ve been in the Marvel Universe, every time you change costumes in a Marvel movie, they scan you. Ever since I did Captain Marvel, and they did the Lola project where they de-aged me and everything else, it’s like, ‘Well, I guess they can do this anytime they want to do it if they really want to!’

Jackson gives up-and-coming actors advice regarding accepting it when negotiating their contracts with film companies.

“It could be something to worry about. Future actors should do what I always do when I get a contract, and it has the words “in perpetuity” and “known and unknown” on it: I cross that shit out. It’s my way of saying, “No, I do not approve of this.”

You can catch the actor portraying Fury in the Disney + series Secret Invasion out now.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 23, 2023

Gun-Toting White Man Chases Down Black Woman In Road Rage Attack

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A horn-honking road rage encounter in Texas almost turned deadly for a Black woman who was chased by a white male with a firearm.

The victim, a resident of northeast Harris County, said that the suspect, identified as Kevin Roth, 30, was behind her at a red light on Tuesday, June 20 when he started honking once the light turned green, ABC 13 reported. The woman honked back, and that’s when she said Roth brandished his gun, followed her car, and rear-ended her.

“That’s when I just took off, speeding to a gas station to a public area, because I had already seen that gun in the car,” the victim said.

“So I didn’t want to just pull over like a regular car accident.”

A Texas man honked at a woman when the light turned green. When she honked back, he brandished his gun, pointing it at her, shouting racist slurs.

He followed her into a convenience store when she tried to get away and rear-ended her https://t.co/zwf0fU7pvE pic.twitter.com/d9rzhrjnMs

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 23, 2023

Surveillance shows the terrifying moments Roth followed the woman into the Phillips 66 gas station on Atascocita and Wilson in Humble, Texas, pointing his gun at her several times as she runs away.

The victim said that when she tried to leave, Roth attempted to take her keys and prevent her from leaving the parking lot. He also hit the back of her car again and shouted racial slurs at her.

“I honestly didn’t think he would pull a gun out in public and chase me,” she said. “He was like, ‘Get on the ground right now!’ He could have shot me.”

“He was aiming a gun. I could tell he was kind of scared himself. He was shaking his hand. That’s why I was scared,” she continued. “‘I’m scared because you’re scared.’ He could have done anything to me just out of fear.”

Police responded within 10 minutes and took Roth’s gun away. He has since been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

“My heart was just racing. When the police got there, I was just like in tears,” the victim said.

RELATED CONTENT: Florida Man Guilty of Federal Hate Crime for Road Rage Attack Against Black Family

• Food

by Stacy Jackson

June 23, 2023

It’s A Wrap For Cooking At Home Consumers Are Spending More Money Eating Out Post-Covid

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The days of home cooking and experimenting with creative meals are over, thanks to the disappearance of COVID restrictions.

The percentage of people spending money on eating out versus eating at home has swelled to 53.2%, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, FINURAH reported.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis in the U.S. supported the USDA’s findings. According to FINURAH, the BEA reported spending at restaurants and food-service providers, not including grocery stores, has returned to normal. Eating out is back in style like COVID never happened. According to FINURAH, the USDA recorded that 48.3% of people bought “food away from home” in 2020. That year it marked the start of the pandemic. The difference in the rate of people eating out between 2022 and 2020 was nearly 5% (4.9%).

When COVID restrictions began to shift, people were free to go outside. Hashtags on social media like #WeOutside were not the only means of turning up. FINURAH also reported more people spent more money on alcoholic beverages as COVID restrictions slowed. Spending on alcoholic beverages went up by 13.4% from February 2020 to February 2021. Meanwhile, spending on “food away from home” increased by 6.9% during this period.

In 2020, grocery stores were the place to be. One reason was that grocery stores were the spots you could see other people as long as you maintained a six-feet distance. The other reason was survival. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published an analysis that revealed COVID resulted in more people buying food from grocery stores than eating out. FINURAH reported the “grocery boom” came to an end last year.

Does the end of the COVID home cooking era mean we should forget all the creative ways to prepare dinner from social media posts? While eating out may seem reasonable with work returning to normal, some recipes are just too delicious to say goodbye to. For example, the Detroit-Style Pepperoni and Pickled Pepper Pan Pizza, try saying that ten times fast! HuffPost reported this pizza recipe as one of the top 10 most-liked recipes on its Instagram during lockdown.

Afrobeats is so on top of what’s hot at the moment that even billionaire business magnate Bill Gates had to give the genre a shoutout.

The Microsoft co-founder was in Nigeria on Wednesday, June 21, speaking with students and young leaders at the “Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation” summit where he took time to praise the country’s dominance in today’s popular music.

“Of course, being here in Nigeria, I can’t help but mention the amazing creativity that goes on here,” Gates sad. “Afrobeats from Nigeria are popular everywhere.”

With Gates having a 20-year-old daughter named Pheobe, Gates was well aware of the chart-topping Afrobeats stars like Davido and Wizkid, as well as Burna Boy and Rema, whom his daughter was “jealous” he would get to meet.

“When my daughter Phoebe heard I was coming to Nigeria, she said, ‘You’re lucky to go see Burna Boy and Rema.’ So, I had to look them up… because I’m so ‘hip,'” he said jokingly.

“But I also remember, the last time I was here, I did get to see Davido and Wizkid perform and I was quite impressed with that. So, my kids think I’ve come to a very hip place.”

Afro beats in Nigeria are popular everywhere ;BILL GATES.

MY DAUGHTER said you are lucky, you can see the likes of burna boy, rema etc.. pic.twitter.com/rFqgjyT4GR

— Portharcourt_daily (@Portharcourtda1) June 21, 2023

Elsewhere during his speech, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair encouraged Nigerian students to pursue careers in health, education, and finance after sharing his experience with technology and explaining how knowledge of the sciences can greatly aid communities locally and worldwide.

“You have the incredible potential to drive this country forward,” Gates told the students.

The event Gates was speaking at was co-hosted by the Co-Creation Hub Nigeria and Lagos Business School and held at Lagos State, Channels TV reports. Its purpose was to gather scholars and industry leaders to share insights on how science and innovation can bring more positive change and contribute to a brighter future for Africa.

RELATED CONTENT: Bill Gates Daughter Calls Out Internet Trolls Shaming Her For Being in an Interracial Relationship

• Legal

by Derek Major

June 23, 2023

Attorneys and Law Firm Fined $5K After Using Fake Citations Provided By ChatGPT

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A judge has fined two lawyers and the law firm they work for $5,000 after submitting fake case citations generated by the AI platform ChatGPT.

The Guardian reports New York Attorney Steven Schwartz, his associate Peter LoDuca, and the law firm Levidow, Levidow, and Oberman were fined by Judge P. Kevin Castel. The fine came after Schwartz admitted he used the platform, which invented six cases he later referred to in a legal brief in a lawsuit against Colombian-based airline Avianca.

In a written opinion, Castel said it wasn’t wrong for the attorneys to use ChatGPT for assisting in legal work. However, the attorneys should have made sure the filings were accurate.

“Technological advances are commonplace and there is nothing inherently improper about using a reliable artificial intelligence tool for assistance,” Castel wrote according to The Guardian. “But existing rules impose a gatekeeping role on attorneys to ensure the accuracy of their filings.”

In the case, a man sued Avianca, alleging he was injured during a flight to New York City. Levidow, Levidow & Oberman said that its lawyers “respectfully disagreed” with the judge’s determination that the attorneys acted in bad faith.

Although artificial intelligence seems to be the next technological wave, chatbots like ChatGPT, which was developed by OpenAI, are prone to inaccuracies, and this isn’t the first example. In April, ChatGPT falsely accused George Washington University Professor Jonathan Turley of sexually harassing a student.

“It invented an allegation where I was on the faculty at a school where I have never taught, went on a trip that I never took, and reported an allegation that was never made,” Turley told The New York Post. “It is highly ironic because I have been writing about the dangers of AI to free speech.”

Turley became aware of the situation when UCLA Professor Eugene Volokh asked the platform to cite “five examples of sexual harassment at American law schools, along with quotes from relevant newspaper articles.

One of the examples cited was an alleged 2018 incident where “Georgetown University Law Center” professor Turley was accused of sexual harassment by a former female student. ChatGPT quoted a fake Washington Post article: “The complaint alleges that Turley made ‘sexually suggestive comments’ and ‘attempted to touch her sexually’ during a law school-sponsored trip to Alaska.”

Morehouse College has appointed Dr. Derrick Brooms as the new executive director of its Black Men’s Research Institute (BMRI) beginning August , 2023. An award-winning scholar, activist, educator, speaker, and writer, Brooms brings over two decades of higher education experience, where his education research primarily centers on Black men and boys’ pathways to and through college, their engagement on campus and identity development, as well as their lived experiences and representations in the media.

Brooms joins Morehouse from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where he is a professor of Africana studies and sociology and the associate department head of Africana studies. Through research, teaching, service, and community/collaborative work, Brooms is committed to educational equity, inclusion, and racial justice.

“As the only higher education institution with a mission to prepare Black men for careers of leadership and service, Morehouse College is uniquely positioned to generate new scholarship centered on Black men and their communities through the BMRI, as well as to contribute to conversations and inform policy related to social justice,” said Brooms. “It is with great honor that I accept this role as we endeavor to explore and explain the multifaceted dimensions of Black male identity, challenges, and triumphs.

Dr. Kendrick Brown, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Morehouse College said, “Dr. Brooms’ unwavering commitment to the advancement of Black men aligns perfectly with Morehouse’s mission. His leadership will undoubtedly strengthen our efforts to address the unique challenges faced by Black men and cultivate a more inclusive and equitable society.”

Funded through a four-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the BMRI is a crucial, pioneering initiative designed for the research, education, and engagement of Black men and their allies on the economic, social, cultural, and personal outcomes of issues affecting Black men in the U.S. and internationally, while equipping these communities with the knowledge and tools to navigate and challenge a society constructed in ways that may marginalize Black men’s contributions and humanity.

This news first appeared on blackprwire.com.

• Health and Wellness

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

June 23, 2023

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Partners With Boys & Girls Clubs Of America To Address Youth Mental Health Crisis

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The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) announced a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to combat the youth mental health crisis in the United States through trauma-informed approaches to behavioral health care. By investing more than $10 million over four years, this partnership will help Boys & Girls Clubs of America implement trauma-informed practices in its more than 5,000 Clubs by 2026 to train over 48,000 staff to better support the emotional and mental well-being of over 3.6 million children.

“The United States has been grappling with a growing and alarming youth mental health crisis that demands a multi-faceted approach to provide kids with the tools they need to confront the challenges they face in school, at home and in their everyday lives,” said Kim Keck, BCBSA president and CEO. “Between 5,000 Clubs across the country and the Blues’ deep roots in every Zip code, together we are uniquely positioned to intervene early, get kids the help they need, and set them on the path for the future they deserve.”

With BCBSA’s support, Boys & Girls Clubs of America will be able to incorporate trauma-informed practices in Clubs across the country by:

• Creating and implementing resources to integrate trauma-informed strategies throughout Clubs.
• Increasing staff awareness and skills through trauma-informed professional development and expanding regional trauma-informed training centers to reach staff across the country.
• Providing programming and resources that build young people’s social-emotional development skills and equip them to navigate challenging experiences.
• Increasing access to mental health services by piloting virtual therapy sessions for youth and staff.
• Evaluating Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s trauma-informed strategy to inform learnings and drive quality improvement.

“Providing physical and emotional safety for our young people is fundamental to everything we do in Boys & Girls Clubs,” said Jim Clark, Boys & Girls Clubs of America president and CEO. “We know every child and teen is better equipped to succeed when we meet them where they are to address their needs, and that includes providing access to reliable mental health resources and support. Through our partnership with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, we’re eager to expand our trauma-informed work in Clubs and deepen their capacity to serve as safe places for youth across the nation.”

Today’s youth are living through a time of increasingly collective trauma with almost half of youth experiencing a mental health disorder. While the pandemic exacerbated the mental health crisis, trauma, isolation and other societal factors are increasingly impacting youth mental health at staggering rates.

New BCBSA research finds that diagnosed rates of anxiety among those 13 to 18 years of age have steadily risen between 2017 and 2021 and rates of ADHD and depression have grown roughly 50% to 60% during the same period. Black and Hispanic youth with a mental health condition are more likely to have negative outcomes compared to their white counterparts. And all youth of color, as well as youth in rural areas are less likely to be diagnosed with mental health conditions.

This national partnership builds off the more than 250 mental health programs that Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies offer to meet the unique needs of their local communities. A localized approach to care fosters trust, accessibility and engagement, making it easier for young people to access the mental health resources and support they need to thrive.

“When we come together, I believe we can meaningfully improve children’s lives and turn the tide on today’s youth mental health crisis,” Keck said.

This news first appeared on prnewswire.com.

Nicki Minaj’s neighbors aren’t in support of her convicted felon husband and want him out of their upscale community.

Just months after Nicki purchased her home in the ritzy Hidden Hills area of Los Angeles, the “Anaconda” rapper is facing opposition from her new neighbors over her husband’s past. A Hidden Hills resident by the name of Beverly Bardan launched a petition taking aim at Nicki’s husband Kenneth Petty being a registered sex offender, TMZ reports.

Petty was convicted of attempted rape in New York back in 1995 and spent over four years in prison for the crime. He returned to prison a few years after his release after he pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in March 2006 and served seven years in prison instead of the 10 he was initially sentenced to, as noted by People.

Since Petty’s attempted rape conviction, he was had to register as a sex offender wherever he lives. Now with him living in the Hidden Hills of LA after Nicki purchased the home in December 2022 for $19.5 million, Petty recently filed new legal docs to change his address on the Megan’s Law website.

This caught the attention of Nicki’s neighbors and Beverly Barden who launched the petition shortly after the couple moved in. Petty has been ordered to home confinement after failing to register as a sex offender in the state of California.

But Barden is concerned that Nicki and Petty’s presence will impact the value of homes and create safety concerns in the area. In her petition, Barden is asking neighbors to support the petition to get Petty out of their community.

“The Petty couple moving in would lead to the appraisal value of our homes to go DOWN due to safety concerns,” Barden wrote. “It would lead to children and women being a target.”

“We, the residents of Hidden Hills, must put our resident’s safety first. Don’t wait to receive a letter from the government saying a predator has moved in near you,” Barden continued. “DO NOT allow this dangerous sex offender to live near you, SHOW that you are against sex offenders in our Hidden Hills neighborhood!

So far, the petition has reached 971 signatures of its 1,000-signature goal. It looks like more Hidden Hills taxpayers want Kenneth Petty gone.

RELATED CONTENT: Nicki Minaj Stands by Husband Kenneth Petty Who Was Denied Request to Get Off Sex Offender List

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson will join NAACP leaders this weekend to celebrate June Jubilee, a celebration marking the 60th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March for Jobs, Justice, and Freedom in Detroit.

Johnson and other national NAACP leaders including Chairman Leon W. Russell and Vice Chair Karen Boykin Towns will collaborate with its Detroit branch, prominent local and national politicians, activists, and civil rights advocates.

June Jubilee commemorates June 23, 1963, when Dr. King marched in Detroit and delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” speech. June Jubilee will include a special unveiling of a life-like statue of Dr. King in Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit on Friday.

On Saturday, activists and advocates will participate in a march down Woodward Ave, retracing the footsteps of Dr. King, culminating with a rally at Hart Plaza featuring food trucks and an opportunity to join the NAACP. Those interested in the march can register here.

The weekend will conclude Sunday with the Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner at Huntington Place. The Freedom Fund dinner was started in 1956, during a time of renewed hope and determination for Black Americans, despite facing ongoing racial violence and tragedy.

All events during June Jubilee, except the Freedom Fund dinner, are free and open to the public.

June Jubilee is one of the largest gatherings of people committed to the end of racism, discrimination, police brutality, unfair labor practices, over-incarceration, separate and unequal education, and an unjust justice system.

June Jubilee comes one week after Black Americans across America celebrated Juneteenth at food festivals, parties, and other events. With June Jubilee ending the month, June has become a month to celebrate for Black men and women.

The NAACP advocates and litigates for the civil rights of Black Americans. Founded in 1909, the organization’s legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists.