There aren’t too many thrillers that give off sexy LGBTQ vibes while promoting Caribbean heritage. That’s why director Kelley Kali’s movie, Jagged Mind is so special.

A movie such as Jagged Mind is unheard of. Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shannon Woodward star in this toxic, queer love tale. Filmed in the Little Haiti section of Miami, Sellers stars as Billie, a woman experiencing sudden blackouts causing her to forget important moments of her life. She then meets Alex, played by Woodward, who promises to take care of her and seems too good to be true. Billy soon discovers her love life with Alex is not exactly what it seems.

 

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Director Kali told Black Enterprise when she was brought onto the project, the script was originally read for two white women. She quickly knew making the characters an interracial couple would add to their already complex relationship. “What I didn’t realize is that the short, which I intentionally avoided watching because I didn’t want it to influence my ideas on the feature, already had an interracial couple,” Kali said. “So, I was on the same page as the writer, Allyson, without knowing.”

Kali is an award-winning Haitian-American filmmaker who has worked on films around the world in Belize, Haiti, and China. The Howard University and USC School of Cinematic Arts alum was excited to bring her culture to the big screen, premiering at the American Black Film Festival in Miami, where she resides. “I absolutely love filming in Little Haiti, Miami. I’ve spent a lot of time in the country of Haiti and have even filmed there, so I already have a very special place in my heart for the Haitian community,” Kali said. “So, filming in Little Haiti, and being supported by the Haitian community in Miami, really made this film special.”

The film highlights an important element of Caribbean culture that can often be overlooked—spells. Actor Jimmy Jean-Louis also stars in the movie as Papa Juste, a mysterious man who has Billie’s cure in the palm of his hand. Throughout the film, Jean-Louis and others can be heard speaking Haitian Kreyòl, which Kali looks at as a “blessing.” “What I really loved was that we were able to cast Haitian actors and then incorporate Haitian Kreyòl to be spoken in the film,” the director recalls. “I think it’s such a perfect blessing to have everything come full circle and be premiering at ABFF in Miami, the city that we filmed in and have it during Caribbean Heritage Month and Pride Month.”

Premiering on Hulu on June 15 for the world to see, the decorated director gave props to the streaming platform and 20th Digital Studio for being so open to a project that exudes diversity. As the news shows stories of LGBTQ rights attempted to be erased, it was eye-opening to Kali that some studios see the beauty in diverse stories instead of giving them the side-eye. “I have to say that this executive team from 20th Digital Studios and Hulu were phenomenal with their intentions on diversity inclusion,” Kali celebrated. “As for the LGBTQ+ community, the team had already planned on casting authentically as well. I never had to even bring it up, which made me so happy and proud to be part of a team that had already given thought to the issues of lack of inclusion in our film industry.”

The experience of two highly selective public U.S. law schools offers a guide for other schools to admitting diverse students should the U.S. Supreme Court ban colleges and universities from considering race as a factor in their admissions decisions, aka affirmative action,  as it is expected to do before the term ends this month.

Enrollment at the University of Michigan Law School and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law among Black, Hispanic and Native American first-year students plummeted after both states banned affirmative action in public university admissions.

But over time each school found new ways to boost their percentages of those diverse groups beyond pre-ban levels by adopting strategies that other institutions likely will mirror if the Supreme Court prohibits public and private colleges and universities from considering race when admitting students, as plaintiffs in a pair of cases before the court have asked it to do. Those range from participating in pipeline programs that introduce college students to legal careers to looking at applicants’ family income and whether they are the first in their families to attend college.

The total percentage of Black, Hispanic and Native American first-year students at Berkeley Law fell from 19% in 1996 to less than 6% in 1997—the year after the state banned affirmative action—American Bar Association data show. Enrollment of those groups among Michigan Law’s first-year classes declined from 17% in 2005 to 9% by 2008, when the school felt the full impact of the state’s 2006 prohibition on considering race in admissions, according to the ABA. Those percentages have since rebounded.

“It really dealt us a powerful blow,” Sarah Zearfoss, Michigan Law’s senior assistant dean said of the state’s affirmative action ban. “The story of these intervening 16 years has been slowly, slowly trying to come back to where we were before we had to go race blind.”

First-year Asian American enrollment held steady before and immediately after the affirmative action bans—14% for Berkeley Law and 13% for Michigan Law, according to ABA data. Those figures are now 20% at Berkeley Law and 15% at Michigan Law.

Nine states now prohibit affirmative action, and law school administrators there said they are fielding requests from out-of-state colleagues on how to enroll diverse classes when race cannot be taken into account. The Association of American Law Schools on July 10 is convening a virtual conference focused on admissions in a post-affirmative action landscape, chaired by Berkeley Law dean Erwin Chemerinsky.

Anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions sued both Harvard University and the University of North Carolina over admissions policies it alleges discriminate against Asian Americans by giving preference to Black, Hispanic and Native American applicants.

Students for Fair Admissions president Edward Blum did not respond to requests for comment on the potential impact of the suits on law student and lawyer diversity.

With a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, it’s expected that affirmative action, which enables college and universities to consider race in admission but not impose racial quotas, will be deemed unconstitutional.

The stakes are high for the legal profession, which remains significantly less diverse than the U.S. population. ABA data shows that 19% of the country’s lawyers are people of color, compared with 40% of the overall population. By contrast, 36% of physicians are minorities, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, and 30% of dentists are minorities, according to the American Dental Association.

Banning affirmative action would likely reduce the number of minority undergraduate students and subsequently narrow the pipeline of diverse students considering legal careers, law school admissions officials said. And if minority law student enrollment falls off, the slow but steady progress in the number of racially diverse attorneys is expected to reverse.

“If the undergraduate population becomes very white, that’s the only thing we have to work with,” said Michigan’s Zearfoss.

Alongside strategies to recruit and admit diverse students, Zearfoss said the changing demographics of the law school applicant pool have helped Michigan Law bolster student diversity—good news for law schools now facing a possible affirmative action ban. The percentage of minority applicants this year now stands at more than 46%, up from 44% the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Law School Admission Council.

Without the ability to consider an applicant’s race, Michigan Law, which last year accepted fewer than 14% of its applicants, looks to other factors including whether applicants are the first in their families to attend college; where they attended high school; and family income in an effort of admit diverse classes. Application essays can also provide a window, Zearfoss said.

The law school also prioritizes recruiting at events geared toward minority applicants and at college and universities with significant minority enrollment, Zearfoss added.

Michigan Law and Berkeley Law both voluntarily withhold information about each applicant’s race to ensure they comply with their state laws, admissions officials said.

Recovering from California’s affirmative action ban took Berkeley Law years as the school slowly learned to draw a diverse pool of applicants, admit diverse students without considering their race, and convince them to enroll at Berkeley Law, Chemerinsky said. The school, which has an acceptance rate of under 13%, collects detailed financial data from accepted students through need-based scholarship applications in order to direct financial aid to them in hopes they will enroll. But bolstering economic diversity does not yield the same level of racial diversity as considering race directly, Chemerinsky said.

Like Michigan, Berkeley Law prioritizes pipeline programs that encourage minority students to consider legal careers early on. And it has students, alumni and faculty with similar backgrounds reach out to accepted students during the admissions process, Chemerinsky said.

Both Zearfoss and Chemerinsky said achieving diversity without affirmative action requires extra institutional effort.

“My great fear is that after the Supreme Court decision, college and universities will give up on diversity,” Chemerinsky said.

ADOS cartoonist M. Rasheed sparked outrage over his recent Instagram post.

Rasheed contends Juneteenth should only be celebrated by Black Americans. The federal holiday recognized on June 19 commemorates the official and final emancipation of all Black people who were enslaved in the United States with Black Texans being the last to find out about their freedom.

The  American Descendants of Slavery member has a divisive take on what is considered a holiday for all within the Black diaspora.

“#Juneteenth is not an African Holiday,” shared Rasheed. “It’s the holiday for the American Descendants of Slavery (#ADOS) commemorating the formal abolishment of the chattel slavery institution in the #USA specifically. The official colors are the red, white, and blue of Old Glory.”

 

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Responding to a commenters, the cartoonist explains his interpretation of why Juneteenth is celebrated and not January 1 when the emancipation was actually signed:

“There were a lot of laws passed that were supposed to make things better, but lack of enforcement kept my ADOS ethnic group as a wealth-less bottom caste. You’re dismissive of when the news reached the people, but the practicality of pro-ADOS laws in action is very important.”

ADOS members claim to mainly advocate for reparations for the systemic impact of slavery. Yet, they are known for also promoting a pro-Black, right-wing rhetoric.  ADOS agenda according to a piece written by USA Today, is to exclude certain Black people who do not share ancestral ties to slavery. Juneteenth celebrations have now perpetuated more divisiveness and strife within the global community.

Though not all Black people are the descendants of enslaved people, anti-blackness is a worldwide issue. ADOS rhetoric may land squarely in anti-Black territory. As the ADOS movement continues to expand their membership and outreach the conversations regarding Black holidays may also become more polarizing.

RELATED CONTENT: Floyd Mayweather Gets Juneteenth Championship Belt Ahead Of The Holiday

Someone just paid over $1 million to get their hands on Michael Jordan’s iconic “flu-game” Air Jordans he wore during the 1997 NBA Finals.

On Wednesday, June 14, the Jordan 12’s the legendary NBA star wore during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals sold for a whopping $1.38 million, ESPN reports. Jordan scored 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Chicago Bulls’ win against the Utah Jazz before giving his signed sneakers to Jazz ball boy Preston Truman.

Truman gained favor with Jordan by bringing him applesauce before each game. He held on to the sneakers for 15 years before consigning them to Grey Flannel Auctions in 2013 for $104,765. Preston likely had no idea the shoes would auction a decade later for a 1,200% price hike.

“To me, the ‘Flu Game’ is the most iconic game of Michael Jordan‘s career, and that’s what everyone refers to when they talk about toughing it out and rising to the occasion under difficult circumstances,” Ken Goldin, owner of Goldin Auctions said.

“To me, these are the most important and most valuable pair of sneakers that will ever be sold.”

Despite the hefty price tag, the “Flu-Game” auction doesn’t surpass the Air Jordan XIII Breds that Jordan wore during the 1998 NBA Finals, which sold for $2.238 million with Sotheby’s in April, as noted by Sports Illustrated. The previous record was held by the Jordan Air Ships the pro athlete turned business mogul wore during his rookie season in 1984, which Sotheby’s sold for $1.472 million in 2021.

Jordan’s iconic Nike deal is documented in the new “Air” movie starring Viola Davis, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck. Jordan had initial loyalty to Adidas and was hoping to secure a deal with the sports apparel brand that was a lead contender behind Converse at the time.

But with three major sneaker deals on his plate after his NBA draft, it was Jordan’s mom who helped secure his landmark Nike deal that included a $2.5 million deal for five years, his own line of signature shoes called the Air Jordan, and an additional 5% royalties on the profit from the sale of his signature sneakers.

Jordan still had loyalty to Adidas and returned to them after Nike presented their pitch, as noted by Sports Rush. But, Adidas and Converse weren’t able to match Nike’s deal, and the rest is history.

• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

June 16, 2023

South Carolina State Representative Deon Tedder and Every 1 Voice Matters Join Forces to Promote Summer Reading Initiative

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South Carolina State Representative Deon Tedder and Every 1 Voice Matters are thrilled to announce their collaboration in promoting summer reading. As part of this partnership, 800 copies of the acclaimed Lil Herbie Series books will be generously donated to four Title 1 schools in Charleston County School District.

The objective of this initiative is to foster a love for reading among young students while combating summer learning loss. By providing these captivating books to underserved schools, Representative Deon Tedder and Every 1 Voice Matters aim to ensure that all children, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds, have access to high-quality literature.

The Lil Herbie Series books, written by esteemed author and advocate for literacy, Sherrika Myers, beautifully illustrate the power of self-esteem, self-confidence, empathy for others, friendship, and perseverance. The series follows the adventures of a young boy named Lil Herbie, who has a speech impediment, which caused him to develop low self-esteem and lack self-confidence, but along the way, he learned to love himself and realize that even though everybody is different and unique, we are all still the same and that his voice matters too. These engaging stories not only captivate young readers but also instill essential values and promote self-love

Representative Deon Tedder expressed his enthusiasm for the initiative, stating, “I firmly believe that literacy is the key to unlocking a world of possibilities for our children. By providing these books to Title 1 schools, we are investing in the future of our community, empowering young minds, and fostering a lifelong love for reading.”

About
Every 1 Voice Matters is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting education and social-emotional awareness. Their mission is to empower underprivileged communities by providing resources, programs, and support to enhance educational opportunities and foster positive social change. Learn more at Every1VoiceMatters.org

This news first appeared on blacknews.com.

• News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

June 16, 2023

TrueCare Receives Health & Human Services (HHS) $2 Million Grant to Expand Community Access to Maternal Health Care

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TrueCare™, a community-based health center serving San Diego and Riverside counties, has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). TrueCare will use grant funding to impact maternal and newborn health outcomes through a new doula program.

The U.S. has the shocking distinction of reporting the worst maternal mortality outcomes among industrialized nations. Women of color are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes. Research demonstrates that doula support increases maternal engagement during prenatal care, offers better preparation for labor and birth, reduces cesarean deliveries, and increases breastfeeding success. Doulas have typically been accessible only to women who can afford the additional out-of-pocket cost.

“Not only have women of color endured generations of inequities in the health care system, but today they are dying at alarming rates during childbirth,” said TrueCare President and CEO Michelle D. Gonzalez. “This national crisis disproportionately impacts our communities. TrueCare’s doula program will help remove barriers to maternal health care by offering women and families supportive pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum services. We will continue to advocate for our mothers by helping them birth happy, healthy babies.”

Adding a doula program to TrueCare’s wellness services reinforces the organization’s mission of providing comprehensive, affordable, and culturally sensitive health care options. TrueCare prioritizes a patient-centered approach that offers specialized care in a warm and welcoming environment. The organization also proudly serves as a migrant health center providing tailored health care services to migrant farm workers and their families.

“As a person-focused health center with integrated women’s health services and a comprehensive offering for quality physical and mental health care, we are excited to be a systemic force in bettering pregnancy experiences and health outcomes for both moms and babies,” said TrueCare Chief Medical Officer / Chief Operations Marie Russell, MD. “We have plans to launch programming to enhance culturally humble maternity care through this new and unique service not typically offered at a community health center.”

Additional information on TrueCare’s doula program will be released in summer 2023.

This news first appeared on prnewswire.com.

Playwright Katori Hall has a new theater show that pulls back the veil on what the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. might’ve experienced the night before his death.

Written by Hall and directed by Patricia McGregor, The Mountaintop follows MLK’s return to the Lorraine Motel on April 3, 1968, after delivering his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. The play highlights the fictional encounter between MLK (played by Jon Michael Hill) and Camae, a young maid at the Lorraine Motel ( played by Amanda Warren) who delivers MLK’s room service.

In a dialogue that highlights the humanity of who MLK was as a person, the fictional version of the famed civil rights leader wrestles with himself over the realities regarding racism, morality and the fight for justice while a storm rages through Memphis. The night in question is significant as it was MLK’s final hours before he was fatally shot while standing on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968.

Hall has revived her original play a number of times including in 2021 with director Roy Alexander Weise, The Guardian reports. Controversy stems around the early flirtation between MLK and Camae that seemingly plays off age-old accounts of MLK’s alleged infidelity, via IB Times.

Their discussion sees King open up about his heart complications as well as his alleged cheating encounters. He also touches on political debates surrounding the war in Vietnam, the rights of sanitation workers in Tennessee, which prompted his visit to Memphis and his non-violent approach to activism compared to Malcolm X and the Black Panthers.

Hall wrote the play after listening to her mother recall her plans to attend MLK’s “Mountaintop” speech but was stopped by her mother, Hall’s grandmother, who prevented her daughter from attending what would be King’s last speech because she believed the church where was speaking would get bombed.

“Big Mama … was like, ‘You know they’re gon’ bomb that church, girl. You know they’re gon’ bomb that church, so you need to sit your butt down and you ain’t going to that church,’ ” Hall recounted to NPR in 2011.

She ended up naming the maid Camea after her mother as a nod to her matriarch’s desire to attend King’s last speech. The Mountaintop is currently showing in Los Angeles at the Gil Cates Theater until July 9. You can buy tickets HERE.

RELATED CONTENT: Playwright Katori Hall Celebrates MLK’s Legacy with ‘The Mountaintop’

• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 16, 2023

Why Black Twitter Is Shading Tyler Perry’s Reported BET Deal

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Tyler Perry has the streets talking amid reports he might’ve successfully acquired BET and VH1. But Black Twitter is expressing their skepticism over the rumored deal.

Many have been reacting to a since-deleted article that seemingly announced Perry’s acquisition of BET after months of negotiating and competing against fellow moguls like Byron Allen, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Shaquille O’Neal and others who also expressed interest in buying the network, as BLACK ENTERPRISE recently covered.

For the first time in 21 years, BET is black owned again, and for the first time ever VH1 is now black owned!

Tyler Perry just made history as the first African American to buy two major television networks pic.twitter.com/vd51oMKouQ

— CultureCentral (@CultureCentral1) June 13, 2023

While Perry, Viacom, nor BET Networks Paramount Global have confirmed or denied the reports, social media is still sounding off about the possibility. Particularly on Black Twitter where many are sharing their reluctance to accept the deal considering Perry’s long-rumored way of producing content.

On June 13, a Twitter user posted a screenshot from Tyler Perry’s Sistas that lists the media mogul as the executive producer, creator, writer and director.

“This might change the game for Black creatives & BET content! Tyler Perry’s table just got bigger!”

TP: pic.twitter.com/4CrYVsGROX

— I appreciate you. (@DeeLaSheeArt) June 13, 2023

“It’s officially over for BET. This man don’t even share his writers room so I know he gone turn the network into medea town,” one spectator wrote.

“Like this man is notorious for saying he writes all his stuff,” added someone else.

One critic accused Perry of being “addicted to them checks and not in putting out quality content that makes our ppl proud and paid.”

“Change the name of the network to Tyler Perry’s BET,” another user quipped.

The criticism stems from Perry’s honesty about not having a writer’s room like most productions. In 2020, he received mixed reviews after crediting his lack of a writer’s room to his “work ethic.”

“So, I don’t know if you know this, but all shows on television have a writers room,” he said in the video clip, while showing off piles of scripts.

WORK ETHIC!! Come on. Let’s go get 2020!!! pic.twitter.com/BzADIi1rAa

— Tyler Perry (@tylerperry) January 6, 2020

“Most of the time, there are 10 people or 12 or whatever that write on these television shows. Well, I have no writers room. Nobody writes any of my work. I write it all. Why am I telling you this? I wrote all of these scripts by myself in 2019. Work ethic!”

However, many have criticized Perry’s lack of a writer’s room saying his movies and television shows lack quality, relatable storylines and worthy hair units for his cast.

“This actually explains a lot. 🤨,” one person wrote in response.

“And this is why so much of your work is essentially the SAME.You ain’t tired? Hire some writers please,” added someone else.

Donald Glover infamously took aim at Tyler Perry’s way of directing in an episode on his show Atlanta that focused on the fictional character Kirkwood Chocolate. Glover revealed to GQ that he gave Perry advanced notice of the season 4 episode, but never heard back.

“I told him I was gonna do it,” he shared. “I don’t know how he took it. I texted him once, I think, for something… I didn’t hear back. That’s the thing about being Black. It becomes so personal so fast. I’m not s####### on you.”

Maybe Perry will take some pointers from the Black delegation if he is set to acquire Black Entertainment Television.

RELATED CONTENT: Tyler Perry Is The Only Black Celebrity To Make Forbes’ ‘World’s 10 Highest-Paid Entertainers’ List