• Politics

by Derek Major

November 7, 2022

Early Voting in Georgia Sets Record—Over 2.5M Residents Cast Ballots

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Early voting in Georgia has broken a new record in the state, as more than 2.5 million residents have cast early in-person or absentee ballots heading into Election Day.

According to NBC News, 49% of the early voters are registered Democrats and 42% are Republicans. Additionally, 70% of early voters were 50 and older and 56% were women.

The new early voting records in Georgia come as the race between former NFL running back Herschel Walker and Sen. Raphael Warnock gets closer. The midterm elections will be an indication of how much the former Republican stronghold has changed in recent years.

“The story is going to be, on the suburban margins—can Democrats get to the same level they got in 2020 to make up for losing ground in rural areas?” Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt, who helps conduct the NBC News survey told the network.

“That is the challenge. Because not all of the Biden vote in 2020 was for Biden—there was a component of that vote that was against Trump.”

In the last few days, Warnock has been appealing to those in Georgia who say they will vote for Gov. Brian Kemp but do not support Walker and could be open to backing him. Warnock is running a series of advertisements featuring testimonials from a wide variety of voters who say they cannot support the Trump-backed Republican.

Meanwhile, Walker is trying to consolidate Republicans in the Peach State calling the country’s leadership weak and denouncing pronouns in a rally last weekend.

“We’re a weak country because we’re talking about putting pronouns in our military. Pronoun? What the heck is a pronoun?” Walker said at a rally in Smyrna. “My pronoun is sick and tired of this pronoun stuff.”

Both men are hoping to capture 50% of the vote on Election Day, but if neither side claims the majority of the vote, the men will head to a Dec. 6 runoff in Georgia.

“We’ll deal with things as they come. I think we may very well get a verdict on Tuesday. We’ll see,” Warnock said.

“But the fact that people are turning out in record numbers is a great thing. I think it’s great for democracy.”

Georgia voters will also decide whether Fair Fight founder Stacey Abrams will defeat Kemp in their 2018 rematch.

• Politics

by Stacy Jackson

November 7, 2022

NAACP President Encourages Georgia To Turn ‘Black’ on Election Day

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During a tour of Atlanta-area churches on Sunday, NAACP President Derrick Johnson made a statement to the state of Georgia encouraging voters to make an impact this year.

According to The Hill, Johnson said he hopes the state turns “Black” on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8.

“Although they said that in 2020 you turned this state blue, I want to say that in 2022 we need to turn this state Black,” Johnson said.

“All eyes are on Georgia, and I know you can do it.”

Johnson also took to his Twitter account to encourage people to make efforts toward getting their votes in and helping others do the same. “This is one of the most crucial elections we will ever take part in—I am urging everyone to not only turn out and vote themselves, but to bring at least five friends to the polls with them,” Johnson said on Sunday.

In the tweet, Johnson also shared that the NAACP would offer a limited number of Lyft rides to provide free transportation to the polls.

Text or call 5 people right now. Check if they’ve voted. If they have, tell them to text 5 of their friends. If they haven’t, encourage them to go vote on Tuesday — if they need a ride, we are offering a limited number of free Lyft rides ($50 per person) to the polls. Link below.

— Derrick Johnson (@DerrickNAACP) November 7, 2022

“Remember the power of your ballot in this upcoming midterm election. Pull up to the polls on Nov. 8 to make your voice and vote count. Learn everything you need at http://naacp.org/vote,” the NAACP said on their Twitter page. 

According to Georgia News, the NAACP, a civil rights organization, has spent an estimated $2 million to fund radio advertising in Georgia and eight other major battleground states. The organization also distributed approximately $6.5 million to 55 grassroots partners and local organizations across 18 states.

• Sports

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 7, 2022

Boston Bruins Rescind Contract Offer to White Player Who Bullied Disabled Black Classmate

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A contract offer has been rescinded after reports surfaced that hockey player, Mitchell Mitchell, allegedly bullied a Black student with developmental disabilities in middle school.

According to NHL, th prospect had signed an entry-level contract on Friday with the Boston Bruins before the organization canceled the offer two later.

In a written statement, Bruins team president Cam Neely shared the revelation that led to the team’s decision.

“The decision to sign this young man was made after careful consideration of the facts as we were aware of them: that at 14 years old he made a poor decision that led to a juvenile conviction.”

“We understood this to be an isolated incident and that he had taken meaningful action to reform and was committed to ongoing personal development. Based on that understanding we offered him a contract.

“Based on new information, we believe it is the best decision at this time to rescind the opportunity for Mitchell Miller to represent the Boston Bruins. We hope that he continues to work with professionals and programs to further his education and personal growth.”

#NHLBruins issue update on Mitchell Miller: https://t.co/M8YIVcg27t

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 7, 2022

The 20-year-old defenseman was selected in the fourth round with the 111th pick by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2020 NHL Draft and was offered the entry-level contract on October 7. Just 22 days later, the Coyotes relinquished the rights to Miller after the Arizona Republic reported that Miller had been involved in several bullying incidents with a Black student with special needs in Sylvania, Ohio.

The boy who was bullied, Isaiah Meyer-Crother, said the incidents took place in 2016 when he was just 14. Miller was charged with assault and a violation of the Ohio Safe Schools Act, and he confessed to participating in the incidents in court.

Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney said he had struggled with the decision to sign Miller, discussing the move with his family members. Days later, after hearing members of the team express concerns publicly and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman declare that the player was not cleared to play in the NHL, the Bruins knew they had to cut ties with Miller.

• Business

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

November 7, 2022

Black-Owned Fintech Company Launches Free Grant Search Platform

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Black-owned fintech and finance company Novae LLC has announced the launch of a new online tool designed to help small businesses to find grants and tax incentives that can help them to grow exponentially.

Called Novae Grants, the new tool will allow users to search a database of thousands of financial assistance opportunities from both the government and the private sector. Tax credits that small businesses may qualify for will also be included in the database.

Novae founder Reco McCambry says that the grants his team is gathering for inclusion in the database range from $500 to $5 million in size, and are designed to help business owners serve their communities. The grants include town- and city-based grants to revitalize local businesses and create jobs, and federal and think tank grants to support renewable energy, tech, and innovation.

“The idea is to make it as easy as possible for small businesses to locate the support they need to grow,” McCambry says. “Whether you’re a mom-and-pop shop or a good-sized startup, you may be doing something that one of these agencies wants to promote for the sake of the public good.”

McCambry notes that most of the grants which have so far been located and placed in the Novae Grants database are intended for small businesses with 6-100 employees, though some are also intended for larger businesses and sole proprietor startups.

“We know that local businesses make us more secure,” McCambry told me in our interview, “and we know that innovation often comes from startups. There are a lot of organizations that recognize this and offer funding to support these missions. But not many people know how to find these grants, and many assume they won’t qualify because they aren’t in some specialized public service role. Our mission is to change that and bring this money into our communities.”

The Novae Grants search engine is now available at novaemoney.com. In addition to grants, Novae also helps companies build business credit, provides access to traditional business funding, and offers businesses the ability to provide consumer financing for their high-ticket offerings.

Novae and CEO McCambry’s mission to increase access to financing for businesses and customers in underserved communities has helped the company and its CEO to earn numerous awards and distinctions in recent years. Novae has been included on the Inc 5000 list of the 5000 fastest-growing businesses in America for two years running, while McCambry was recently named Innovator of the Year at the annual Bank Customer Experience Summit and received an Outstanding Leadership Award at Money2.0 this Spring.

McCambry hopes that the new grant search database, combined with Novae’s other offerings to assist businesses and consumers with financing for large purchases, will help to create prosperity for communities that have often been shut out of traditional banking and grant services.

• Women

by Derek Major

November 7, 2022

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Warns Election Misinformation Targeting Black Men

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Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told MSNBC Sunday that Black men are being targeted with misinformation campaigns ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

The President Joe Biden advisor appeared on The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart, who shared a clip of Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams claiming Black men are being targeted by misinformation campaigns.

Capehart asked Bottoms about misinformation being directed at Black men and whether Abrams “is getting the Black support that she needs in her race against Gov. Brian Kemp.”

“Listen, Jonathan, I think that Stacey is spot-on with that. I listen as my kids watch NBA highlights and whatever else they watch on YouTube, I hear the misinformation being piped in,” Bottoms claimed. “My 12-year-old, my 14-year-old son, my 20-year-old is getting it.

“There is definitely a target towards African-American men, not just to give them misinformation but to make them so discouraged that they won’t show up to vote,” Bottoms added. “And again, I have been a candidate before. I have been in this position before, going into my race as mayor five years ago, I was seven points down in the polls going into the week of the election and I won by more than 800 votes because people showed up to vote.”

• News

by Stacy Jackson

November 7, 2022

Iowa Teen Who Killed Her Rapist, Escaped a Woman’s Center and Now May Face 20-Years In Prison

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A long road to prison may be ahead for a teen who escaped a woman’s center where she was serving time.

Pieper Lewis, an Iowa sex trafficking victim who pleaded guilty to killing her alleged rapist when she was 15 years old, has reportedly violated her probation after escaping from a women’s center she was assigned to after her trial.

According to Des Moines Register, Iowa authorities reported that Lewis was seen exiting the Fresh Start Women’s Center in Des Moines, where she was sentenced to serve a five-year probation period.

A probation violation report from the Judicial District Department of Correctional Services claimed that a residential officer was notified of a door opening when the facility’s alarm went off at approximately 6:19 a.m. The report said the officer observed Lewis exiting the facility through the A-Wing door before she allegedly cut off her GPS and went on the run.

As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Lewis was sentenced at 17 years old in September on charges of involuntary manslaughter and willful injury after allegedly stabbing 37-year-old Zachary Brooks to death in June 2020. Polk County District Judge David Porter deferred the 20-year prison sentence for Lewis, who said she was forced into sex trafficking.

“Well, Ms. Lewis, this was the second chance you asked for. You don’t get a third. Do you understand that?” Porter asked her in September.

Before the stabbing, Lewis ran away from her adoptive mother, who she claimed was abusive. She was taken in by a 28-year-old man who allegedly forced her into sex trafficking and held her at knifepoint, ordering her to have sex with multiple men, including Brooks. Reportedly, he sexually assaulted Lewis multiple times before she stabbed him after raping her again.

Des Moines Register reported that as of Sunday, Lewis, now 18 years old, was not in custody at Polk County Jail or reported as apprehended. The family of Brooks has been notified of Lewis’s escape.

According to the outlet, the judge ordered Lewis to serve 1,200 hours of community service, which would cover more than $4,000 in fines. Additionally, Lewis is required by Iowa law to pay $150,000 in compensation for the death of her victim.

She could face the full 20 years in prison after violating her probation.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

November 7, 2022

White University of Kentucky Student Arrested After Assaulting Black Students, Spewing N-Word

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University of Kentucky police arrested a white female student after she physically and verbally assaulted Black students on campus.

Sophia Rosing, 22, has been charged with intoxication in a public place, third-degree assault on a police officer, fourth-degree assault, and second-degree disorderly conduct, according to the Fayette County Detention Center, NBC News reported. Her bail is set at $10,000.

The early morning arrest was in connection to a video showing Rosing attacking a student named Kylah Spring. The outlet reported that the victim was working the overnight shift as a desk clerk in Boyd Hall at the time.

Spring shared the video on Tiktok, which has since been taken down. In response, she recently posted a “story time” on YouTube explaining the incident.

While working her shift, Spring noticed a girl who came in drunk and stumbling by the elevator. She said she stuck her head out the window to check if the girl was “OK.”

“That’s when the n-word, the b-word, those racial slurs… came out,” Spring said in the YouTube video.

Spring said she called the residence advisor, but while awaiting assistance, the situation escalated to physical violence.

“This point, she’s bitten on my arm a few times, as well as kick me in my stomach. And then she tried to run me and my friend over with a shopping cart. My friend was also experiencing these things,” Spring explained.

When the residence advisor finally responded to the scene, Rosing continued to hurl racially insensitive slurs and bite more people who attempted to calm her down, Spring said.

When the police arrived, Rosing refused to give her name. Spring said that Rosing physically attacked the police officers who tried to restrain her.

A video on Twitter with over 75,000 views shows the intoxicated young woman being placed in handcuffs while repeatedly saying the n-word.

“At this point, she’s like singing the n-word,” Spring said.

The university released statements on Twitter to update the community on the incident and the arrest. They also said that they stand in solidarity with the victim. A review is underway.

An arrest has been made. We are conducting an immediate review and have reached out to the student victim to offer support.

— University of Kentucky (@universityofky) November 6, 2022

As we learn more details, we will share that information.

— University of Kentucky (@universityofky) November 6, 2022

WNBA star Brittney Griner, who is in Russia after being given a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession, met with U.S. Embassy officials last week.

According to a Twitter post released Thursday by State Department Spokesperson Ned Price, officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow met with the imprisoned basketball player.

.@USEmbRU officials visited Brittney Griner today. They saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her present circumstances. We continue to press for the immediate release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and fair treatment for every detained American.

— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) November 3, 2022

People also reported that the White House confirmed the meeting.

“The State Department just confirmed that U.S. Embassy officials in Moscow were able to visit Brittney Griner today,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing last week.

She added they are trying to resolve what authorities consider a wrongful detention of Griner and are trying to negotiate for another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

“As we have said before, the U.S. government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.”

Last month, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported that Griner had her appeal rejected as the court upheld the sentence given to her. The WNBA All-Star was convicted August 4 after authorities in Russia said vape canisters with cannabis oil in them were discovered in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

The ruling from the court stated that the time Griner spent waiting for her trial in pre-trial detention will now be counted as 1.5 days in prison. That reduced her prison time to about eight years instead of the nine she was sentenced to.

In negotiations with Russia, the United States offered a prisoner exchange in hopes of having Griner return to America. They have allegedly offered to send Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed the “merchant of death,” in exchange for Briner and Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.

Kyrie Irving‘s status with the Brooklyn Nets has been taken to another level after the team suspended him last week.

According to Shams Charania, senior lead NBA Insider for The Athletic and Stadium, the Brooklyn Nets organization has laid some more ground rules for Irving to be able to return to the basketball court. The team suspended the New Jersey native by stating he is  ‘Currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.’

The fallout follows Irving’s “failure to disavow antisemitism” after tweeting a link to Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!, a film some consider antisemitic.

Before the point guard can join the team, there are six things that he must do to satisfy the Brooklyn Nets organization.

Although he has already apologized after news of the suspension came out, they are requiring him to offer another apology and condemn the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!

He already pledged to do the second requirement last week: donate $500,000 to anti-hate organizations and causes. He must enroll and complete sensitivity training and antisemitic training. Along with that, Irving must also meet with the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish leaders. The last step he has to take is meeting with the team owner, Joe Tsai, to “demonstrate understanding.”

Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:

– Apologize/condemn movie
– $500K donation to anti-hate causes
– Sensitivity training
– Antisemitic training
– Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
– Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2022

In announcing the suspension, the Brooklyn Nets stated:

“We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity – but failed – to clarify.

“Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets. We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games.”

After the announcement of his punishment, Irving offered this on his Twitter account:

“To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti- semticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all. I am no different than any other human being. I am a seeker of truth and knowledge, and I know who I Am.”

KYRIE
Hélà ”

 

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