Black-Owned Athleisure Brand To Sell Official ‘Wakanda Forever’ Merchandise With Marvel Studios
by Stacy Jackson

November 5, 2022

Black-Owned Athleisure Brand To Sell Official ‘Wakanda Forever’ Merchandise With Marvel Studios

This clothing will make you feel as if you lived in Wakanda.

Athleisure and sports apparel brand Actively Black announced a new collaboration with Marvel Studios on a Wakanda Forever-themed unisex capsule collection.

According to Hypebeast, Lanny Smith, founder of Actively Black, advocates for social justice, health, and wellness in the Black community, as he centers the brand around Black style and culture. In partnership with Marvel, Smith will co-produce and sell the official merchandise for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

“The Black Panther franchise has become a worldwide cultural phenomenon and has served as a constant source of inspiration in developing Actively Black,” said Smith.

“We strive to recreate that same feeling of empowerment Black people felt after watching Black Panther for the first time—so the opportunity to work alongside Marvel to create this collection has been a dream come true,” he continued.

 

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Hypebeast reported that the collection would feature stylish men’s and women’s performance wear, including joggers, hoodies, tights, and shirts. It will reflect the grey, purple, and black color scheme in the costumes for the film.

“We’re excited to bring the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Capsule Collection to life with Actively Black,” said Paul Gitter, senior vice president, Marvel Licensing.

“Lanny Smith is a true trailblazer and the impact that he’s made through the creation of Actively Black, and its philanthropic work in the Black community, is hugely admirable. Through Lanny’s innovative vision, this unique lifestyle collection is a reflection of the creativity and authenticity of this partnership,” Gitter added.

According to the Actively Black website, the Capsule Collection will be available for purchase on Nov. 3 on its website, followed by A Wakanda Athletics “Classic” Collection of collegiate wear, set to drop on Nov. 12. An additional “Performance” collection inspired by the modern, high-tech style of Wakanda using the most advanced performance fabrics will be available on Nov. 25 (Black Friday).

9-Year-Old Las Vegas Girl Hailed A Hero For Escaping Kidnapper With Baby Brother
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 4, 2022

9-Year-Old Las Vegas Girl Hailed A Hero For Escaping Kidnapper With Baby Brother

A 9-year-old girl in Las Vegas is being hailed a hero after she carried her baby brother to safety after the siblings were kidnapped outside a 7-Eleven.

On Tuesday, Karen Quinn recounted her horrifying experience after having her two young children kidnapped by a man who was later arrested outside a 7-Eleven in North Las Vegas, Fox 5 Vegas reports. The culprit stole Quinn’s car with her two children inside.

“I chased after the car until I couldn’t anymore,” she said.

Quinn had parked outside the 7-Eleven around 8:30 Monday night to use the ATM. She parked her car right outside the front door and left her two kids in her car with the engine running and doors locked.

Mario Estrada, 38, was identified as the suspect who is now facing charges of kidnapping, child abuse, and grand larceny. Police said Estrada released the children “somewhere on Decatur,” and continued in a police car chase that ended with a crash near the intersection of I-15 and Charleston Boulevard.

Quinn recalls making eye contact with Estrada, who she described as “bad in spirit” as he was sitting at a slot machine near the front door. She watched as he got up and walked over to her car to look inside.

When she started walking back to the car to confront him, a 7-Eleven clerk heard the mother “screaming for her babies,” the store employee said.

“He opened the [car] door and I tried to grab him, and I grabbed his sweater in the door, and he reversed, and kind of rolled over the top of my foot,” Quinn said.

“And I was like, ‘Please, my kids are in the car! Please! My kids are in the car!’ He looked back at my daughter. She was like, ‘Mom! Mom!’”

She continued, “And I was like, please just let them out, you can have the car. Just let them out, let them out!”

The mother recalls chasing after the car on foot.

“He went out the store parking lot, he drove west of Cheyenne until he got to Rancho and he made a right,” Quinn said. “And I’m running, ‘cause I didn’t call the police at first cause I’m chasing. I’m just like– I’m going to get this car, I’m going, running, I’m going to get my kids,” said Quinn. She ran for miles down the dark surrounding streets.

Quinn’s brave 9-year-old daughter managed to find her way back to the convenience store with her baby brother in her arms.

“My daughter ran five blocks from the store with my 11-month baby, with no shoes on,” Quinn said.

Police eventually came to let Quinn know that they located her children.

“And he said, ‘We have your kids.’ And when he said that, I just fell to the ground. I was like, ‘Thank you God, thank you God, thank you.’”

Quinn is home safe with her children, but they are all still recovering from the traumatic experience.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 4, 2022

Diddy Acquires Assets to Become Largest Black-Owned Cannabis Company

Diddy is getting in his bag and staying in his bag and a major move just placed him at the top of the cannabis game.

Cresco Labs, a cannabis wholesaler, and Columbia Care announced that they have agreed to sell their New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts assets to Sean “Diddy” Combs. Once completed, the deal will be worth $185,000,000.

“My mission has always been to create opportunities for Black entrepreneurs in industries where we’ve traditionally been denied access, and this acquisition provides the immediate scale and impact needed to create a more equitable future in cannabis,” said Combs, Chairman and CEO Combs Enterprises in a written statement.

“Owning the entire process — from growing and manufacturing to marketing, retail, and wholesale distribution — is a historic win for the culture that will allow us to empower diverse leaders throughout the ecosystem and be bold advocates for inclusion.”

When this transaction is finalized it will make Combs the owner of the country’s first Black-owned and operated, vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator. This is his first investment in the industry. Combs wants to open the doors for Black entrepreneurs and other minority groups who are underrepresented and underserved.

This deal will add the cannabis industry to the successful Combs Enterprises umbrella which includes Sean John, Capital Prep, AQUAhydrate, Combs Wines and Spirits (Ciroc, DeLeon Tequilla), Empower, and Revolt.

“Today’s announcement is bigger than the Transaction – and it couldn’t come at a time of greater significance and momentum. We’ve seen executive power exercised to address matters of cannabis injustice, we’re seeing bi-partisan support for elements of federal reform, and we’re seeing some of the largest and most influential states in the country launch cannabis programs prioritizing social responsibility – this announcement adds to that momentum,” said Charles Bachtell, Cresco Labs’ CEO.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Sean and his team to the industry.” 

With locations based in New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts, the assets Combs will acquire will give the Revolt honcho the ability to grow and manufacture cannabis products. He will then be able to distribute those products in New York City, Boston, and Chicago as well as operate retail stores in all three states. 

Ben Crump Launches $100M Lawsuit For Family of Black Man Who Died in Police Custody
by Stacy Jackson

November 4, 2022

Ben Crump Launches $100M Lawsuit For Family of Black Man Who Died in Police Custody

Family members of a Black man killed by police last year are seeking justice, reportedly filing a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit.

On Dec. 10, 2021, Terrence Caffey was involved in an altercation with employees at the Movie Tavern in Little Rock, Arkansas, while on a date. After Caffey expressed concerns about his food order, police were called to the scene to escort him out of the theater, including Capt. Mark Swagerty, an off-duty deputy working security at the theater.

TBH 11 reported that attorney Ben Crump picked up the case after the Pulaski County prosecutor ruled the involved officers would not face criminal charges.

According to body camera footage obtained by Crump’s team, new angles of officers were shown carrying Caffey out of the theater before putting their hands on his neck and kneeling on his back. Crump and the family claim that the video evidence shows the officers used excessive force and disregarded Caffey, informing them he could not breathe.

“When you hear a man who is unarmed, handcuffed, in a prone position, saying ‘I can’t breathe’, what do you do? You put your knee in his back even further? Why didn’t it go to a grand jury?” Crump said during a news conference at Allison Memorial Presbyterian Church.

According to Arkansas Online, lawyers for the family asked the U.S. Department of Justice to review the actions of the police.

In a letter to Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins on Sept. 16, prosecuting attorney Larry Jegley mentioned that Caffey’s died of “sickle cell trait-related sickling crisis during exertion, struggle and restraint,” according to a medical examiner’s opinion. The death was reportedly ruled a homicide; however, the coroner noted that it did not imply criminal wrongdoing.

“We came here for y’all to see that this was just flat-out murder,” said Nigel Caffey, Terence Caffey’s uncle. “No other way to put it.”

According to the outlet, police accused Caffey of acting erratically and fighting with the cinema’s employees.

The family alleged that the involved officers were driven by racial prejudice in their treatment of Caffey.

‘I Was Devastated,’ Black Pregnant Woman Recalls Being Accused of Fraud By White Nurse In Philly Clinic
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 4, 2022

‘I Was Devastated,’ Black Pregnant Woman Recalls Being Accused of Fraud By White Nurse In Philly Clinic

The Black woman who went viral filming the discrimination she faced from a white nurse is opening up about the traumatic experience.

The woman, identified as Jillian, recalled going to the Philly Pregnancy Center in Norristown, Pennsylvania, while she was seven months pregnant and experiencing pain and other complications, Today Parents reports. Jillian was seeking a doctor’s note that would allow her to begin her maternity leave from her job as a home health aide.

But she captured when a white nurse questioned and harassed the pregnant mother about requesting the note.

“What were you thinking about when you got pregnant? That you were not going to work?” the nurse asked Jillian in the clinic’s lobby while waiting to receive her doctor’s note.

“Because I had three kids. I worked up until the second they were born.”

“I was thinking about having a kid,” Jillian, 25, also a mom to a 3-year-old daughter, told the nurse.

@auntkaren0 #duet with @goddess_jay_ #philly #tdwhbwwh #pregnancy ♬ original sound – Jillian

The heated discussion escalated after the nurse accused Jillian of fraud.

“It’s not fraud — if it was fraud, the doctor wouldn’t be getting me my note right now,” Jillian responds. “How do you know how I feel? How do you know how my body feels inside?”

The encounter sparked outrage across social media from many who said the incident highlights the implicit bias many Black women face in medical settings.

“This is how Black women experience maternal mortality at such high rates,” one person wrote on Twitter. “And, why is this nurse second guessing the doctor? Furthermore, what business is it of this nurse IF the patient doesn’t want to work during her pregnancy?”

Speaking on the incident, Jillian says it wasn’t the first time she experienced discriminatory behavior from the nurse identified as nurse practitioner Theresa Smigo.

“Our first interaction was a little bit shaky,” Jillian recalled. “I gave her the benefit of the doubt.”

“I just kind of overlooked certain things, like the way she was like speaking to me.”

Over time, Jillian, who is Muslim, said she started to feel like Smigo’s behavior was related to Jillian’s race and religious background.

“I felt like it was all racial because of my ethnic background and also maybe because of my religious background — all of it,” Jillian explained.

“I just felt like it was definitely discrimination.”

The Norristown Police Department confirmed a staff member of the clinic called the police department on Oct. 6 as the incident escalated. In the end, the police advised Jillian and Smigo to avoid future contact.

“I was devastated. I was really upset,” Jillian recalled about her interaction with the police.

“My heart was pounding like the baby’s kicking. I was so upset. And I just kept on asking them, ‘Why are you guys here? Why did you guys feel the need to come here?’… Because, like, you could look at me and see I’m not — I don’t want to hurt nobody.”

The Philly Pregnancy Center says an investigation is underway, and Smigo is not an employee of the center but an independent, per diem contractor.

White Jury in Maine Awards Ghanaian $3M in Discrimination Suit After Hospital Fires Him As Manager
by Stacy Jackson

November 4, 2022

White Jury in Maine Awards Ghanaian $3M in Discrimination Suit After Hospital Fires Him As Manager

A Black man’s legal team in northern Maine did not expect to receive a fair trial in the less diverse area, racially and ethnically.

However, David Ako-Annan, 46, won a $3 million verdict from an all-white jury after suing Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center for firing him as the practice manager of its Orono primary care location.

Ako-Annan alleged in the lawsuit that a supervisor discriminated against him based on race and sex, as he identifies as a Black male, according to WGME.

However, the hospital reportedly denied the allegations from Ako-Annan, claiming he was not addressing the concerns regarding his leadership at the hospital.

During the seven-day trial that reportedly began last week before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Nivison in U.S. District Court in Bangor, Ako-Annan revealed to an all-white jury that he was the only Black and only male manager within all five primary locations of EMMC.

He told jurors of the unfair treatment he received a few months after his supervisor Donna Ashe began her position in 2017, about four years after Ako-Annan’s start date in June 2013.

Ashe, he claims, denied any possible acts of prejudice, telling Ako-Annan she had a Black foster child. However, jurors found that Ashe was not a foster mother when she made the remark to Ako-Annan regarding the bi-racial child she reportedly cared for in the 1980s.

The hospital’s attorney, Kasia Park of Portland, told the jury Ako-Annan was fired because of poor job performance claiming he managed a “tense, stressful, and negative” work environment.

According to Bangor Daily News, Ako-Annon’s race and sex discrimination lawsuit sought “unspecified compensatory damages, including back pay and the salary and benefits he would have earned had he not been fired, as well as punitive damages.”

He testified on Oct. 24 that he had not found a new job in his field after spending hours a day job searching and spent $100,000 of the $120,000 in savings for living expenses.

The outlet reported Ako-Annan was awarded $1.5 million in compensatory damages and another $1.5 million in punitive damages but found the case had nothing to do with his sex. Ako-Annan plans on giving life in Maine a second chance.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 4, 2022

Oh Goody — Ye Claims He’s Going On A 30-Day Cleanse

Ye, who has expressed his struggles with mental health over the years has announced that he will “be going on a 30-day “cleanse.”

The rapper who has been in the news daily for a variety of reasons has claimed he will not be talking to anyone for 30 days. An impossible feat with the track record he has had for the past two months.

He left a message on his Twitter account making the declaration.

“I’m not talking to nooobody for a month”

“I’m taking a 30 day cleanse

“A verbal fast

“No alcohol

“No adult films

“No intercourse

“In God we praise

“Amen

“But my Twitter still lit”

Apparently, the “cleanse” doesn’t include his Twitter account as he has been extremely active after sending that message.

He seemingly defends Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets player controversy when he posted “You can’t be anti-Semite when you know you are Semite” with a pic and caption referring to Irving.

He then brings up that he was misdiagnosed and “nearly drugged out of” his mind to make him a well-behaved celebrity.

He then focuses on the recent controversy between himself and Shaquille O’Neal based on the Irving situation. Shaq and Charles Barkley called Irving an idiot on a recent TNT show. Ye insinuated that “they” make us fight each other based on our business affiliations.

Ye then speaks about a business relationship between Shaq and a man named Jamie Salter and exposes that instead of a 50/50 relationship, Salter has 51% to Shaq’s 49%.

But Ye had some smoke toward his off and on again rival, Drake. After Drake stated in a recent song that he only did the “Free Larry Hoover” concert with Ye because of J. Prince. So, he responds to that comment.


 

IMB Partners Exceeds $1 Billion Revenue Milestone With Its Newest Acquisition
by Jeffrey McKinney

November 4, 2022

IMB Partners Exceeds $1 Billion Revenue Milestone With Its Newest Acquisition

IMB Partners, a Black investment firm that has recently grown at a bullish pace, just crossed the $1 billion revenue mark with its latest acquisition.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based IMB has bought Farwest Corrosion Control Co. for an undisclosed amount. IMB picks up a company based in the Los Angeles metro area offering cathodic protection and corrosion control services with annual revenue of $65 million.

IMB founder and CEO Tarrus Richardson told BLACK ENTERPRISE that the transaction is a big deal as it allows IMB to offer utility services through Farwest’s seven offices nationwide, including Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles. Farwest also has customers in 20 different countries.

Launched in 2010, IMB invests in utility, infrastructure, information technology, cybersecurity, and food companies with annual revenues from $10 million to $250 million. According to BLACK ENTERPRISE research, the new deal will boost IMB’s current portfolio to over $1 billion from around $94 million four years ago. IMB now employs over 700 people.

Richardson says IMB is in a growth mode and intends to sustain that momentum.

“Over the next several years, we expect to double or triple our investment in utility services and government contracting – we see this happening organically given the focus on infrastructure and the companies coming on the market to sell.”

He says the latest acquisition means that IMB will have annual revenues of about $165 million in the utility and energy business.

“Farwest’s ability to maintain relationships through not only decades but generations of customers is a credit to their excellence,” Richardson stated. “IMB and Farwest share the values of family-owned businesses, and we see tremendous opportunities to build on the growth that the company has achieved.”

IMB’s investment in Farwest comes eight months after its March acquisition of specialty electrical construction firm Carr & Duff this year. IMB reports the transactions will allow it to expand its utility services business nationally and take advantage of extra infrastructure spending from the Biden administration’s recent $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Since launching, the firm changed its name to IMB Partners from IMB Development Corp. It was on the most recent BE 100s list of the nation’s largest Black-owned businesses.

Quavo’s Assistant Identified as One of the Victims Also Shot in Houston When Takeoff Was Killed
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 4, 2022

Quavo’s Assistant Identified as One of the Victims Also Shot in Houston When Takeoff Was Killed

One of the other victims of the gunfire that led to Takeoff’s death has been identified.

Joshua “Wash” Washington was shot during the melee in Houston, leading to the killing of one-third of the Migos, TMZ reports. Washington was one of the two victims who survived the shooting and is Quavo’s assistant. His injuries were deemed non-life-threatening.

The other shooting victim was reportedly a 24-year-old woman who was also treated at a Houston hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No details were released about their injuries.

No suspects have been publicly named.

Calls to stop the violence within the community have been the theme since Takeoff’s passing. Young Dolph’s girlfriend, Mia Jaye, who had to go through the pain of losing her boyfriend to gun violence last year, made her thoughts known on social media.

Young Dolph was fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee, in November 2021.

She posted a message on her Instagram Story stating, “I am mentally, emotionally and physically drained… I am tired of the same ole s**t… like how many Black men have to die before something different takes place?”

“Peace, blessings and sincere prayers to Takeoff’s family… my heart throbs for you and us all.”

J. Prince, a powerful record executive in Houston, broke his silence on Thursday. Takeoff and Quavo were in Houston with Prince’s son, Jas, to celebrate his birthday. He also called for the community to change the narrative regarding Blacks killing each other.

“As I write this I’m angry about the lack of love and respect we have for one another as a race which keeps bringing us back to the same tragic place of black-on-black killing.”

“Let’s change the narrative in our culture by putting a end to every argument or disagreement resulting in violence; it’s okay to live and let live to see another day.”

Rihanna
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 4, 2022

Rihanna Faces Backlash For Including Johnny Depp In Savage x Fenty Fashion Show

Rihanna is under fire on social media after fans learned about Johnny Depp’s inclusion in the upcoming Savage x Fenty fashion show.

Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 is coming to Amazon Prime on Nov. 9, and ahead of its release, new details revealed the famous actor was added to the lineup. On Thursday, TMZ confirmed that Depp would appear as a special “star” guest in the fashion show.

While Depp won’t walk the runway, he will model pieces from the men’s collection. He is also the first male in the fashion line’s history to take on the role.

Insiders say Rihanna sought out Depp to appear in the show, and both teams were excited to make it happen. Depp reportedly sports his signature “cool and chic” style that pairs well with Rih’s new pieces.

However, once word of Depp’s special guest appearance in Rihanna’s show hit social media, many expressed their disappointment in Rih’s decision to work with the actor.

Pop Crave shared screenshots of Depp’s appearance in Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4, and many started to sound off.

“Rihanna is over,” one user wrote.

“Absolutely not,” added someone else.

The public has been split with their feelings on Depp after he won his defamation case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, in June,  NBC News reports. Heard, who was married to Depp from 2015 to 2017, accused Depp of domestic violence and went into detail with her allegations in an op-ed essay published in 2018, where she referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”

In June, a jury found that she defamed Depp by saying he abused her during their marriage. However, the trial revealed some disturbing details about Depp’s private life and tumultuous marriage to Heard.

In the end, he won the case, and Heard was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages for a defamatory statement Depp’s former attorney made about her. Considering the domestic abuse claims tied to Depp’s name and Rihanna’s history of experiencing domestic violence with her ex, Chris Brown, fans are confused why the pop star would include Depp in her new show.

“DitchDepp” filled Savage x Fenty’s comments section after the new show was promoted on Wednesday.

“Delete the Johnny Depp scene now if it ever existed,” one fan wrote.

https://twitter.com/Atleeeeeeee/status/1588102060318285825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1588102060318285825%7Ctwgr%5E8cde9e070530473dc5213491c3beebe4001c58c8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fiframe.nbcnews.com%2F6jmR587%3F_showcaption%3Dtrueapp%3D1

“Don’t include Jonny Depp on the show, scrap the footage. He’s an abuser!” added someone else.

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