First Black Woman CEO In the NBA Discusses Importance of DE&I In the Workplace
by Stacy Jackson

October 26, 2022

First Black Woman CEO In the NBA Discusses Importance of DE&I In the Workplace

Studies show that companies that involve diverse leadership perform better financially.

Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, the first Black woman CEO in the NBA, was announced in 2018 as CEO and president of the Dallas Mavericks. Marshall shared her experience in the role and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), during the SHRM INCLUSION 2022 conference in San Diego on Oct. 24, SHRM reports.

According to the outlet, Marshall’s executive leadership experiences in business have led her to break barriers as she moved up the corporate ladder, serving as the first Black executive at several companies.

“Representation matters,” Marshall told the crowd. “But I’ve often been the only Black woman at the table.”

Marshall noted the enriching impact diversity has in the workplace, moving organizations closer to achieving their mission.

“[Marshall] has transformed the Dallas Mavericks into the gold standard of inclusion and diversity,” said DE&I public speaker Zac Bradley.

Although diversity is a key factor, she believes increasing inclusion and belonging is also important to create a comfortable work environment where employees feel valued.

“I like to say that diversity is being invited to the party,” Marshall said. “Inclusion is being asked to dance.”

The Mavericks CEO shared her contribution toward encouraging companies to launch multiple ERGs to support employees categorized as people of color, older workers, veterans, and parents.

“I enjoyed how she talked about the different ERG groups she started and how she gets everyone involved,” Krystal Henck, an HR specialist with a federal agency in Washington, D.C., said. “We are trying to find ways in our organization to get more people involved, so what she talked about made sense to me.”

During an interview with WFAA in May, Marshall shared that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hired her to transform the culture. Her life lessons helped develop her decisions that turned the team’s environment around that was once headlines for sexual assault and harassment allegations.

Marshall believes that the role of workers in leadership positions is to help employees achieve their personal, professional, and emotional goals.

Cynthia Bailey
by Atiya Jordan

October 26, 2022

RHOA Alum Cynthia Bailey Talks Path to Entrepreneurship, Teaching Kids Ownership Early

Model, entrepreneur, and 11-year cast member of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Cynthia Bailey, joined former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo for a conversation about the challenges Black women face when starting a business and the importance of talking about entrepreneurship in schools.

In September, Bailey appeared on an episode of The Chris Cuomo Project podcast, where she delved into the inspiration behind her work ethic and growing fortune.

Inspiration to do more

Bailey is the daughter of two former factory workers. When Cuomo asked how her mother feels about her business acumen, Bailey was inspired to talk about her grandmother, the first entrepreneur she had access to.

“My grandmother had probably 10 jobs,” bailey explained.

“She was full-time at the factory, the sewing factory, where she got my mom a job and all of my other aunts a job. She also sold hamburgers and hot dogs. She had a little farm, so she actually picked collard greens as well,” also noting that her grandmother had 11 kids.

“To watch her work and take care of these 11 children and then her grandkids was something that always inspired me to believe that I could have anything I wanted in this world as long as I was willing to do the work,” she continued.

“And I’ve been working ever since.”

Learning early

Cuomo pointed out that the lack of education on entrepreneurship “masks the need for entrepreneurial existence within minority communities.”

“I think it’s important for us to talk about entrepreneurship more in school, like even at an early age,” Bailey responded.

“Everyone doesn’t want to be an entrepreneur, everyone can’t be an entrepreneur…but for the people that actually want to, I think that information and that skill set and knowledge should be available to them at a very early age [for them] to just start even thinking as an entrepreneur because there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with owning a business,” Bailey continued.

Leveraging platforms

With a net worth of $2.5 million, Bailey understands the pressures of owning several businesses. She revealed that her The Bailey Wine Cellar and The Bailey Room event spaces never recovered from COVID-19—like many Black businesses. But the power of her platforms always afforded her business promotions.

“I know that me having the housewife platform, my modeling platform, those platforms definitely helped me a little bit more than just any other normal Black woman that’s trying to start a business [sic],” said Bailey.

“That was why it was important for me to make sure I leveraged those platforms…Normally, a regular Black woman would have to pay for marketing and promotion.”

“They would never have that type of worldwide exposure. And I could understand how they would easily get overwhelmed and give up,” she added.

Watch the full interview here:

Cheap or Chic? Shereé Whitfield Defends She by Shereé High Price Points: ‘It’s Worth Every Penny’
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 26, 2022

Cheap or Chic? Shereé Whitfield Defends She by Shereé High Price Points: ‘It’s Worth Every Penny’

Shereé Whitfield knows about the criticism surrounding her She By Shereé price points. But the Bravo star is standing by them!

At BravoCon earlier this month, Whitfield continued to defend her clothing line after customers complained about the quality and similar designs found on retail sites like SHEIN and Amazon, PageSix reports. Many were also offended by the $142 T-shirts and $262 hoodies the OG housewife was selling.

The official launch of She By Shereé took center stage in season 14 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Fans had been anticipating the line’s release after Shereé teased the brand since season 1. Things haven’t been smooth sailing since Shereé debuted the line during the season finale.

“I defend it because you’re getting quality,” Whitfield told Page Six Style exclusively at BravoCon 2022 in New York City.

“My joggers and the pieces that I have, you compare them to some of the other brands — I don’t want to say names — but some of the fast fashion you see on Instagram, you’re not getting quality,” she added.

Amid the criticism and mockery surrounding her brand, Shereé also spoke with People to defend her company’s high price points due to the high “quality” and time she says was put into each piece.

“I know people had an issue. ‘Oh, this is this price?’ but when you’re comparing my line to some of those other lines out there, you have to remember that they order hundreds of thousands of their products, so of course, they’re going to get a much better price per item and then sell each item for cheaper,” Shereé explained.

“They can afford to do that; I can’t. I don’t get huge discounts when I’m making things. So I have to charge a little more to cover that cost.”

She also insists that her pieces are well-made with high-quality materials that take time to produce.

“Everything I’m making is quality, too,” Shereé said.

“I’m not just buying a cheap T-shirt and printing my design on it. It’s a quality T-shirt! My hoodies have embroidery on them. I’m working with organic. I’m making clothes that will last, that won’t fall apart in the wash, that you can wear over and over again. It’s not cheap. I wish it were, but it’s not.”

When it comes to why her t-shirts retail for $142 or $82, it’s because they’re hand-signed, which takes time out of the reality star’s day.

“People were also saying, ‘Can you sign this?’ so we came up with this idea to sign the T-shirts beforehand and sell them that way,” Shereé explained.

“Now, that’s me. That’s taking my time, my energy, my hand to sign each T-shirt that’s delivered. It’s not a stamp. It’s not a print. It’s me putting love into these items. So again, that comes at a cost and a signed version is definitely going to be more.”

“It’s worth every penny,” she insists.

“Like, my She’s a Star [$252] hoodie is worth every penny, because you are a star as far as I’m concerned.”

Fans have continued bashing the She By Shereé line for its high price on items many say can be found elsewhere.

“She better go ahead knowing that she’s using the same fabric as Shein 😂😂😂,” one critic wrote in response.

by Eric Moody

October 26, 2022

Antonio Brown Didn’t Show Up to Court — Ordered To Pay $1.2 Million for Attacking a Man

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown has been ordered to pay $1.2 million after allegedly attacking a man nearly three years ago.

A Broward County jury awarded Anton Tumanov the settlement earlier this month after Brown failed to show up or respond to court hearings surrounding the case.

The jury reportedly found Brown liable for $407,000 for Anton Tumanov’s past and future medical expenses.

In addition, Tumanov was awarded $793,000 for past and future pain and suffering.

Brown, 34, was initially sued by Tumanov in May 2021.

According to TMZ Sports, Tumanov claimed Brown beat him up while he was attempting to make a delivery to the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver’s home in Broward County, Florida, on Feb. 11, 2020.

Tumanov reportedly claimed in his lawsuit that Brown snapped at him when the two got into a heated dispute over a service payment.

The lawsuit claimed Brown damaged his vehicle and hit him multiple times, causing alleged “severe bodily injuries.”

Brown eventually received three criminal charges after Tumanov took matters to the authorities.

But the former NFL receiver instead agreed to probation and other related stipulations in a plea deal with prosecutors in June 2020 to have those charges dropped.

While Brown may not be actively participating on the football field, he has not missed a step in the news headlines.

According to The New York Post, the free agent wide receiver got a flag on a play while vacationing in Dubai several months ago. In a video, Brown is seen exposing himself to a woman as other people were in the vicinity of a hotel swimming pool. Although this occurred on May 14, the video only made the rounds in recent weeks.

Brown has also faced criticism surrounding his trolling antics toward his former teammate Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Most recently, Brown took to Twitter to issue a statement in support of his business associate Ye, otherwise known as Kanye West, remaining a member of Donda Sports despite recent backlash surrounding Ye’s social media comments that were viewed as anti-Semitic.

 

And Another One! Alyssa Scott Debuts Her Third Baby Bump, Nick Cannon Is the Father
by Atiya Jordan

October 26, 2022

And Another One! Alyssa Scott Debuts Her Third Baby Bump, Nick Cannon Is the Father

Nick Cannon and Alyssa Scott have been busy.

The model took to Instagram Wednesday to share some celebratory news. She’s expecting her third baby, and Nick Cannon is the father, Entertainment Online reports.

“With you by my side… 🤍,” Scott captioned a photo of herself stunning in blue while holding her daughter, Zeela.

The baby bump debut is a miracle for the Cannon family as it comes nearly a year after the devastating news about the death of her and Cannon’s son, Zen S. Cannon. In December 2021, The Wild n Out host and entertainer shared with viewers of his since-canceled daytime talk show that 5-month-old Zen died from high-grade glioma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported.

In honor of their baby’s boy life, the pair established a pediatric cancer foundation called Zen’s Light in celebration of what would have been his first birthday in June.

“JUNE 23 WILL FOREVER BE A DAY OF CELEBRATION. A BEAUTIFUL LIGHTING CEREMONY TO HONOR THE LIFE OF AN ANGEL. ZEN’S BIRTH HAS NOW TRANSFORMED INTO “ZEN’S LIGHT.” WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE HIS NEW FOUNDATION THAT WILL HELP SO MANY OTHERS IN THIS WORLD,” POSTED CANNON UNDERNEATH A PHOTO ON INSTAGRAM. HE CAPTUREd THE POIGNANT MOMENT BY RELEASING A FLOATING LANTERN TO HONOR HIS SON, WITH SCOTT STANDING BESIDE HIM.

 

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A post shared by NICK CANNON (@nickcannon)

Scott also shared an adorable photo of herself and her late son on Instagram for his birthday.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alyssa (@itsalyssaemm)

Back in May, the 29-year-old mom shared a smaller baby bump photo via Instagram to celebrate Mother’s Day. It was unclear whether or not the picture indicated her recent pregnancy, but congratulations are still in order!

“Today I’m grateful I was able to pick up the phone and hear my mom and grandmother’s voice on the other line,” she captioned the photo upload. “I’m grateful for my daughter, who is holding my hand through this holiday. I mean it when I say my heart is with every woman and every mother today. Love.”

Nick Cannon has welcomed 10 children since 2011.

Hollywood A-Listers Attend Will Smith’s Screening for Film Inspired by Photo of Whipped Black Slave
by Stacy Jackson

October 26, 2022

Hollywood A-Listers Attend Will Smith’s Screening for Film Inspired by Photo of Whipped Black Slave

Notable celebrities surrounded Will Smith for a screening of his new film, Emancipation.

The elite Hollywood actor took to his Instagram on Monday to post a selfie with celebrity friends at the event.

 

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A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)

According to Apple TV+, Smith plays the role of Peter, a man on a journey toward freedom.

The plot follows the triumph of Peter’s escape from slavery as he evades “cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana.”

“The film is inspired by the 1863 photos of ‘Whipped Peter,’ taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly. One image, known as ‘The Scourged Back,’ which shows Peter’s bare back mutilated by a whipping delivered by his enslavers, ultimately contributed to growing public opposition to slavery.”

 

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A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)

Vanity Fair reported the film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, who directed Denzel Washington‘s Training Day, for which he won an Oscar in 2001. In addition to Smith’s role, the film stars Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, and Mustafa Shakir.

Celebrities in attendance for the private event included Tyler Perry, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Kenya Barris, and Dave Chapelle. According to Good Morning America, the A-listers shared their thoughts on social media after the screening.

“I’m still haunted by #Emancipation. It’s truly powerful, moving and captivating,” Perry wrote on his Instagram story. “And the conversation afterwards with this group was legendary.”

“This night was truly one for the books! An amazing and brilliant group of friends got together and witnessed TRUE ART,” Barris wrote on Instagram.

“The conversation after was the effect of what anything and everything we as creatives do in this industry hope for.”

Smith’s Emancipation is set to debut in U.S. theaters on Dec. 2 and hits Apple TV+ a week later on Dec. 9.
Tamika Mallory
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 26, 2022

Tamika Mallory Blasts Kanye West for Weaponizing Black Culture, ‘Be Quiet & Get Some Real Help’

Social justice advocate Tamika Mallory called out Kanye West for how he’s “weaponized” Black culture to gain support after “losing” Kim Kardashian.

Mallory appeared on Fox Soul’s Brutally Honest with Jasmine Brand on Tuesday, where the activist was asked to share her thoughts on the current controversy surrounding Kanye West. Between wearing “White Lives Matter” t-shirts, making anti-semitic statements, and getting his Adidas partnership canceled, Kanye has been the talk of the town.

But Mallory thinks it’s all a ploy for the rap/fashion mogul to gain support after his divorce from Kim K.

“I think that Kanye is upset because he lost his woman,” Mallory said.

“He’s trying to weaponize other communities to help him fight his personal battle.”

She referenced Kanye’s recent interview on Nore’s Drink Champs, where he attempted to defend his “White Lives Matter” t-shirt.

“In one of the clips from the recent interview he did on ‘Drink Champs,’ he said, ‘if y’all don’t want me to wear white lives matter T-shirt….then the culture should get behind me when they take my child’….So now what you’re saying is we should be involved in your custody issues, your family business,” Mallory quipped.

“How many Black men has Kanye helped that can’t see their children?”

The same interview led to Kanye being sued by George Floyd’s family for making statements saying Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose and not Derek Chauvin’s kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes.

Kanye also made negative comments about the Jewish community that have since led to Adidas cutting ties with the rapper and maintaining possession of all his Yeezy designs.

As a result of Kanye’s axed Adidas partnership, his billionaire status was revoked as his net worth dropped by $400 million, Forbes reports.

Report Shows Almost Every Black Officer Experienced Discrimination at Tennessee Police Department
by Eric Moody

October 26, 2022

Report Shows Almost Every Black Officer Experienced Discrimination at Tennessee Police Department

Several Black officers representing the Knoxville Police Department staff have reportedly felt discriminated against, according to an external review of the department.

The review, conducted by consulting firm 21CP Solutions, discovered these findings that comprised almost all 15 Black officers in the department.

According to the review, the officers not only felt discriminated against but also believed that the promotional process was not particularly fair.

Knoxville Police Department Chief Paul Noel commissioned the external review after taking over the department in June.

21CP Solutions specializes in improving policing and opened the survey for two weeks at the beginning of August.

The review reportedly relied on roughly 360 sworn officers and about 100 nonsworn personnel to respond to the anonymous survey.

According to the report, department leadership had attempted to conceal an officer’s racist comments and deter a Black officer from making a complaint about the incident last year.

This conclusion comes after years of allegations of racist behavior within the department, reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel.

“If you are a Black officer, you have to work five times harder, and officers will always second-guess you,” one anonymous officer stated in the report.

 Another officer said, “When applying for posted positions and training, if more than one Black officer applied for a job that has multiple open slots, only one Black officer would get selected, and the other one would be told to wait until the next posting.”

Only about a third of the department’s 15 Black sworn officers said they felt they have a voice within the organization, according to the review.

Twelve stated they felt discriminated against within the organization because of their ethnicity.

Regarding de-escalating problems internally, the report showed that Black officers were also the least likely to say they felt there was a clear process for handling such issues within the department.

by Stacy Jackson

October 26, 2022

Meghan Markle, Issa Rae, Ziwe Fumudoh Set Record Straight on ‘Angry Black Woman’ Label

For ages, Black women have been perceived as aggressive, difficult, violent, bitter, and stubborn, and the list of negative connotations could go on. However, Black women are using their platforms to change the narrative.

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, addressed the stereotype of the ‘angry Black woman’ on Tuesday during a recent episode of her “Archetypes” podcast.

According to Today, Markle sat down with actress Issa Rae and comedian Ziwe Fumudoh to discuss and dissect the meaning of the trope. The notable women also discussed how the stereotype has affected them throughout their professional careers and relationships.

“We all know that sometimes things make you feel angry or sad or hurt or upset — and that’s not a gender or racially-specific feeling,” Markle said. “Yet, this trope of the angry Black woman, it persists.”

“I remember when I was auditioning, and even the idea of Black roles — I remember those casting sheets where the description of the character, she always had to have an edge or an attitude,” Meghan, the Suits alum, said.

“It was this ruthless Black woman or this uncouth Black woman,” Rae noted. “We were made to laugh at them as opposed to or to laugh with them in some ways. But it was just like these caricatures of Black women.”

The women shared a similar focus on using their platforms to shut down the stereotype in the entertainment industry. Rae chimed in with references to hit reality shows from the 2000s like “The Apprentice” and “The Flavor of Love” and how Black women like Omarosa Manigault and Tiffany Pollard were featured in roles that brought chaos and fury to their white costars.

“I want to be able to show that not all women are like this. I don’t feel fierce, flawless all the time,” Rae explained. “These characters aren’t that all the time, and that’s OK.” She added, “It was like we overcorrected this other narrative, and now we couldn’t be human. We were superhuman.”

Fumudoh spoke of her own experiences, sharing that reporters have admitted to being intimidated to talk to her face to face.

“Usually, when I’m talking to an interviewer, the first thing that they say to me is, ‘I’m terrified of you,’” she remarked. “I’m like, Oh my God, that hurts my feelings. I’m a sensitive Pisces. Like, I don’t want you to be scared of me. That’s not my goal.”

US Weekly reported that Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, stepped down from their working roles as senior royals in 2020. In a tell-all interview with CBS, the two addressed racism and how the royal family had multiple opportunities to show support, however, they never spoke up.

Former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal Convicted of Slaying Cop In 1980s, Asks For New Trial
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 26, 2022

Former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal Convicted of Slaying Cop In 1980s, Asks For New Trial

Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former Black Panther and radical journalist who was convicted of murdering a police officer in 1981, is seeking a new trial after new evidence shows his original trial was tainted.

Abu-Jamal is one of the better-known figures of the African American liberation advocates who have spent decades incarcerated for their actions during the Black social justice movement of the 1970s and 80s. He has been behind bars after he was convicted of murdering Daniel Faulkner on December 9, 1981, in Philadelphia, The Guardian reports.

Abu-Jamal has always maintained his innocence. But has remained incarcerated. In 2011, he had his life sentence overturned but is serving a life sentence without parole.

But, on Wednesday, Abu-Jamal’s case will come before the court of common pleas in Philadelphia in what could be his last attempt at freedom after more than 40 years in prison. After flaws and inconsistencies in the prosecution case were revealed, there has been growing concern about the possible injustice that led to his prolonged imprisonment.

The petition came after Abu-Jamal’s lawyers, Judith Ritter and Samuel Spital, were granted access to six filing boxes marked with the prisoner’s name that was found in a storage room in the Philadelphia district attorney’s office in December 2018.

Ritter and Spital argue that the boxes contained “highly significant evidence which the commonwealth never previously disclosed” and that highlight how their client’s conviction was tainted.

Among the discovered items include a handwritten letter sent from the state’s star witness at trial, Robert Chobert, to the prosecutor, Joseph McGill.

“I have been calling you to find out about the money own (sic) to me,” Chobert wrote in the letter. “Do you need me to sign anything. How long will it take to get it.”

Other evidence shows the second witness, Cynthia White, a prostitute with 38 previous arrests on her record, had received favorable treatment in exchange for her testimony.

On Wednesday, protesters gathered outside the Criminal Justice Center in Center City to support Abu-Jamal, CBS News reports. There are also members of the police union there to see if the prisoner will get a new trial.

“This is long overdue to see our brother Mumia come home,” supporter Rafael Outland said.

“He’s been in there longer than I’ve been alive. You know, so to know that all of the evidence points in a different direction, outside of had his guilt, yes, time to bring him home. So it is time to give him a new case.”

Faulkner’s widow, Maureen Faulkner is expected to be in attendance and wants the conviction upheld.

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