Kanye West, Ye, Bully, China
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 15, 2023

Kanye West Looking For New Distributors For First Album Since Anti-Semitic Controversy

Kanye West is currently on the hunt for distributors to help with the release of his upcoming unnamed album, reportedly a collaborative effort with Ty Dolla $ign, after his anti-Semetic antics.

According to Billboard, the project was supposed to be released Oct. 13, but has since been delayed for reasons shielded from the public. However, the news outlet reports that West and Ty Dolla $ign have been in discussions with several companies.

However, West’s scandal regarding remarks deemed anti-Semitic is as prevalent as ever given the recent outbreak of violence between Palestine and Israel. With this in mind, some companies are weighing the anticipated backlash in this current climate for working with West.

West’s former distributor, Def Jam, owned by Universal Music Group, dropped West in 2021 after his negative comments. This termination has led to West seeking a new partnership, including from some smaller distributors that view the opportunity to work with West as outweighing the cons that come from the association, Billboard reported.

Those who have listened to the Grammy winner’s latest work call it some of his best. This is not West’s first time working with Ty Dolla $ign, as the two have been collaborators since 2014. Both have featured on one another’s work, such as $ign’s inclusion on the Donda album and West’s addition to the 41-year-old’s song “Ego Death.”

West has kept a relatively low-profile, at least in speaking publicly, after being condemned for his comments. However, the volatile rapper has garnered some headlines for his relationship with newly official wife, Bianca Censori, and their public displays of affection that have veered into inappropriate territory. However, as the rapper rolls out a new album, fans are sure to hear what he now has to say.

RELATED CONTENT: Kanye West Makes Defiant Choice By Reportedly Filing For ‘Yews’ Trademark

Joan Naydich, Brendan Depa, Florida, autistic,
by Jameelah Mullen

October 15, 2023

Autistic Student Faces Up To 30 Years Behind Bars After Attacking Teacher’s Aide; Victim Will Not Assist In Reducing His Sentence

A Florida paraprofessional whom a Matanzas High School autistic student attacked has refused to support a more lenient sentence for the teen. 

On Feb. 21, 17-year-old Brendan Depa attacked his teacher’s aide, Joan Naydich, when she wouldn’t allow him to play his Nintendo Switch in class. The incident was caught on the school’s surveillance video, where Depa was seen kicking and punching Naydich in the back and head, knocking her unconscious.

The teen weighs 270 pounds and stands 6’6.

Naydich was taken to the hospital and treated for her injuries. Her family launched a GoFundMe that raised over $100,000 to assist with medical and living expenses while she was out of work. 

Depa, now 18, is being charged as an adult and faces up to 30 years in prison. 

Initially, the autistic student was charged as a juvenile, which would have carried a lesser sentence. In June, a hearing was held to determine whether he was competent to stand trial. Circuit Judge Terence Perkins decided Depa was competent to stand trial after hearing the testimony of two psychologists. One clinician diagnosed the teen with psychosis and described him as “severely autistic, often violent and unpredictable, and requiring extreme assistance.“  The other said that Depa was autistic but aware and able to withstand a trial.

Depa’s attorney, Kurt Teifke, voiced his concerns about the judge’s decision.  

“I have great concerns,” the attorney said. “I am not confining my opinions to diagnosis. Not at all. I’m talking about its manifestations. I’m talking about the behavior and the interactions and, frankly, everything that happens.”

Teifke described his client’s condition as “a cocktail of mental health disorders.”

Depa appeared in court on Oct. 11 for a pre-trial hearing. The 18-year-old teen is expected to plead guilty to avoid trial. His lawyer asked for an Oct. 30 plea hearing. 

anthony anderson, EXCEL
by Jameelah Mullen

October 15, 2023

Anthony Anderson Reveals Origin Of ‘Black-ish’ At Black Men XCEL Summit

Actor Anthony Anderson was honored at the 2023 Black Men XCEL Summit earlier this week. The yearly conference, hosted by BLACK ENTERPRISE, aims to celebrate Black men in business as well as provide networking opportunities and tools for  personal and professional development.

 “Our mission: To elevate and empower Black men to be recognized for their value and talent. The XCEL Awards, the nation’s highest recognition of the excellence and leadership of Black men, celebrates Black men in areas ranging from business and technology to sports and the arts,” according to BE.

The three-day event, held in Miami from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13, featured more than 40 speakers and a series of break-out sessions and leisure activities.

The actor participated in a fireside chat moderated by BE President Earl G. Graves Jr. The executive producer of the long-running TV show Black-ish discussed how he and show creator Kenya Burris developed the concept for the Emmy Award-winning show.  

“My 12-year-old son at the time had come home to me and said, ‘You know dad, I don’t feel Black,” recalled Anderson. His son went on to say that he didn’t see many Black families in his community or in his school. He also pointed out the difference in the lifestyles of his relatives living in South Central Los Angeles as well as the negative experiences of Black men that he saw on the news. 

 “And I was like, well, ‘Son, this is your Black experience,’” Anderson responded. He said that “…being able to go to private school, being able to live in the neighborhoods that you live in and being able to do the things that we do, that doesn’t make you any less Black.”

Having had a similar experience with his children, show creator Barris joked about having a Black-ish family. Barris decided that this would be the name of the show.

 “That was the only name that we came up with, that was the only name that we stuck with.” Anderson told the audience.

 The actor implied that they expected some pushback from the network for the show’s groundbreaking title.

 “We were willing to dig into the trenches and fight the network to keep our name and we don’t have to,” he shared.

Black-ish ran for eight seasons and received several awards, including a Peabody Award, three Critics Choice Awards, two Golden Globe, an Emmy, and six NAACP Image Awards, making it the highest-awarded show in NAACP Image Award History.

Anderson was also one of six honorees at this year’s XCEL summit. Others included Shannon Brown, CEO of BCS Consulting; David Grain, CEO of Grain Management; and Chris Womack, president and CEO of Southern Company.  

RELATED CONTENT: XCEL Lunch Rewind: A Conversation With Chris Womack And David Grain On Entrepreneurship Beginnings

lawsuit, JaMarcus Russell,,Connie Bobo,, Missouri,
by Mary Spiller

October 15, 2023

Dave’s Gourmet LLC Considers Defamation Suit Against Pink Sauce Founder

Food company Dave’s Gourmet LLC is mulling a defamation lawsuit against Veronica Shaw, the founder of Pink Sauce, after Shaw alleged in a GoFundMe fundraising campaign that the company withheld business records from her and failed to pay her properly.

A recently updated statement from Dave’s Gourmet LLC claimed that Shaw had been given $161,449.37 since beginning their business partnership in August of 2022. The business released the details in response to what it calls an act of defamation, where Shaw started a GoFundMe calling them out called “Help Get Justice for the Pink Sauce.” 

Shaw accuses Dave’s of not correctly paying her. Dave’s management has reported the fundraiser because she “is asking for funds under false pretenses.”

“We want other people to have factual information on this case prior to considering making a donation,” the company said, according to TheGrio. “We hope that people share the facts on social media about the sequence of events related to this matter so that Shaw can no longer spread misinformation about our company.”

According to Dave’s Gourmet, when it entered into an agreement with Shaw, it was responsible for digital promotions and was in charge of maintaining the product’s shelf life by making the formula commercial production-ready while adhering to FDA production guidelines. 

Despite Shaw’s claim that the company didn’t uphold its end of the deal, Dave’s explained, “At the time, Shaw was not producing PS because FDA instructed her to cease all the production due to quality concerns (she was making PS in her kitchen and was shipping it without refrigeration in the heat of the summer and the sauce frequently went bad during shipping as evidenced by many social media posts from buyers).”

The company continued, “The sauce was not shelf stable and was not safe for shipping without refrigeration. There was huge negative publicity online and on social media due to the quality issues that Shaw had experienced. According to the agreement, Shaw received an upfront payment of $45,000 as a part of the Agreement for DG to pursue the sales of PS.”

Shaw had to supply refunds for all the items specified under the agreement. Dave’s even helped Shaw and her company, contributing $30,000 to cover reimbursement funds. 

Even after helping, Dave’s claimed that Shaw rejected all offers to handle the tension between them amicably. Instead, she hit the company with “multiple million-dollar demands for Dave’s to continue selling Pink Sauce.”

RELATED CONTENT: Viral Pink Sauce Creator Reveals She’s Broke From Brand Deal

Bishop Talbert Swan, Palestinian, Hamas, Ron DeSantis, Florida, governor, Luigia Colucci, great-great-grandmother
by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 15, 2023

Bishop Talbert Swan Reminds Florida Governor Of Foreign Roots After Xenophobic Rant Against Palestinians

Bishop Talbert Swan shut down Florida’s governor on social media after the politician audaciously told folks “to get out” of the country.

On Oct. 14, Governor Ron DeSantis posted an over one-minute video lambasting Hamas and supporters of Palestinian liberation, and essentially telling those who stood in solidarity with the movement they weren’t welcomed in the United States. In a long-winded diatribe, DeSantis claimed that Hamas beheaded infants (Snopes hasn’t confirmed what news outlets continue to put out into the ether). He also suggested Americans needed to stand up for this country by keeping those who didn’t believe in American ideals outside.

“We’ve got some serious problems in this country, and we’ve allowed a lot of them to fester. My view is simple: if you don’t like this country if you hate America, you should not come to this country. We’ve got to start being smart about this,” DeSantis said on the video.

Reminding DeSantis that he was spawned from immigrants, Swan didn’t mince words. The bishop wasted no time telling DeSantis to “get out.”

“All 8 of your great grandparents were [immigrants] from southern Italy who migrated to America starting in 1917. My great, great grandfather was born here in 1830. My great-grandfather was born here in 1854. My grandfather was born here in 1885. YOU GET OUT,” he penned.

Swan’s claim about DeSantis’ lineage was partially correct. 

In 2018, a genealogist broke down that the Florida governor’s great-great-grandmother would have more than likely been deported along with her daughters if they had come to the United States then. In February 1917, Luigia Colucci barely made it into the country. Having left Italy due to worsening conditions from World War I, a pregnant Colucci took the Patria across the Atlantic Ocean, making it to New York on Feb. 21. Had she arrived later, the matriarch and her daughters could have been a part of those “undesirable southern and eastern European immigrants” as they were illiterate. The Immigration Act was implemented in May 1917, and the legislation required those wanting to emigrate to the U.S. to pass a literacy test. An uneducated Luigia and her girls became U.S. residents by the skin of their teeth. 

Swan’s disdain for DeSantis’ stance was also inspired by the Florida politician’s rejection of granting refuge to potential Palestinian asylum seekers, stereotyping the ethnic group as being “anti-semitic.”

“We cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees,” he said. “If you look how they behave– not all of them are Hamas, but they are all anti-semitic, none of them believe in Israel’s right to exist.”

 

Last week, Hamas, Palestinian extremists, opened fire on attendees of the Supernova Music Festival near Gaza. Almost 300 lives were taken, sparking a war between Israeli and Palestinian forces. 

deshaun watson, cleveland browns
by Daniel Johnson

October 15, 2023

Deshaun Watson’s Mysterious Shoulder Injury Keeps Him Sidelined, Leaving Browns And Fans in Limbo

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson’s mysterious shoulder issue continues to keep him on the sidelines. According to Yahoo, the signal caller was medically cleared back on Oct. 2 but opted not to play in that week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Watson did not practice leading up to the game against the San Francisco 49ers, and as a result he was ruled out on Oct. 13. The quarterback reportedly has a shoulder cuff contusion, and the speculation is, because Watson isn’t really talking about it, that he can’t really throw the ball.

According to The Athletic, some of Watson’s teammates are unhappy he isn’t playing yet. 

According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Watson’s contusion functions much more like a strain, so essentially it’s going to be up to Watson and how he feels while throwing the ball before he actually takes the field. It could be a week or a month from now. But if it is determined that Watson needs surgery, which Cabot does not think is the case, he would most likely miss the rest of the season.

Kevin Stefanski, head coach of the Browns, said on Oct. 13 that Watson was able to do some light throwing and that the Browns aren’t going to rush him back.

“As, you know, trying to every day, treat it day to day,” he said. “He’s making progress. He’s working very hard but just wasn’t ready to get to the level where he could practice and be effective just yet. But he’s making progress.” Stefanski continued: “I don’t know if I want to characterize it. It’s part of a rehab. So he’s making progress, he’s getting better. He’s very disappointed. He wants to play. He wants to be able to compete with his teammates. So he’s just got to focus on getting better every day.”

This isn’t the first time Watson’s being off the field has led to controversy.

Watson once sat out an entire year as he waited for a deal that got him away from the Houston Texans amid a sexual assault scandal.

In 2021 and 2022, 26 women came forward accusing Watson of sexual misconduct and harassment, Forbes reported. Watson would purportedly set up massage appointments with female therapists, and once alone in the therapy setting, he allegedly coerced these therapists into engaging in various unwanted sexual acts.

 

Watson’s time in Cleveland hasn’t been anything special after the team gave up three first-round picks and gave Watson a $230 million fully guaranteed contract, knowing he would miss the first 11 games of his career as a Brown.

According to an orthopedic surgeon who talked to Cabot, the injury generally has a two- to six-week time frame, depending on the grade of the contusion.

 

 

RELATED CONTENT: LeBron James’ Support of Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson Following Sexual Assault Claims Doesn’t Sit Right With Fans

eviction, Lamar Odom,
by Mary Spiller

October 15, 2023

Internet Platform ZNest Aquires Lamar Odom’s Senior Care Venture

On Oct. 11, ZNest, an internet platform, announced it had bought former NBA power forward Lamar Odom’s senior living care space business. 

As reported in a news release, Odom is now stationed as the chief creative officer for Odom Senior Care, even with the purchase of the company by ZNest.

The former baller took to Instagram to express his excitement about moving forward in the business, saying, “I am so excited to join ZNest as the Chief Creative Officer. We are definitely looking forward to making a super impact in the senior living space. [We have] the same goals, so it just made sense for us to work together.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lamar Odom (@lamarodom)

Odom will be in charge of informing and directly working with people searching for the perfect place of care for their elderly family members. 

ZNest’s founder, Bennett Kim, spoke on the acquisition as well, explaining, “It became abundantly clear that ZNest.com and Odom Senior Care not only share similar visions but are also driven by parallel missions rooted deeply in personal family experiences. Both organizations strive to provide transparency in the opaque world of senior living, aiming to connect families with senior living facilities that fit their personal needs.”

ZNest has agreed to continue working with Odom’s management team to uplift the existing marketing in order to advance Odom Senior Care in the industry with ZNest’s current standing as a reputable online company. ZNest has already announced the release of a new consumer-accessible website in 2024 to help families gain access to additional resources and tools. 

The press release concluded, “Together, ZNest.com and Odom Senior Care will forge a new path, simplifying, demystifying and humanizing the process of selecting senior housing, ensuring that families can easily secure the quality, respectful care their loved ones deserve. Currently, operators can claim a profile and list their facilities on the site by visiting ZNest.com.”

Lawsuit Exposes Alleged Racist Gang ’40 West’ Among Maryland Prison Guards
by Daniel Johnson

October 15, 2023

Lawsuit Exposes Alleged Racist Gang ’40 West’ Among Maryland Prison Guards

Prison guards in Maryland have filed a lawsuit alleging there is a gang of white prison guards operating in one of the state’s correctional facilities. According to The Daily Record, correctional officers at the Maryland Correctional Training Facility in Hagerstown, MD, say that Black and immigrant correctional officers are routinely subjected to racial slurs and have been passed over for promotions or overtime shifts because of the actions of the “40 West” gang.

In their complaint, the guards allege that the group has created a culture of racism within the facility, and it also alleges both RICO charges and discrimination charges due to the coordinated nature of attacks from white correctional officers. The suit also alleges that Black and other people of color were disciplined over minor infractions, while the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services ignored white officers’ misconduct.

Edith Thomas, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, wrote in the suit, “Upon information and belief, a group of Caucasian COs organized to engage in illegal behavior and to take administrative control of MCTC by creating a race-based gang called ’40 West,’ ’40 West boys,’ and/or ’40 West gang’ decades prior to the present.”

The plaintiffs allege that they have been told to “Go back to your country,” that “We don’t want Blacks here,” and that monkey noises were simulated over the facility’s intercom system. The suit also states that members of the alleged gang include high-ranking members of the MCTC, as well as the use of Masonic imagery to identify other members. The plaintiffs also claim that at least one member of the gang has a swastika tattoo, a well-known symbol of many Neo-Nazi groups. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services e-mailed a statement to The Daily Record, saying that they are “aware of the complaints alleged in this suit and is investigating the serious claims. The Department cannot comment further on pending litigation at this time.”

The suit was filed in July 2023 in Baltimore City Circuit Court but was recently escalated to a federal court during the week of Oct 9.

RELATED CONTENT: Bureau Of Prisons Official With History Of Abusing Black Inmates Has Been Promoted Nine Times

James Harden
by Daniel Johnson

October 15, 2023

James Harden Holds Firm: No Reconciliation With 76ers GM Daryl Morey As Trade Speculations Continue

James Harden refuses to let go of his beef with Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey.

As Yahoo reported, when asked if his fractured relationship with Morey could be repaired, Harden tersely responded, “No. My whole thing was I wanted to retire a Sixer and the front office didn’t have that in their future plans.”

Harden continued, “It’s literally out of my control. It’s something I didn’t want to happen…But I’ve got to make a decision for my family. I understand this is a business. It’s just as simple as that. If I’m here today, I’ll work my butt off and do the things necessary as a professional as I’ve been doing for 15 years.”

As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Harden picked up his $35.6 million player option expecting to be traded, but that never happened. While the star was promoting the NBA at an event in China, he called Morey a liar and made comments for which the NBA levied a $100,000 fine against Harden for what the league deemed “indicating that he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team.”

Harden likened his deteriorating relationship with Morey to a bad marriage, saying “This is not even about in this situation, this is in life,” Harden said. “When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage. You lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple.”

According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Morey wants to get assets in return for Harden that would allow the 76ers to flip for an All-Star caliber guard to replace Harden, but according to USA Today, that asking price might be divorced from the reality of Harden’s worth. The Clippers, Harden’s preferred trade destination, are currently unwilling to part with either star players or young assets. This means that a trade to LA is extremely unlikely in the short term, and Wojnarowski expects that a deal for Harden will not be an easy one to make, inferring that teams generally do not want to trade for an expiring contract like Harden’s.

“This is not an easy trade to make with essentially trading for an expiring contract in James Harden. I think it’s another situation that’s going to play out through free agency, into summer league, and probably beyond.” 

As we have entered the NBA preseason, a deal for Harden that reflects what Morey wants is unlikely, as the Clippers have expressed to the 76ers front office that they are only interested in Harden at the cost of one first round pick, pick swaps, or expiring contracts. So, the Clippers, according to Woj, are looking for a trade partner: “What the Clippers are trying to do right now is say to Daryl Morey, ‘Ok, you don’t believe that our 2028 unprotected first has enough value,’ they are going around to other teams and seeing if that ’28 pick and/or a pick swap gets them multiple picks,” Wojnarowski explained.

He added, “If you are a team that’s interested in this conversation, teams that have a lot of picks and say, ‘Ok, we’ll give two protected picks for that chance in 2028 where we think you might be really bad where you age out with these stars and you don’t have young players.’”

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has noted that Harden, true to his word, has been a professional in his practice sessions with the team. Nurse told Yahoo, “It’s been exactly the same,” he said. “He’s been really good in practice. I know he’s working extremely hard almost every night, like the workouts at night are really intense as well. And we’re just going day-by-day.”

RELATED CONTENT: Houston Rockets Head Coach Explains Why He Did Not Sign James Harden: It’s About ‘Fit’

soul food
by Mary Spiller

October 15, 2023

Oldest Chicago Soul Food Restaurant Celebrates 50th Anniversary

A historical landmark in the Black community celebrated its 50th anniversary on Oct 13. The Chicago soul food restaurant St. Rest Country Kitchen is hailed as the oldest-running Black-owned restaurant of its kind in the city.

The South Side restaurant boasts “serving heart food [and] feeding people one legacy at a time.” Located on 87th Street and Cottage Grove, St. Rest Country Kitchen has been run by the same family for two generations. According to Fox 32 Chicago, the current owner and head chef Daniella Coffey and her husband, John, run the restaurant now. In 2021, Coffey inherited St. Rest from her dad, Rev. Larry Hopkins, who originally founded the spot in 1972. In a story of resilience, her father’s restaurant was facing severe financial debt, to the tune of $600,000, at the time and was on the brink of foreclosure. After Coffey took over, her father passed away just two months later.

Just a year after restructuring the business, the Coffey family paid off the debt and jumped-started the business again. When she took over at St. Rest, Coffey made it her mission to keep the traditions of the restaurant alive. The task is made easier by 77-year-old matriarch, Sophia Hopkins, still serving as the head waitress. 

“Great customer service, sanitation, and great food. Those are our pillars here and, of course, faith,” Coffey said. 

General Manager Angela Chatman added, “As soon as you walk through the doors, everyone is family. That’s just how it is Down South back in the day.”

St. Rest Country Kitchen is open from Friday to Sunday and serves soul food dishes like smothered pork chops, short ribs, cabbage, mac and cheese, candied yams, and more. 

Coffey left the outlet with the advice that all women should be confident in the path that they want to walk. She said, “You don’t need another person to validate you. You have everything that you need in your hands. The only thing left is for you to use it.”

RELATED CONTENT: Black Woman Brings Soul Food To Mexico City With ‘Blaxicocina’ Restaurant

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