by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 30, 2025

Prosecutors Demand 11+ Years For Diddy’s Upcoming Prison Sentence

The government wants the judge to give the mogul a sentence of "at least 135 months' imprisonment," along with a fine of $500,000.

As we draw closer to the sentencing date for Sean Combs, AKA Diddy, after the former Bad Boy CEO was convicted on two charges for violating the Mann Act, federal prosecutors have requested that the entertainment mogul receive a sentence of “at least 135 months’ imprisonment,” along with a fine of $500,000.

According to The Associated Press, the prosecution’s requests follow Diddy’s attorneys’ statement in court papers that he should be allowed to leave prison after being incarcerated for more than a year leading up to his trial. On July 3, a jury found him guilty of the Mann Act violation: “the offense of knowingly transporting any individual, male or female, in interstate or foreign commerce or in any territory or possession of the United States for prostitution or sexual activity which is a criminal offense under the federal or state statute or local ordinance,” according to the Department of Justice. Still, it acquitted the “No Way Out” music producer of federal charges of sex trafficking and operating a criminal enterprise.

The mogul is scheduled to learn his fate Oct. 3 in Manhattan, before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. In asking for the more than 11-year sentence, prosecutors stated, “His crimes of conviction are serious and have warranted sentences over ten years in multiple cases for defendants who, like Sean Combs, engaged in violence and put others in fear.”

Defense attorneys for Diddy have stated that he is a changed man since his incarceration and has realized that his overuse of drugs contributed to the violent acts he has been accused of committing. However, the prosecution countered that he is “unrepentant” and although Diddy conceded his acts of violence and abuse throughout his trial, “incredibly, … he now argues that his victims should shoulder the blame.”

The maximum sentence for each charge is 10 years, as he faces a total of 20 years for the two charges for which he was found guilty.

Diddy has been locked up in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center for over a year following his Sept. 16, 2024, arrest.

Quincy Wilson, Olympics, Track, mens 4 x 400, mens, Richardson, Paris olympics, track and field

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 30, 2025

Ethiopian Distance Runner Shewarge Alene Dies At Training Camp At Age 30

The recent winner of the Stockholm Marathon passed away during training camp at age 30.

Shewarge Alene, the Ethiopian distance runner who won the 2025 adidas Stockholm Marathon, has died while at training camp.

Alene, 30, fell ill while training in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on Sept. 23 and died after being taken to the hospital, according to a Facebook post from African Athletics United. Her passing comes just months after she claimed victory at the Stockholm Marathon in May, finishing with a time of 2:30:38.

Alene devoted her life to running. After growing up in Ethiopia, she moved to New York City in her late teens to chase a professional career. Throughout 26 marathon appearances, she secured 12 victories and nine additional podium finishes, with her most recent win at the 2025 adidas Stockholm Marathon.

She recorded her personal best at the 2023 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in South Africa, finishing third with a time of 2:27:26. Alene reportedly had been living in Mexico but was in Addis Ababa for a training camp when she began feeling weak and fatigued during a session.

Following news of her passing, Stockholm Marathon organizers issued a statement honoring Alene and mourning her loss.

“It is with deep sorrow that we have received the news of the passing of Shewarge Alene, winner of the adidas Stockholm Marathon 2025,” race organizers wrote on Facebook. “Shewarge Alene became unwell during a training session and was taken to the hospital, where sadly her life could not be saved. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.”

Fans from around the world shared their grief while also celebrating Alene’s legacy and the inspiration she gave to the world of sports.

“Rest in peace, Shewsrge Alene Amare. Your strength, determination, and passion for running inspired so many around the globe💔,” one fan wrote.

“Such a tragic loss, may she rest in peace x,” added someone else.

by Kandiss Edwards

September 30, 2025

‘Reading Rainbow’ Returns With ‘Mychal The Librarian’ As Host

Mychal "The Librarian' Threets brings content creation and library knowledge to the show.

Reading Rainbow is being revived on YouTube with a new host, the beloved internet and real-life librarian Mychal Threets.

The new iteration of Reading Rainbow will appear as a digital series on YouTube’s kids’ platform, KidZuko. Threets, known as “Mychal The Librarian,” made the announcement across his social media platforms. The new episodes are slated to air on Saturdays at 7 a.m. PST/10 a.m. EST, beginning Oct. 4. In a TikTok post, Mychal announced the reboot.

He captioned the post, “Reading Rainbow is returning with all-new episodes … That means new friends, new projects and, of course, new books.”

https://www.tiktok.com/@mychal3ts/video/7555513247856676127?_r=1&_t=ZT-9099eydCLmA

The reboot is star-studded. Along with Mychal the Librarian, celebrity guests and narrators are scheduled to appear. Amongst the line-up are Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Adam DeVine, Gabrielle Union, and Bellen Woodard.

Threets brings both experience in content creation and library knowledge to the show. A former librarian in Solano County, California, Threets built an online presence as a literacy advocate. He stepped down from his role at the public library in 2024 to focus on his mental health and now serves as PBS’s “resident librarian.”

Reading Rainbow first aired on PBS from 1983 to 2006 under longtime host LeVar Burton. Burton set a high bar for educational children’s programming. The original show was viewed as an important tool in combating summer learning loss and expanding children’s access to books. New resources for literacy are sorely needed as the nation’s reading proficiency continues to decline.

“In 2024, the average reading score for the nation at grade 12 was 3 points lower than in 2019. Compared to the first reading assessment in 1992, the average score was 10 points lower in 2024,” according to the Nation’s Report Card, conducted by the NAEP. With federal funding for public broadcasting under fire, the success of educational programs on free digital platforms is vital.

The Fearless Fund Re-Emerges After Anti-DEI Settlement And Goes Global

by Kandiss Edwards

September 30, 2025

The Fearless Fund Re-Emerges After Anti-DEI Settlement And Goes Global

The Fearless Fund is ready to start anew.

The Fearless Fund says it will not retreat just one year after settling a high-profile lawsuit that accused the Atlanta-based venture capital firm of discriminatory grant practices. Instead, the firm is expanding its mission globally and launching a new initiative aimed at influencing policy as well as investment.

On Sept. 28, Fearless Fund hosted its first major event since the case came to a close, unveiling what the organization calls the Fearless Global Initiative. Approximately 150 attendees gathered in New York, including U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Liberian Foreign Affairs Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti, and civil rights attorney Ben Crump, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I knew that it wasn’t just as simple as having a fund. It was literally, we’re going to have to get policies to change,” Founder and CEO Arian Simone told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Simone framed the expansion as necessary in an era where many organizations are retreating from diversity, equity, and inclusion work.

Now, the company is moving forward with the Fearless Global Initiative. The initiative prioritizes “demographic equity,” a concept that would align funding, contracts, and investment flows more closely with population demographics.

Demographic equity means “the demographics of the people must match the demographics of the contracts, the investing and the funding allocations,” the Fearless founder said.

“This is (as) good for the white Kentucky coal miner as it is the Latino California farmworker. Demographic equity means delivering the resources, the financial support at a scale that reflects the population. This is something we can all get behind.”

Fearless Fund was sued in 2023 by the conservative group American Alliance of Equal Rights over a small-business grant contest that favored women of color. The plaintiffs alleged the program unfairly excluded non-Black applicants. The firm and its nonprofit arm settled the suit last year. The company no longer offers that specific grant funding.

The firm continues its core investment work, and since the lawsuit, it has maintained support for its portfolio companies, as well as a small business loan program launched last year. Still, Simone acknowledges that the legal battle forced restraint as it delayed raising a second venture fund.

Additionally, the company experienced a drop in corporate sponsors. Before the lawsuit, the firm typically had 20 major corporate backers in a given year. This year, it secured three: UPS, JPMorgan Chase, and Costco.

The ordeal has been “hell” according to Simone, but the founder also stressed that the firm remains committed.

“Just because we decided to be audacious and cut million-dollar checks to Black women, it caused a serious disruption in this country,” Simone said.

Tabitha Brown, Target, Vegan, Food, Essence, Testify

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 30, 2025

From Haircare to Fragrance: How Tabitha Brown Embraces the Art of the Pivot

Tabitha Brown says her haircare line took a “hit” amid the Target boycott.

Tabitha Brown is opening up about the power of pivoting and the marketing strategy changes she made while launching her fragrance line.

The actress, entrepreneur, and best-selling author took center stage at the inaugural Clover x Shark Tank Summit in Las Vegas, where her role as Clover’s Chief Empowerment Officer was on full display. Small business owners flocked to the conference to gain insights, connections, and resources to scale their companies.

With these founders in mind, Brown, a small business owner herself, emphasized the importance of knowing when to pivot, especially in today’s economic climate.

”We’ve got to learn how to pivot. I mean, everybody’s pivoting,” Brown told BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“If it’s not working right now, we have to figure out, ‘OK, what else can I do either to support the business or to bring in more income or to help with marketing?’ Whatever it is, we’ve got to figure out the pivot and not be afraid of it.”

It’s a harsh reality of entrepreneurship that Brown knows firsthand, having pivoted after her Donna’s Hair Care line was impacted by boycotts against Target. The mega-retailer has seen its stock drop 33% and lost over $20 billion in shareholder value following backlash over its rollback of DEI efforts.

Brown had enjoyed a successful partnership with Target since 2022, initially launching an apparel, swimwear, and accessories collection that expanded within a year to include food and kitchenware. By July 2024, the Emmy-winning Tab Time star debuted her Donna’s Recipe haircare line at Target with a limited-time launch.

The vegan, plant-based line performed so well that it expanded to nationwide distribution by February 2024. However, Target lost $12.4 billion in market value that month due to ongoing boycotts, affecting brands like Donna’s Recipe. In response, Brown pivoted with the April launch of her Tab & Chance fragrance with her husband, taking a direct-to-consumer approach through HSN—a first for the entrepreneur.

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A post shared by Tabitha Brown (@iamtabithabrown)

“You know, the whole thing that happened with Target this year, January, like, I had launched my fragrance company, we launched in February, but did a big launch in April, and my first thought was like, ‘OK, my Donna’s Recipe haircare line has taken a major hit because of, you know, Target,” Brown explained.

“So I have to pivot here. So, in launching my fragrance line with my husband, I was like, ‘I don’t usually like to go into retail until after at least one year of doing business online direct to consumer because you want to get all your data.’ So I told him, I was like, ‘I think I’m OK with exploring HSN so I can just test it out to see.’”

“That’s a pivot,” Brown declared.

The pivot paid off for Brown. On Sept. 17, she announced on Instagram that Tab & Chance had generated $10,000 in sales, thanking Shopify for its support of small businesses.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tabitha and Chance Brown (@tabandchance)

Brown urged small business owners to stay persistent in pursuing their dreams, emphasizing that with the right steps, those dreams can become a reality.

”Don’t stop dreaming,” she said.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 30, 2025

Former NFL Player Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman Explains Why He Left the FBI

The former Chicago Bears cornerback took issue with the Trump administration's immigration policies.

The reason why Charles “Peanut” Tillman recently resigned from his job in the Federal Bureau of Investigation was due to the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

The former Chicago Bears cornerback, who left football after the 2015 season, explained his reasoning while on The Pivot podcast.

Tillman had been with the FBI since 2018. The agency, he said, was good to him as were his colleagues, but the way that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has been moving and continues to crack down on immigration since President Donald Trump made this a mandate didn’t sit well with him.

“Let me start by saying this: The FBI was great to me. I did awesome,” Tillman said. “I worked with an amazing group of individuals. I think some of the things that they’re doing now, I personally didn’t agree with…immigration. I didn’t agree with how the administration came in and tried to make individuals do things against their will, it didn’t sit right. An example being immigration, right? Everybody was told, ‘You’re going to go after the most dangerous criminals,’ but what you see on TV and what actually was happening is, people weren’t going after that. Personally, that didn’t sit right with me; that didn’t sit right with my conscience.

“I want to be on the right side of history when it’s all said and done,” Tillman added. “Do I think there are individuals in the organization [who] like doing some of the stuff that they’re doing? Absolutely not. I think they hate it. I was in a different position because of my previous career. I made enough money to where I could just walk away and say, ‘You know what, guys? I’m OK. I think I’m good.'”

“I want to be on the right side of history when it’s all said & done”- @peanuttillman on resigning from the FBI.

Charles Tillman worked with the FBI for 8 years. He did amazing work there with great people, but some things he just couldn’t do. The public message from Washington… pic.twitter.com/HCgvZ4t9Sj
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) September 24, 2025

Tillman, a two-time Pro-Bowl selection, played in the NFL for 13 seasons.

by Keka Araújo

September 30, 2025

Rhonesha Byng Forges A New Path, Advocating For Black-Owned Media

Despite the pressures of public leadership, Byng maintains a philosophy of self-care and professional rhythms.

From a precocious 16-year-old journalist in Brooklyn to a visionary media executive, Rhonesha Byng has spent her career building platforms to empower women and champion independent media. The founder and CEO of Her Agenda and co-founder of the Black-Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute (BOMESI), Byng operates at the vanguard of an industry grappling with issues of equity, authenticity, and survival. Her work, she says, is a matter of democracy.

The multihyphenate spoke with Black Enterprise about her endeavors.

Byng’s journey began in high school, driven by what she describes as an “aha moment” that led her to realize media was her calling. This resolve intensified during a college women’s studies class in 2008, where she realized the media’s power to dismantle systemic barriers. This led her to found Her Agenda, a digital media platform dedicated to closing the gap between ambition and achievement for millennial women.

The site has since evolved, moving from a relentless “ambition at any cost” mindset to promoting a concept of “wholistic success,” which emphasizes professional and personal well-being.

The impetus for BOMESI arrived in 2020. With over a decade of experience as a publisher, Byng observed a seismic shift in the media landscape. Amid national pledges to support Black-owned businesses, she and BOMESI founder and CEO DéVon Christopher Johnson recognized an urgent need for a unified voice.

“We needed to be united as one voice versus individually trying to fight for a small slice of the pie,” she said.

BOMESI’s first initiative, a database of over 300 verified independent Black-owned media companies, went viral, revealing a critical disconnect between brands seeking diverse audiences and the platforms that served them. The database, which Byng individually vets for journalistic integrity, became a crucial resource for the industry.

This infrastructure-building work recently received a significant boost. BOMESI was awarded a $750,000 grant from Press Forward, a philanthropic initiative dedicated to local news. The funding, announced last month, will enable BOMESI to expand its Accelerator Program, which boasts a remarkable record of helping every participating company remain in business. The grant will also support the development of a proprietary technology, BOMESI Scale, a new equitable payout model for publishers.

Byng measures her platforms’ success not merely by page views or revenue, but by the tangible impact on people’s lives. She recalls the emotional gratitude of an accelerator alumni member who said her company “wouldn’t exist today if it wasn’t for BOMESI,” as well as the “full circle moments” with Her Agenda readers who grew up with the publication and now lead major companies themselves.

Despite the pressures of public leadership, Byng maintains a philosophy of self-care and professional rhythms.

She is guided by the most challenging piece of advice she ever received from a mentor, “You are equipped.” She believes this simple affirmation is what has allowed her to pursue her calling without overextending herself.

On Sept. 25, Byng appeared on Good Night, New York to discuss her latest collaboration with Hatchette US.

“Her Agenda founder/CEO Rhonesha Byng appeared on @fox5ny show ‘Good Night, New York’ to chat about our partnership with @hachetteus and upcoming panel event!

🗓 Thursday, September 25, 2025 – 5:30 p.m. EST. While all the in-person seats have been filled, you can sign up for the livestream below!”

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A post shared by Her Agenda (@heragenda)

In a climate marked by rising censorship and political polarization, Byng said the single most important message is to “stay on mission.” She sees the fight for equitable resources as a fight for the fourth estate itself.

“This is democracy that’s on the line,” Byng said. “If we can’t get it together as an industry to make sure that these independent media platforms have the resources to hire investigative reporters and to do in-depth reporting and to give light to the information that our communities need, that is the beginning of the end.”

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 30, 2025

Rapper Shyne Announces 25th Anniversary Tour After Serving As Belize’s Prime Minister

Shyne released 'Shyne' on Sept. 26, 2000.

Shyne, who released his self-titled debut album 25 years ago this month will celebrate the milestone by going on a world tour.

The rapper-turned-politician took to Instagram to alert his followers and fellow hip-hop fans of the development. Although no dates were announced, the former Bad Boy artist said the tour would start in his old stomping grounds, New York City.

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A post shared by Moses Shyne Barrow (@shyne_bz)

A video clip of an upcoming podcast episode with Cam’ron on his Talk With Flee series, showed Shyne speaking about his upcoming projects, which include the tour and new music.

“To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Shyne album, we’re going to do a 25th anniversary tour,” Shyne said. “So, that’s the crowning announcement. The ancillaries would be, remember, we had the bio documentary, The Honorable Shyne. So, I always wanted to do the Honorable album similar to how Jay-Z did American Gangster for the American Gangster movie. So instead of doing a soundtrack, do an actual album.”

Shyne, in the clip, also said he is working on several albums and a TV series.

Earlier this year, Shyne (born Moses Barrow) was defeated in his bid to be re-elected as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives and the leader of the Belize United Democratic Party.

After Shyne spent time in jail for his involvement in a New York City shooting at Club New York with Sean “Diddy” Combs, he was deported to Belize, where he followed in the footsteps of his father, Dean Barrow, and became a politician. The elder Barrow served as deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs from 1993 until 1998 and was the then-leader of the opposition from 1998 until the United Democratic Party (UDP) won the election in February 2008.

AI, artificial intelligence, trends, A.I., journey, technology, DryMerge, AI, job interview

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 29, 2025

Founder Of First Black-Owned NIL Marketing Agency Turns To AI To Better Serve Underrepresented Athletes

The founder behind the first Black-owned NIL agency is using AI to better serve overlooked college athletes.

Meet Peter Iwuh, the Morgan State alum behind a new AI platform aimed at supporting underrepresented athletes at HBCUs and smaller colleges in securing NIL deals.

After making history in 2023 with the launch of Tykoon Sports Agency—the first Black-owned Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) marketing agency in the billion-dollar NIL industry—Iwuh, alongside Co-founder and CTO Omogbolade Ajayi and Chief Growth Officer Alexander Turner, is aiming to further transform college sports marketing with Tykoon AI. Designed to empower underrepresented athletes at HBCUs, smaller schools, and lesser-known conferences, the platform enables them to manage essential components of a successful NIL portfolio seamlessly and all in one place.

“Being an individual of color who is faced with oppression, being a first-generation college student, and being raised in a single-mother household, it is a common experience to feel overlooked,” Iwuh told AfroTech.

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A post shared by Tykoon AI⚡️ (@tykoon.ai)

Athletes using Tykoon AI can create content, grow their digital presence, secure brand partnerships, and sell custom merchandise, key elements of a thriving NIL portfolio. “Built for athletes, trusted by schools, and scaled by brands,” the company states, Tykoon AI aims to remove the barriers that prevent athletes outside Division 1 programs from accessing lucrative NIL opportunities.

While high-profile athletes with strong online followings—like Shedeur Sanders, who reportedly earned $6 million in NIL deals at Colorado—can garner significant deals, the average NIL athlete makes roughly $21,331 annually, with earnings even lower for athletes at HBCUs and smaller schools. Tykoon AI addresses this gap by providing a platform that enables overlooked athletes to streamline content creation and connect directly with potential sponsors.

“Even though I’m not a student athlete, it’s a common experience to feel overlooked and under-resourced and feel like no one is here to support me,” Iwuh said. “When I was attending [Morgan State University], I came across student athletes who were picking negative pathways because they did not have options, and I’m one who just wanted to diversify the options.”

The platform’s features include tools to help athletes connect with local businesses through an interactive merchant map, reach national brands, and explore open NIL deals with details on requirements and earning potential. It also streamlines deal deliverables with reminders, enables athletes to design custom fan merchandise, and offers GamePlan AI—a feature that generates ideas for merch, brand partnerships, and content.

Additionally, athletes can scan contracts for compliance summaries, track earnings from partnerships, merchandise, and social media growth, and access an AI-powered score system directly from their dashboard.

“Since NIL started, it’s been nearing a billion-dollar market already in its very early stages,” Iwuh said. “While those are amazing numbers, the unfortunate reality is that most of those funds and resources are being allocated towards athletes at top conferences, top schools, and the top sports…That’s why we’re building this platform to bring the opportunity to student athletes. We’re not waiting on the athletic departments anymore.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 29, 2025

Black Woman’s Corporate Catfishing On LinkedIn Exposed Bias In Hiring

A Black woman’s corporate catfishing experiment is being transformed into a docuseries exposing the harsh realities of Black life in corporate America.

A Black woman who posed as a white woman on LinkedIn to land job interviews is revisiting her corporate catfishing experiment in a new docuseries.

After months of unsuccessful job hunting, Aliyah Jones went undercover as a white woman on LinkedIn to see if her results would change. Her eight-month experiment, captured in the docuseries Corporate Catfish: Being Black in Corporate America, revealed clear racial bias in hiring practices.

“I made that fake white LinkedIn profile out of frustration but also out of grief,” Jones wrote on Kickstarter. “Because no matter how qualified I was, how articulate, how buttoned up… being Black still meant being overlooked.”

The D.C.-based digital storyteller chronicled her eight-month LinkedIn experiment, shocking the community by revealing that her white-woman catfish profile received more recruiter inquiries than her real account.

”I was tired of not getting hired and being overlooked,” Jones explained to Refinery 29’s Unbothered. “I studied for interviews religiously, showed up on time, got stood up, traveled across cities, made it to the final round, and still got nothing. After a while, it stopped feeling like a coincidence and started feeling like a pattern. That’s when I decided to run an experiment.”

After sharing her story, it quickly went viral, drawing messages from countless others with similar experiences. Jones set up submission forms for people to share their own stories, and within a week, over 300 had signed up.

Despite pressure to repeat the experiment, she chose to honor her boundaries, keeping it “a one-time, lived experiment.” However, the response inspired her to transform the project into a documentary, for which she is now seeking funding on Kickstarter.

“Corporate Catfish did exactly what it was meant to do: spark conversation, open eyes, and create community,” Jones said.

The documentary will feature intimate interviews, visuals, and historical archival footage to examine the lived experiences of Black professionals across industries, spotlighting the emotional toll, constant code-switching, and everyday resilience required to navigate these environments. Phase 1 of Jones’ Kickstarter campaign seeks $10,000 to cover production and crew costs, following a previous campaign that fell short of its $50,000 goal and was delayed due to a series of racially motivated attacks.

With Kickstarter’s support, Jones is moving forward with plans to film in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles, and other cities to create an unfiltered portrait of Black professional life.

“This isn’t about chasing another viral moment,” she writes. “It’s about creating something that endures: a film that speaks for us, to us, and because of us.”