Justice Department Defends Efforts To Boost Monitoring Of Threats To School Boards
Reuters – Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on Tuesday defended a new initiative to combat a rise in threats and harassment targeting public school boards and teachers across the country, after Republican lawmakers accused the Justice Department of trying to stifle parents’ free speech.
In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Monaco told lawmakers that the Justice Department is not trying to censor speech, but merely coordinate with state and local law enforcement to ensure “there is an awareness of how to report threats that may occur and to ensure that there’s an open line of communication to address threats.”
On Monday night, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a new memo directing the FBI and federal prosecutors to meet with local and state police within 30 days to discuss strategies for addressing the “disturbing trend” of threats facing America’s public educators.
“While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution, that protection does not extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views,” Garland wrote.
The memo comes as school boards across the country, including in nearby Loudoun County, Virginia, have seen a rise in protests and violent rhetoric fueled by right-wing media over claims that public schools are indoctrinating children into thinking America is a racist country through the teaching of a doctrine known as critical race theory.
Critics say there is no evidence to suggest that critical race theory is being taught in most, if any, public schools, but the topic has led to waves of protests and often raucous school board meetings.
At the same time, schools have also been caught in the cross-hairs of an ongoing national debate over whether students should be required to wear masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley blasted the memo on Tuesday, comparing it to the “McCarthy era,” a reference to the controversial practices of Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy, who stoked Cold War era fears in the 1950s by alleging that Communists had infiltrated the U.S. government, military and film industry.
“Is parents waiting, sometimes for hours, to speak at a local school board meeting to express concerns about critical race theory or the masking of their students… is that in and of itself harassment and intimidation?” he asked.
“Spirited debate is welcome,” Monaco said, adding that the memo makes it clear that the department is only focused on addressing situations that could turn violent.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
Broccoli City Co-Founders on How the D.C.-Based Festival is Surviving the Pandemic and Making Social Change
The Broccoli City Festival was initially slated to take place this past weekend in Washington, D.C., featuring headlining acts like Lil Baby, Snoh Aalegra, Moneybagg Yo, and Lucky Daye. Tickets were almost sold out in September in anticipation of the annual event’s return following its cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19. However, the ongoing pandemic prevailed once again, forcing organizers to cancel the festival for a second consecutive year just weeks in advance.
Organizers for Broccoli City, which describes itself as “the largest festival in the country for young people of color,” released a statement expressing concern about the spread of COVID-19 in the African American community. As a result, the event won’t take place until 2022.
Broccoli City Festival (Facebook.com/BroccoliCity)
“At the heart of Broccoli City is the belief that our people deserve the best of everything — including safe spaces to gather in celebration of our culture. In that spirit, we have decided to cancel the Broccoli City Festival 2021 this Oct. to reduce the likelihood of exposure to COVID-19 and do our part to slow the spread in the communities of color we serve,” read the statement tweeted on Sept. 14.
The festival founders say they wanted to prioritize the health and safety of the community they’ve been cultivating since 2010. Since then, the Broccoli City Festival (BC Fest) evolved into a huge annual attraction in D.C. that intersects Black music, culture, community service, and empowerment. Each year, it brings up to 35,000 people together and features performers like Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Erykah Badu, Nipsey Hussle, and Anderson Paak. In addition to live performances, organizers host BroccoliCon, a two-day seminar of informative panel discussions addressing issues affecting the culture.
The Origins
Nipsey Hussle performing at the 2018 Broccoli City Festival in Washington, DC.
Broccoli City was founded by Brandon McEachern, Marcus Allen, and Darryl Perkins. McEachern and Allen, two longtime friends, told BLACK ENTERPRISE that the name derived from their Broccoli City clothing line, which they launched as a nod to their hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina. During an interview in late August, before the 2021 festival was canceled, McEachern explained that “broccoli” was a reference for the word “green” while “city” was used to refer to “boro.”
“We just started saying Broccoli City back in the day when we were young, and the name just kind of stuck. It ended up getting kind of its own personality,” he said.
McEachern says the event was created to serve a community of Black health and socially conscious young people who love hip-hop, R&B, trap, and soul music. Although it began as just a concert, it now includes conference speakers like Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Bozoma Saint John and rapper and health food entrepreneur Styles P.
“We wanted to have a space where we can all come together and network and learn from each other,” said McEachern. “I don’t know too many other festivals that have a conference before you turn up.”
Beyond The Music
(Facebook.com/BroccoliCity)
Unlike other festivals, he says Broccoli City invests in the D.C. community by hiring local talent and facilitating social initiatives all year round that focus on healthy eating and cleaning up local rivers and waterways. In addition, Broccoli City has hosted 5K running events for charity, online panels about the COVID-19 vaccine, and community fundraisers. BC Fest also gives its audience the opportunity to earn a ticket through volunteer work.
“Over 5,000 people earned a ticket by doing a certain amount of volunteer hours,” says Allen, adding that the big picture is to be more like Global Citizen than a Coachella.
Allen points out that BC Fest is also uniquely postured for an unapologetically Black audience. “People know and recognize spaces that were curated by other Black people,” he said, pointing to the inclusion of cultural activities like double dutch.
Allen says another key to the brand’s success is his decades-long partnership, which has evolved into a brotherhood based on trust and faith in one another.
“We’ve been best friends since like first or second grade,” said Allen. “Our relationship is deeper than rap,” he continued. “They say friends can’t necessarily be business partners, but our relationship is so egoless.”
Pivoting in the Pandemic
(Facebook.com/BroccoliCity)
Despite its success, the founders have faced a number of challenges along their journey, including the unprecedented pandemic that forced the live event brand to pivot into the virtual space.
“We had been working with a company for the past couple of years doing digital stuff, talking about digital production, [and] live streaming,” says Allen. However, they officially partnered with the company last year to create their own imprint label and produce their own virtual events. They also began producing virtual conferences and sessions for other organizations like the United Negro College Fund. “That began to be an excellent revenue stream for us over the pandemic.”
Allen adds that COVID also forced them to shift their energy toward solution-based events. In turn, they “converted the festival ground into a drive-in movie theater. We ended up selling 25,000 tickets from July to Jan. 1,” he said. Furthermore, “we ended up working with Color of Change leading into the [2020] election and creating a drive-in movie series that toured about eight or nine cities this past year to help promote voter registration.”
The Next Chapter
(Facebook.com/BroccoliCity)
Allen says the next chapter in their journey as entrepreneurs is building BC Fest into a legacy brand.
“We’re a great business, but at this point, the challenge for us and the greater opportunity is how do we create a company that’s here for generations [so] our legacy can live on?”
He added, “this live event space is one part of the whole thing. We’re really dedicated to trying to figure out how we can make our brand a lasting thing.”
Congress Introduces Bill To Make Rosa Parks Day A Federal Holiday
Three Congresspeople have joined forces to introduce a bill that would make Rosa Parks Day a nationwide federal holiday.
Rep. Jim Cooper (Tennessee), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Joyce Beatty (Ohio), and Rep. Terri Sewell (Alabama) introduced the Rosa Parks Day Act on Aug. 30. The bill would honor the late civil rights leader Rosa Parks by designating a new federal holiday on Dec. 1.
“Through her willingness to sit, Rosa Parks stood up for what she believed in,” Beatty said. “As a state legislator, I was proud to lead the push to make the Buckeye State the first state to officially recognize Rosa Parks Day. It’s now time for us to come together as a nation to honor this American hero through a new national holiday.”
On Dec. 1, 1955, Parks made history by refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus. She was arrested and charged with violating Montgomery’s segregation law. The arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus boycott, which proved to be a major turning point for the civil rights movement.
The boycott ultimately led to Alabama’s Browder v. Gayle case, in which the Supreme Court upheld the 2–1 ruling making segregation on public transportation unconstitutional. Parks later received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest award bestowed by a president) and the Congressional Gold Medal (the highest honor bestowed by Congress) before her death in 2005.
Currently, only four states honor Rosa Parks Day as a state holiday, as noted by Gov Track Insider. California and Missouri honor it on Parks’ birthday, Feb. 4, while Ohio and Oregon celebrate it on Dec. 1, the day of her arrest.
“Nashville led the nonviolent civil rights movement, but there may not have even been a movement were it not for the bravery of a young woman from Alabama named Rosa Parks. There is no more fitting or deserving person in American history to award the honor of a new national holiday than Rosa Parks,” Cooper said.
Emma Grede Becomes First Black Woman Guest Shark on ‘Shark Tank’
With this week’s upcoming season premiere of ABC’s Shark Tank, history will be made as a Black woman will occupy a seat on the stage of the popular unscripted show.
According to ABC, Emma Grede, the CEO of fashion juggernaut Good American and founding partner of SKIMS, will be making history when she appears on stage with the others as the first Black female guest Shark.
The regular cast of Sharks, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Kevin O’Leary, will be making their usual appearances for the 13th season of Shark Tank.
Grede announced the news on her Instagram account as well.
“Mommy Shark Doo doo doo doo doo!🦈 I’m beyond thrilled to be a guest shark on Season 13 of #SharkTank! Tune in for the Season Premiere Friday October 8 on ABC”
Deadline reported earlier this summer that the television show would also feature other prominent guest sharks throughout the season. Comedian and entrepreneur Kevin Hart, whose entertainment companies include HartBeat Productions and his comedy entity, Laugh Out Loud, will also be making his first appearance this season.
Grede is a co-founder with Khloe Kardashian of Good American and a founding partner of SKIMS with Khloe’s sister, Kim Kardashian. Other guests of the show will include Peter Jones, an original Dragon on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den; and Nextdoor co-founder Nirav Tolia.
According to Shadow and Act, Good American, the company Grede launched back in 2016 with Khloe Kardashian was the biggest apparel launch in history, according to Women for Women. The company had achieved sales of over $1 million on the day it launched.
You can watch Grede’s debut with the season premiere of Shark Tank that will air Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC. It can also be viewed the next day on Hulu.
Three Cousins, All Expecting Twins in Same Month After Experiencing Miscarriages
Three cousins in Mississippi share an even closer bond after all getting pregnant with twins after suffering from loss of pregnancy.
Melody Stubbs, Courtney Harper, and Janeshia Wilson are all due within days of each other, WLBTreports. Related through a family patriarch, the three cousins all learned that they were pregnant around the same time and all carrying twins.
“I think Neshia [Janeshia] posted first, and I saw her post, and I posted mine about a week or two later,” Harper said. “She called me and said you’re pregnant, you’re having twins?!”
“It’s kinda mind-blowing,” Harper added. “The first question that people ask is whether twins run in our family, but no one close to us has twins. We kinda just started a generation of twins out of nowhere.”
While the triple set of twin pregnancies weren’t planned, the cousins couldn’t be happier. They all are expecting their rainbow babies after suffering from miscarriages.
“When I first got pregnant, I was scared,” Stubbs said.
“I have good days and bad days, emotionally; it’s a rollercoaster ride,” Wilson admitted.
Now within one week, all three cousins will be moms to twins. Stubbs is expecting a girl and a boy on October 3 and has selected the names Legend and Truth. Harper is also welcoming a girl and boy on October 5 that she plans on naming Hendrix and Houstyn. Wilson is due October 11 and is expecting two boys who will be named Karsen and Kasen.
(Image: Melody Stubbs, Courtney Harper, and Janeshia Wilson)
“A lot of things go through our heads daily, like being a perfect mom, knowing that we’re not gonna be perfect, but the pro of it – is that we get to experience this together,” Wilson said.
“I’m not afraid anymore because I’m not alone,” Stubbs said with a smile.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Harper added.
We’re sure those cousins will be just as close as their moms are.
Givenchy Criticized for Using Noose-Shaped Necklaces on Runway Models
Fashion designer Givenchy is facing backlash after having models walk down the runway wearing noose-shaped necklaces.
Givenchy debuted its Spring 2022 collection during Paris Fashion Week. According to Vogue, the collection is a part of designer Matthew M. Williams’ first haute couture collection in his new role as creative director of the brand.
The high-fashion French brand was called out for using the the accessory, which is reminiscent of rope tied into the shape of a noose.
Diet Prada, an Instagram page that calls out the many wrongdoings in the fashion industry, wrote in a post that was liked by more than 75,000 people.
“You’d think the industry would’ve learned not to put things that resemble nooses around a model’s neck after the whole @Burberry noose hoodie debacle in 2019.”
“This @givenchyofficial necklace that just came down the runway steers dangerously close to that same territory,” the caption continued. “Really makes you wonder how no one noticed, but alas… history repeats itself.”
Diet Prada also spoke to Insider. “There’s a lot of ways you can interpret nautical or rope motifs in fashion and accessories, but putting rope around a neck, let alone an actual noose tie, is too uncanny,” the representative said. “There’s no mistaking the Givenchy necklace for a noose…seeing it immediately gave us flashbacks to that Burberry incident.”
The incident is one of many instances of fashion lines incorporating “blatantly offensive” clothes and accessories and passing it off as fashion.
Burberry sparked controversy over a sweatshirt at London Fashion Week with hoodie drawstrings that ended in a noose knot hanging around the model’s neck.
Following that backlash, Burberry’s chief creative officer issued an apology, saying, “while the design was inspired by a nautical theme, I realize that it was insensitive.”
Givenchy has not yet addressed the criticism of the necklace.
Tina Knowles-Lawson To Award $50K To Hairstylists In Partnership With SheaMoisture
Tina Knowles-Lawson, a businesswoman, fashion designer, philanthropist and of course Beyoncé’s momma, has partnered with SheaMoisture to launch the Salon Innovation Fund, which will award $10,000 grants to help five licensed Black hairstylists scale their businesses.
In addition to continuing SheaMoisture’s ongoing commitment to community support, the new grant specifically aims to help independent stylists “transform the innovations that many created out of necessity to subsidize income loss during the pandemic,” the company said in a statement. To that end, the Salon Innovation Fund will also give stylists access to education that will help them expand both the vision for their respective businesses and the services they are able to offer.
“The Salon Innovation Grant is our way of continuing our mission of closing the racial wealth gap with investments that support Black entrepreneurs,” explained Head of Brand Purpose and Partnerships Simone Jordan.
She continues, “We believe opportunities must be inclusive of hair stylists, one of SheaMoisture’s core community members. This is a group often overlooked as entrepreneurs, yet as business owners and salon employees [they] were hit the hardest during the pandemic ”
For Lawson, this project hits particularly close to home. “As a previous salon owner and stylist, I’m honored to be a part of this initiative,” she said. “This grant awards stylists that are using connections and experiences from their salon chair to innovate products and services that not only support the needs of their clients but can create wealth and opportunities for their families and communities.”
Dedicating herself to this project in more than name alone, Lawson will also star alongside her friend, celebrity hairstylist Neal Farinah, in a series of clips for SheaMoisture’s Salon Sessions series. The two will use the videos to share their own personal journeys as stylist, as well as provide additional information about the fund.
Applications for the Salon Innovation Grant are open through October 18 at SheaMoistureFund.com.
Governments Globally To Investigate After ‘Pandora Papers’ Reveal How Wealthy, Powerful People Used Secret Accounts To Hide Assets
Hundreds of people, including politicians, business leaders, celebrities, and billionaires, have been linked to such shady accounting practices as keeping assets secret, avoiding taxes, and buying land.
The findings come from the “Pandora Papers,” a new investigation based on a leak of confidential records of 14 offshore service providers that give professional services to wealthy individuals and corporations seeking to incorporate shell companies, trusts, foundations, and other entities in low- or no-tax jurisdictions.
The massive report, which included a review of nearly 12 million documents, lists Elton John, Shakira, and Ringo Starramong those being targeted. The report, released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries.
Not long after the report’s publication, at least eight national governments promised to launch their own investigations into the financial activities disclosed in the papers.
According to the ICIJ, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s family has been accumulating a fortune in offshore tax havens for decades. The Pandora Papers show the family owned at least seven entities based in the British Virgin Islands and Panama, two well-known tax havens, the ICIJ reported.
The offshore businesses have assets worth more than $30 million, the ICIJ reported. Kenyatta, who has vowed to fight corruption in his country, is the son of Kenya’s first president after its independence
Most of the family’s companies were created before Kenyatta was elected president, the ICIJ reported, and documents show that some remained active after he took office.
Kenyatta told CNN that he would “respond comprehensively” to the Pandora Papers once he returns from a foreign trip.
Over 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. They include Jordan’s King Abdullah II, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso, and former associates of both Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian President Vladimir Putin
“The new data leak must be a wake-up call,” said Sven Giegold, a Green party lawmaker in the European Parliament. “Global tax evasion fuels global inequality. We need to expand and sharpen the countermeasures now.”
Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Questlove Announce Quest for Craft Series and Scholarship Program
On October 28, Quest for Craft: Season One: a new digital series exploring the convergence of craft and creativity, will air and is hosted by bestselling author, cultural icon and scholar of creativity Questlove.
Quest for Craft explores modern creativity between the lines through compelling creators that pour their hearts into what they do. The series, filmed in the iconic Electric Lady Studios, centers around four of the most creative minds, legendary GRAMMY Award winning music producer Jimmy Jam, SNL comedian Michael Che, punk-rock icon Patti Smith, and prolific author Malcolm Gladwell, as Questlove opens conversational passageways to their creative processes, inspirations and aspirations over four compelling episodes.
Quest for Craft is the hallmark collaboration of a multi-year partnership between The Balvenie and Questlove and an extension of The Balvenie’s global campaign The Makers Project, in which the brand brings to life not just the skill but the heart of makers around the world via content series, exhibits, auctions, and experiential events. The partnership began in late 2020 and intends to unpack the uniquely human elements that elevate the great to the exceptional.
“I share a synergistic passion with The Balvenie on the importance of inspiration, passion and dedication to creativity and the making process. Our partnership is founded on an exploration into creative minds that invest their time, focus, and soul and into creating something singular and distinctive,” said Questlove. “Quest for Craft is about the pursuit of ultimate craftsmanship. In each episode, I dive deep into conversation with creatives who I have admired for their unique perspective, process, and productivity.”
In its opening season, Quest for Craft ventures to take the viewer on an expedition of discovery into ultimate craftsmanship by analyzing creativity in the realm of chaos, practice, community and time with the guests:
Episode 1, Craft and Chaos with Michael Che – Questlove and Michael Che chat about how to infuse purposeful levels of chaos into their careers, how it can push you to a new level of creativity and how it can be a key factor in honing your craft.
Episode 2, Craft and Community with Jimmy Jam – Questlove and Jimmy Jam connect on meeting their core creative partners at a young age, and chat about how instrumental their creative communities have been in helping them become the artists they are today.
Episode 3, Craft and Time with Patti Smith – Questlove and Patti Smith delve into the topic of time as Patti reflects upon her time with Electric Lady Studios, from attending the opening party to going on to record many of her albums at the legendary studio.
Episode 4, Craft and Practice with Malcolm Gladwell – Questlove and Malcolm Gladwell cover the topic of practice and Malcolm shares the true meaning of his 10,000 hours theory, how it’s been misunderstood in the past and how getting better at your craft can involve going beyond your mastery to take on new challenges.
As Quest for Craft unpacks new creative realms through each episode, The Balvenie and Questlove are supporting emerging creative pursuits with an opportunity for an aspiring maker to begin their own quest through a pioneering scholarship program with the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. The scholarship program will give one aspiring creative mind, from anywhere in the United States, the opportunity to undertake the university’s ‘first-of-its-kind’ PhD in Creativity.
(Image Quest For Craft)
“The PhD in Creativity program was created to remove the constraints that many higher education programs have, and allow students to fully embrace new ideas and innovation in ways they may not normally have in other fields,” said Dr. Jonathan Fineberg, PhD in Creativity Program Director. “Questlove and The Balvenie share the PhD program’s core ethos that reimagines how we think about craft, in its many forms, and we’re thrilled to be giving a student an opportunity to explore their own creative journey with this scholarship.”
The Balvenie Fellow in the PhD in Creativity will be fully-funded in the three-year program that begins in June of 2022. Apart from the intensive two week summer immersion and a return visit for a long weekend in the winter of the first year, all course work will be completed via remote learning. The winning candidate will be selected by Questlove, in partnership with The Balvenie and the University of the Arts. The scholarship program is open to anyone over the age of 21 from now through November 15th, 2021. Visit https://www.uarts.edu/academics/phd-program for more details.
Quest for Craft and The University of the Arts scholarship program marks an exciting commencement of a long-term mission for The Balvenie and Questlove to expand and showcase the beautiful convergence of craft and creativity. The first four episodes of Quest for Craft will be released throughout the fall, starting on October 28. To be notified about the launch of the series, subscribe to The Balvenie YouTube.
Black High School Quarterback Ejected After Complaining to Ref About Opponent Calling Him a Racial Slur
A Black high school quarterback said he was ejected from a school football game because he complained to the referee that an opposing white player uttered a racial epithet after a play.
According to CBS 2 Iowa, the incident, which took place during Friday’s homecoming game between Earlham High School and Southwest Valley, is being investigated.
In the fourth quarter, Earlham quarterback Darrell Matchem, who is Black, ran toward the Southwest Valley sideline and ran out of bounds. Matchem said that at least one of the players on the opposing team told him to stay down, then followed up with a racial slur. There was no penalty called against the player but when Matchem complained to the referee, he was immediately thrown out of the game after being penalized for cursing at the referee about the issue.
(Twitter)
Matchem said he cursed at the referee but it was due to the player using the racial slur against him.
“That really hurt me because I felt like there was refs around and people around that should have control over it, and I got penalized for standing up for myself,” Matchem said.
According to the Des Moines Register, a joint written statement was issued by Earlham and Southwest Valley:
“The Earlham and Southwest Valley school administration are both aware of and actively investigating multiple concerns stemming from the Earlham vs Southwest Valley football game on October 1, 2021. Toward the end of the football game, an Earlham football player reported that an inappropriate racial slur was directed at him by a member of the Southwest Valley team. Additionally, at the conclusion of the football game accusations were made of inappropriate and aggressive fan and spectator behavior. The administration from the Earlham and Southwest Valley schools have been in touch and are working cooperatively to investigate these matters. The Iowa High School Athletic Association was notified and both schools are committed to working through these serious matters in accordance with school and district policy.”
On Monday, Southwest Valley superintendent Chris Fenster released a statement:
Southwest Valley superintendent Chris Fenster has released the following statement: pic.twitter.com/t1NzeKNw78
