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

November 4, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 4, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m taking a 30 day cleanse

“A verbal fast

“No alcohol

“No adult films

“No intercourse

“In God we praise

“Amen

“But my Twitter still lit”

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

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

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

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

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

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


 

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

November 4, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 4, 2022

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

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

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

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

No suspects have been publicly named.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rihanna, Eminem, Monster
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 4, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Rihanna is over,” one user wrote.

“Absolutely not,” added someone else.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOprah: Dr. Oz Doesn’t Get Endorsement from Media Mogul — Oprah Supports Fetterman Instead
by Derek Major

November 4, 2022

NOprah: Dr. Oz Doesn’t Get Endorsement from Media Mogul — Oprah Supports Fetterman Instead

Talk show icon Oprah Winfrey endorsed Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s closely contested senate race, rejecting Dr. Mehmet Oz.

CBS News reports Winfrey previously said she would leave the election up to residents of the Keystone State but changed her position during an online discussion on voting in the midterm elections.

“I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania and of course, but I will tell you all this, if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons,” Winfrey said, urging listeners to vote for Democrats running for governor and Senate in various states.

In endorsing Fetterman, Winfrey rejected Dr. Oz, who rose to fame, making over 50 appearances on Winfrey’s talk show. The race between Fetterman and Oz, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has been close for months.

In another sign the race is expected to be one of the top-watched races on Election Night, Trump will hold a rally in Pennsylvania for Republicans. At the same time, former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden will stump for Democrats in the state.

According to Politico, Fetterman’s camp has been working behind the scenes to get Winfrey’s endorsement, making a direct appeal to the former talk show host for a meeting. Additionally, celebrities and prominent Democratic Party figures have been pushing for Winfrey to endorse him.

“John isn’t one to ask for endorsements,” Neil Makhija, a close friend of Fetterman and executive director of Indian American Impact, told Politico. “But if there was one that is really meaningful, for many reasons — it’s Oprah.”

In a statement, Fetterman said he is very appreciative to have Winfrey’s support.

“She is a leader on so many issues — fighting for our democracy, passing common-sense gun reform, and ensuring racial justice.”

Oz spokeswoman Brittany Yanick told Politico he is fine with Winfrey’s endorsement of Fetterman.

“Doctor Oz loves Oprah and respects the fact that they have different politics. He believes we need more balance and less extremism in Washington.”

‘I Got More Money Than You’: Shaquille O’Neal Shuts Down Kanye West After the Rapper Criticized His Business Deals
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 4, 2022

‘I Got More Money Than You’: Shaquille O’Neal Shuts Down Kanye West After the Rapper Criticized His Business Deals

Kanye West, or Ye, barked up the wrong tree when he tried to call out Shaquille O’Neal on Twitter. The NBA star clapped back at Kanye after the rapper brought attention to his business deals.

After being banned from Instagram, Kanye has taken his social media rants to Twitter, where he attempted to criticize Shaq on Thursday. The rap/fashion mogul was on a tirade trying to expose bad business practices in the entertainment industry when he brought attention to one of Shaq’s business arrangements with billionaire Canadian businessman Jamie Salter.

“Shaq is in business with Jamie Salter,” Kanye tweeted. “Jaimie first said he’s 50/50 with David Beckham and 50/50 with Shaq.”

“I said “Jamie . . . There’s no such thing as 50/50 in business,” Ye continued. “Who has the extra 1 percent for the control and voting rights.”

But Shaq Diesel wasn’t about to let Kanye get away with dragging his name into the rapper’s controversial social media activity. The NBA champion responded to Kanye directly, telling the Yeezy creator to “worry” about his own business affairs.

“Believe me you don’t know me like that,” Shaq wrote.

“Worry about your business, and to quote the once great Kanye west “I got more money than you, so why would i listen to you” take my advice get your family business in order.”

“Have a great day brother,” he added.

Shaq was clearly referring to Kanye’s recent fall from grace which includes losing his billionaire status after losing all of his business deals due to his controversial criticism of the Jewish community. Kanye has been labeled anti-semitic and saw his partnership with Adidas, Balenciaga, and more axed, and his net worth dropped drastically as a result, Forbes reports.

Kanye is now back to ranting on social media after getting turned away from an impromptu meeting with Sketchers, as noted by NY Times.

MSNBC Drops Weekend Host Tiffany Cross — Sources Say Due To ‘Castrate Florida’ Comment
by Atiya Jordan

November 4, 2022

MSNBC Drops Weekend Host Tiffany Cross — Sources Say Due To ‘Castrate Florida’ Comment

The NBCUniversal-owned cable news network has dropped MSNBC weekend host Tiffany D. Cross after two years of presiding over “The Cross Connection.”

According to Variety, MSNBC has decided not to renew Cross’ contract and will invite a rotating lineup of guest anchors to host the show until a replacement is found.

Many are saying online that Cross crossed the line when she appeared on Charlamagne Tha God’s Hell of a week show and said that Florida should be castrated.

“Florida literally looks like the d–k of the country, so let’s get rid of Florida,” Cross responded. “Let’s castrate Florida.”

Tiffany Cross Blasted Ron DeSantis, Called Florida ‘Dick of the Country’ Hours Before MSNBC Ouster.mp4

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Sources confirmed that the news broke out to Cross’ production staff Friday morning. The team will not be affected by the programming decision.

Cross’ background was enlisted as part of MSNBC’s ambitious efforts to introduce a broader range of diverse voices to its program. She was previously a fill-in host for Joy Reid’s weekend show “AM Joy” and eventually landed her own Saturday program in 2020. “The Cross Connection” aired from 10 a.m to noon.

As for her swift exit, two sources told Variety that executives were “growing concerned about the anchor’s willingness to address statements made by cable-news hosts on other networks” and entertaining controversial commentary that “executives felt did not meet the standards of MSNBC or NBC News.”

An additional source close to the situation told  Fox News Digital the decision was triggered by “repeated bad behavior on and off-air.”

“Bad judgment,” the source added.

Cross, author of Say It Louder! Black Voters, White Narratives & Saving Our Democracy has leveraged her platform to attract Black viewers, particularly Black female viewers. As a breakout media and political analyst, she is known for her often controversial comments that call attention to the issues that riddle the Black community.

Cross claimed in an August remark that the minority community feels left out of conversations about the economy, per Fox News.

“A part of the challenges I have in the mainstream media, and you hear things like, ‘Oh, the economy is doing better.’ And for many of us, the economy is not the stock market. It ain’t doing better for us,” Cross said.

Before leading the network’s weekend hours, Cross served as a former Washington bureau chief for BET and had worked as a political analyst for MSNBC. She was also a former resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics.

Political Strategist Steve Philllps Discusses Midterm Elections, Democracy With Black Enterprise
by Derek Major

November 4, 2022

Political Strategist Steve Philllps Discusses Midterm Elections, Democracy With Black Enterprise

With the 2022 midterm elections around the corner, political strategist Steve Phillips discussed the upcoming elections and democracy as a whole.
In his forthcoming book, How We Win the Civil War, Phillips discusses how people who oppose white supremacy how can win more political power and save Democracy, following the organizing example created by Georgia gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams, and others like her across the country.
The Stanford University and Hastings College of the Law alum said that the elections could go either way and no one knows what’s going to happen, but voter turnout will be the determining factor
“I mean everybody is nervous and anxious I don’t think anybody has a good handle and I think a lot of people are looking at the wrong data points and signals the election is going to turn on which side gets more of its voters to the polls,” Phillips told Black Enterprise. “So voter turnout is going to be no fundamental defining factor and we just don’t know yet who’s going to turn out in larger numbers. If there is a large turnout closer to the 2018 2020 presidential levels the Democrats should win which is exactly why the Republicans are so focused on suppressing new voters.”

Phillips has a wealth of political experience and serves as a columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, and an opinion contributor to The New York Times. He is also the host of “Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips,” a color-conscious podcast on politics and the founder of Democracy in Color, a political media organization dedicated to race, politics and the multicultural progressive New American Majority.

Phillips also discussed some disturbing trends surrounding the Midterms. On Tuesday, an Arizona judge ordered a Republican voting group to stay at least 250 feet away from the locations following complaints that people wearing masks and carrying guns were intimidating voters.

Additionally, the attack on Nancy Pelosi‘s husband and President Joe Biden‘s own concerns about the future of Democracy has left Phillips worried.

“It’s absolutely getting to a point where we should be very concerned,” Phillips said. “What happened to Nancy Pelosi’s husband was a result of Nancy Pelosi not being home. Somebody went to assassinate the speaker of the house and try to and so let’s not underappreciate what happened here.

Phillips has a reason for why these events are starting to take place in America.

“There’s this long-standing pattern and the ongoing struggles, the Confederates and their heirs have never stopped fighting the Civil War and that goes all the way from assassinating Lincoln to January 6, 2021, where people carried Confederate flags and stormed the US Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power. So there’s a very deep longstanding fundamental battle going on in this country over whether or not it’s going to be a primarily White nation or whether it’s going to be a multiracial and multicultural nation,” Phillips added.

One of the things Phillips noted was the number of Black candidates in the midterms including Abrams, Sen. Raphael Warnock and Maryland Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and Arkansas Gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones and added that the best thing Black people can do is show up at the polls and exercise the right to vote, which their ancestors died for.

“The main thing black voters can do is turn out in large numbers. This is the newfound power that has accrued over the past few decades, so in the 1960s when the Civil Rights Act was passed people of color were 12% of the population and today we’re 40% of the population,” Phillips told Black Enterprise.

“So people of color, anchored by the solidly progressive African-American model combined with the meaningful minority of White people who vote progressive comprise the majority of the people in this country and the majority of eligible voters, so the way you manifest by turning out at the polls in large numbers. That’s imperative at this hour and I want to see how that plays itself out.”

In addition to his numerous accomplishments, Phillips practiced civil rights and employment law and has appeared on multiple national radio and television networks including NBC, CNN, MSNBC and C-SPAN.

 

TRANSFORMERS: INNOVATORS OF TODAY & TOMORROW HOSTED BY NOW & LATER, THE LONG LASTING CHEW “RECOGNIZE THE CHEW”
by Black Enterprise

November 4, 2022

TRANSFORMERS: INNOVATORS OF TODAY & TOMORROW HOSTED BY NOW & LATER, THE LONG LASTING CHEW “RECOGNIZE THE CHEW”

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