by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 29, 2021

Chris Webber Plans on Opening $50 Million Cannabis Facility in Detroit

Former Michigan Fab Five player and NBA Hall-of-Famer Chris Webber announced that he launched Players Only Holdings, a new $50 million cannabis operations and training facility in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

The entrepreneur and co-founder of Webber Wild Impact Fund, partnered with entrepreneur Lavetta Willis as Players Only will focus on four strategic business areas: real estate development, cannabis cultivation, brand partnerships, and creative content development and management.

Players Only will be a 180,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility that will feature a 60,000 square foot cultivation, an 8,000 square foot dispensary, and a private cannabis consumption lounge. It is projected that the business should create hundreds of new jobs in the Detroit metro area over the next three years. In the second phase, it will add a $125 million, 80,000 square-foot expansion.

Webber has also announced the expansion of Cookies U into Detroit, and an exclusive distribution partnership with leading Michigan operator, Gage Growth Corp., for Players Only branded cannabis products.

“This will be the shining jewel of Michigan. Everything great in Michigan starts in Detroit, and I am excited to collaborate with Gage to bring our premium line of Players Only products to this community,” said Webber in a written statement.

“Gage is the HOF of cannabis operations. With Fabian Monaco as a teammate, this relationship is a winner on every level.”

The Webber Wellness Compound will be located at 2599 22nd Street, which places the facility near Michigan Avenue and the Fisher Service Drive in Detroit’s Corktown and Southwest Detroit neighborhoods.

The property includes 9 acres, including along Michigan Avenue. Webber has been interviewing Black-owned architectural firms and general contractors to complete the project as construction is slated to begin this Fall, with first phase completion expected in March 2022.

“This Detroit training and operations facility is only the first step in bringing tangible opportunities to the people of this city—one that means so much to me—while eliminating barriers to an industry with unlimited economic potential,” Webber said.

“We will create, foster, and provide a cannabis ecosystem that celebrates diversity, creates jobs, and benefits this community—focusing intensely on those who are being left behind. As social equity programs struggle in many states, we are here to support legacy operators who created the foundation for this industry so that they are included in future iterations of it while we wait on the politics to catch up.”

U.S. Deports 4,000 Haitian Migrants In 9 Days In Deportation Blitz
by Derek Major

September 29, 2021

U.S. Deports 4,000 Haitian Migrants In 9 Days In Deportation Blitz

The U.S. has deported 4,000 Haitian migrants including women and families without allowing them to seek asylum as part of a deportation blitz.

Adding insult to deportation, President Biden used an emergency pandemic policy known as Title 42, enacted by former President Donald Trump to deport people who haven’t called Haiti home for a decade.

The number of people deported and the pace at which they were rushed out of the U.S. may have broken records for deportations of migrants by the U.S. government. According to CBS News, between Sept. 19 and Sept. 27, 37 flights carried more than 3,900 Haitian migrants back to the island.

“Many, if not all” of those expelled in Haiti previously lived in Chile, Brazil and other South American nations and have not been in their homeland for years, exacerbating the disruption caused by the U.S. expulsions, said Giuseppe Loprete, the chief of mission for the Port-au-Prince-based chapter of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to IOM, more than 40% of deportees Haiti has received since Sept. 19 are women and children including more than 200 kids who were born outside of Haiti in Chile, Brazil, Venezuela and Panama. Many of these people have been distraught and emotional after arriving knowing they have to start over to find a place to call home.

IOM is doing their best to help, handing out meals, hygiene kits, feminie products and stipends for those who just landed to buy food, clothes, transportation and to make phone calls. The U.S. Agency For International Development (USAID) is providing more than $5 million in funding to the IOM to assist Haitians returning to thei homeland.

However, many, including an American diplomat who resigned his post due to the deportations havwe questioned whether the island can absorb thousands of deportees. Not only is the country the poorest in the Western Hemisphere but this year alone it’s had to deal with another earthquake, Tropical Storm Grace and the assassination of its president.

Biden’s treatment of Haitian migrants has led to significant criticism from his own party. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rep. MaxIne Waters (D-CA) have all urged the administration to stop Titile 42 and called for Biden to treat Haitians humanely.

The U.S. will be barred from processing migrant families with children under Title 42 beginning Friday unless a federal appeals court pauses the order.

 

23-year-old Zion Clark Sets Guinness World Record For Fastest 20m Walk On Hands
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 29, 2021

23-year-old Zion Clark Sets Guinness World Record For Fastest 20m Walk On Hands

Zion Clark, 23, is using what makes him different to make history.

Earlier this year, he set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest 20m walk on hands with a time of 4.78 seconds.

Clark officially set the record back on Feb. 15, 2021, at his high school gym in Massillon, Ohio. His coach—Olympic Gold Medalist and Guinness World Record holder Butch Reynolds—trained Clark and helped him accomplish the feat in under five seconds.

“Before I knew it, I had crossed the finish line! A rush of euphoria surged through my body as the official timer called out 4.78 seconds!’ Clark told Vibe. “Everybody was excited, I was excited, my girlfriend was excited… it was just a moment man!”

Born with caudal regression syndrome, Clark grew up with abnormal development of the lower half of his body. But he didn’t let the physical setback stop him.

“In my case, my birth mother did not take care of her body at all while she was pregnant with me. She was on a multitude of different drugs, and that caused me to have defects,” Clark said. “It made my life harder from the get-go because I had to go through two different surgeries for my back, just so I could sit up straight.”

 

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A post shared by Zion Clark (@big_z_2020)

Clark took to Instagram last week to share the big news and tease his plans to set a new world record.

“As the fastest human on two hands for 20m. This is a big accomplishment for me. I am one of the main features in the 2021 edition, so make sure you get your copy of it,” Clark captioned a photo holding his certificate and copy of the 2022 Guinness World Records.

“I am getting ready to set my next Guinness World Record what do you guys think it is?”

Congrats to Clark for this achievement.

Public Enemy’s Chuck D Dragged On Twitter After Seemingly Defending R. Kelly
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 29, 2021

Public Enemy’s Chuck D Dragged On Twitter After Seemingly Defending R. Kelly

Chuck D’s latest attempt to fight the power wasn’t well-received by the Twitter community after he seemingly attempted to defend R. Kelly.

The Public Enemy frontman let his Twitter fingers fly in response to R. Kelly’s guilty verdict on Tuesday. Chuck D appeared to speak out against the 10-year prison sentence the disgraced singer could be facing.

While comparing Kelly’s case to past cases involving Ike Turner and Rick James, Chuck D seemingly suggested that the two late musicians came out of jail changed men after receiving short sentences.

“Abused in his youth… an addict as a adult… Ike Turner served 18 months in prison… Rick James did similar time. Ike came out a changed positive human being,” Chuck tweeted. “How long should R Kelly spend in prison—and does a USA system give a man a chance for a man to change his world around?”

“Its not a sympathetic question at all. Not the least,” he said in a follow-up tweet.

In another tweet, Chuck appeared to blame mainstream radio for being the “gatekeepers” who promoted adult activities to the youth.

“Mixing grown folk lifestyle with Black youth was so endorsed financed perpetuated as so urban cool by radio,” he said. “Black audiences were abused while 25yrs poppin’ champagne in the sandbox. The boundaries were sloppy w head nods. That dude & others gave clues that the gatekeepers ignored.”

But Twitter wasn’t here for Chuck’s attempt at redeeming R. Kelly’s name. Many even questioned how Chuck could assume that Kelly even wants to change.

“You’re the PERFECT example of why we say ALL men. Because let’s be real if it was up to you, you’d probably give him community service unless it happened to your kid,” one Twitter user said in response. “Then again, w/ this view point you’d probably be one of the parents who sold his kid to him.”

“All due respect, Chuck, Kelly had a decades long, consistent and ongoing pattern of behavior that involved multiple girls and women,” another person said. “He had a chance to redeem himself when he walked after the 2004 rape trial. Instead, he escalated and started moving his victims out of state.”

Chuck decided to respond to this tweet, saying Kelly got away with his pedophilic behavior for decades while being heavily promoted in mainstream media.

“Yes ma’am I totally agree,” Chuck said. “I’m stunned how this took this long and how the business machines around him are unidentifiable and they also perpetuated the fanaticism of what he was. And masses hung on as the radio & BET played on. With support non stop. Allowing it to grow bigger.”

Not exactly sure where Chuck D lands in this debate, but Twitterwasn’tt letting him off the hook so easily.

Exclusive: Financier Kendrick Ashton Taps Hip-Hop and Media Heavyweights To Revolutionize the Podcasting Space
by Tai Saint-Louis

September 29, 2021

Exclusive: Financier Kendrick Ashton Taps Hip-Hop and Media Heavyweights To Revolutionize the Podcasting Space

After finding success as a founder in the finance space and with the launch of The St. James Group, a developer of sports, performance, and entertainment destinations, Kendrick Ashton is embarking on his first foray into the media world with the launch of Breakbeat.

The new podcast network, which premiered its first show on Tuesday, is dedicated to the hip-hop community and aims to bring a “more robust offering” to the podcasting space.

At the forefront of Breakbeat’s mission is to create a platform where the commonalities of the multiple generations that have grown up on hip-hop can be spotlighted, celebrated, and amplified. To that end, the network is being intentional about bringing together both veteran and fresh voices.

Breakbeat made its debut with Don’t Call Me White Girl, hosted by the Philadelphia-based viral comedian who goes by the same name. Next week, the network will bring on media maven Kierna Mayo, the founder of Honey Magazine, who has since written for and helmed some of the biggest names in Black media.

Her bi-weekly podcast, Culturati: Conversations with Kierna Mayo, is described as “a colorful sonic world where Black women from Gen X to Gen Z— ‘bougie and ratchet’ notwithstanding—are the official standard-bearers.” The show will cover topics from politics to interpersonal relationships, with a variety of thought leaders joining the conversation.

“Hip-hop as a community has a certain perspective on the world; it’s a community that has a set of shared values,” Ashton tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“We think those perspectives, values, and interests cut across every facet of human life. We’re thinking broadly about the kinds of topic and content we’ll focus on.”

Before bringing Breakbeat to life, Ashton made quite a name for himself in finance, first at Goldman Sachs, then as a founding member and managing partner of Perella Weinberg Partners, a hedge fund and investment bank. An avid consumer of content and media in his personal life, he says his work at The St. James Group really was the first step toward his latest venture.

“Through my work at The St. James, I’ve been focused on content and experiences and positioning brands for fast consumer adoption,” he explains. “I had been looking at a number of opportunities to help build something in the digital media space. So when I got the opportunity to partner around what I believe to be a much-needed solution, I got really excited.”

Powering Together to Start a Podcast Business

That opportunity started to form four years ago when Ashton met fellow D.C. native Dave Mays, creator of The Source magazine. The two began comparing notes and ideating around what building a digital platform together would look like.

“Dave has had a really remarkable capacity to see a compelling set of opportunities, bring together first-rate veteran and emerging talent and then building the kinds of stories and content that the hip-hop community loves,” he says. “And also forging partnerships with the types of players that can really help an organization leapfrog. So I think there’s a really extraordinary opportunity ahead of us because of that.”

In addition to bringing fresh perspectives to the table, Breakbeat also hopes to help the hip-hop community find a more competitive footing in the podcasting space by expanding the type of audio content that comes from the community. The company is also working on adding a technological component to the network to eliminate the need to rely on traditional podcasting platforms to deliver its content.

“We obviously want to be impactful,” adds Ashton. “We want the content to be informative, we also wan to provide some leadership, and we want to also, at the same time, be entertaining. I think it’s a particularly fertile time to be launching a digital platform. I think the podcast space is in desperate need of a more robust offering of content. I’m excited about what’s possible.”

White Mother Defends Daughter Posing With Racist Homecoming Sign, Blames it on Black Child
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 29, 2021

White Mother Defends Daughter Posing With Racist Homecoming Sign, Blames it on Black Child

A high school in Kansas City is under fire after two of its white students went viral for posing with a racist homecoming sign.

Olathe South High School is investigating the racist incident that occurred on Friday, KSHB reports. A student posted a photo of the sign he presented to his date asking her to their homecoming dance.

“If I was Black, I would be picking cotton, but I’m white so I’m picking you” for homecoming, the racist sign read.

But after the photo received backlash online, the school moved swiftly to rectify the issue and sent an email out to parents saying they were aware of the “offensive” post.

“I felt it was important to share that we are working to thoroughly investigate the situation and contact all parties involved, including student guardians,” Olathe South Principal Dale Longenecker wrote.

“At Olathe South and in the Olathe Public Schools, we are committed to creating an inclusive and safe environment for ALL our students.”

However, the mother of the girl photographed holding the sign says her daughter had no idea the sign was racist and was just excited to be asked to the dance. She even called out the Black child who she says made the racist sign.

“One Caucasian and one African-American boy were involved. It was the African-American boy who actually made the sign, already marked up and took the picture,” the girl’s mother Rhonda Windholz said.

“This by no means makes it right but should shed some light on the situation.”

“Caught up in the excitement of being asked to her first ever homecoming, our daughter held the sign that was given to her,” she continued. “It was only after actually comprehending the situation, that she realized what was happening. She blatantly said no!! By then, it was too late.”

She went on to apologize to any and all who were offended by the sign and noted how her family stands for diversity and believes “All Lives Matter.”

“Please know that we have diversity in our own family and believe that all lives matter,” she said. “We have received many death threats and numerous people have told our daughter to kill herself.”

Not sure if Rhonda knows that All Lives Matter is seen as a backhanded jab at the Black Lives Matter movement.

Jeezy Announces Partnership With French Liquor Brand Naud Spirits
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 29, 2021

Jeezy Announces Partnership With French Liquor Brand Naud Spirits

While celebrating his recent birthday on Tuesday, Grammy-nominated artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and media multihyphenate Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins officially announced that he has a new business partnership with French liquor brand, Naud Spirits.

The brand Naud Spirits is best known for its award-winning cognacs as well as its growing line of premium spirits. Jeezy’s involvement will include building upon the success of the third best-selling tequila in the United States, Tequila Avion.

“Naud’s rich history as one of the most forward-thinking distilleries in France, combined with my knowledge and experience in growing brands, particularly in the hospitality and spirits industry, has tremendous potential to see explosive growth here in the U.S.” Jeezy said in a written statement.

“As I continue to grow my business portfolio, I look to brands, like Naud, that possess legacy experience but with a desire to push beyond conventionality for a better business.”

Jeezy is continuing to build his burgeoning business portfolio as he has important ongoing roles working with brands and businesses. These include companies such as Defiance Fuel and American Cut, performing in his role as senior advisor to Def Jam’s chairman as well as founding his own non-profit organization and full-service sports agency. The Atlanta-bred rapper is also the host of Worth a Conversation on Fox Soul and The (Re)Session Podcast.

On the alcoholic beverage front, Jeezy served as multicultural advisor to Tequila Avion, where he led the liquor’s rebrand. His partnership with Naud could be Jeezy’s biggest brand deal to date.

“We are so excited to be working hand-in-hand with an accomplished artist and businessman of Jeezy’s caliber who can add the exact kind of innovative thinking and strategy we believe will help take our brand to the next level in the U.S. market,” said Pierre Naud, sales manager for Naud Spirits.

Naud Spirits recently expanded its offerings in the U.S. to include gin and vodka. The brand won the 2020 Bartenders Brand Awards for design, taste, and value.

More information can be found on the Naud Spirits website, www.naudspirits.com.

Will Smith Shares How Serena Williams Prepared Him to Play Her Father in ‘King Richard’
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 29, 2021

Will Smith Shares How Serena Williams Prepared Him to Play Her Father in ‘King Richard’

Richard Williams fought long and hard to cross racial barriers and coach his two daughters to be the acclaimed tennis champions they are today. His story will finally be brought to the forefront in King Richard, a new film starring Will Smith.

Ahead of the movie’s release in November, Smith opened up in his recent GQ profile on how Serena Williams helped to prepare him to portray her father.

“My dad was and still is way before his time,” Serena Williams told Smith in an email. “You see, when someone is different—when they don’t act or look how a person assumed they would—the first reaction is often fear. They think, How do we break them? My dad anticipated that, but he would not allow himself or his family to be broken.”

Richard Williams coached his daughters by collecting the used tennis balls from the tennis clubs he couldn’t get into. Williams was way ahead of his time when he raised his two daughters in LA’s city of Compton during the crime-stricken ’80s and ’90s, helping to push them to become world-renowned athletes.

As athletic stars like tennis champion Naomi Osaka and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles help introduce conversations around the mental health of athletes to mainstream media, Williams was advocating for his daughters decades ago by protecting them from the media.

It was this fatherly mindset that Smith tapped into when playing Williams onscreen.

“Richard Williams is a lot like my father,” Smith said. “So when I first read [the script], I understood what it’s like to want your kids to succeed. I had done it a little bit with my kids. I understood what it was to try to mold a young mind, how it’s different with sons than it is with daughters.”

Check out the video clip of Smith in action as Richard Williams.

Shaquille O’Neal Is Fed Up With Being Famous, No Longer Wants to be a Celebrity
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 29, 2021

Shaquille O’Neal Is Fed Up With Being Famous, No Longer Wants to be a Celebrity

Outspoken TNT host and Hall of Fame basketball player Shaquille O’Neal has declared that his official status as a celebrity is over.

According to The New York Post, the former Los Angeles Lakers legend is done with being called a celebrity.

“These celebrities are going freaking crazy and I don’t want to be one. I denounce my celebrity-ness today. I’m done with it. I don’t want to be in that category. Celebrities are crazy, they really are. Don’t call me that anymore. These people are out of their freaking mind with how they treat people, what they do, what they say. That’s never been me. I never want to be looked at like that.”

He then spoke of the stereotypes associated with being labeled a celebrity.

“All my life, everyone probably gets stereotyped, but us celebrities, we get stereotyped because most of these celebrities are out of their mind. I don’t do that. I’m a regular person that listened, followed his dreams, and made it. I came from nothing,” O’Neal explained. “But,\ just because I made it doesn’t mean I’m bigger than you, smarter than you—just because I have more money doesn’t mean I’m better than you. I’ve never been that way and I never will be that way. So I don’t want to be in that category of people.”

We’re not sure how that will work as Shaq still has endorsement obligations. On Saturday, O’Neal took to Twitter to talk about his partnership with Kellogg’s.

Earlier this year, Kellogg’s announced that O’Neal teamed up with the cereal company back in 2020 to surprise middle schoolers in Philadelphia with a Mission Tiger donation to assist in helping build an on-campus sports court. The cereal giant and Shaq plan to help 1 million middle school kids get better access to sports by the end of this calendar year.

Morgan Freeman Executive Produced a New Film Examining the Police Killing of Black Veteran
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 29, 2021

Morgan Freeman Executive Produced a New Film Examining the Police Killing of Black Veteran

Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. was 68 years old when police fatally shot him inside his own home in White Plains, New York. A recently released film takes a look into his death.

Chamberlain was a former Marine and corrections officer diagnosed with bipolar disorder, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a heart condition, People reports. He was home in the early morning hours of Nov. 19, 2011, when he accidentally triggered his medical alert device. But when cops arrived to check on him, a confrontation ensued, and Chamberlain was tased and hit with a round of beanbags before being fatally shot.

Now, a movie titled The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain takes a deep dive into the events leading up to his death. Executive produced by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment, as noted by Deadline, the indie feature highlights the brutal force police too often displayed when responding to emergency calls and non-threatening situations.

“Once the door was broken down, they immediately began this full-on assault,” Chamberlain’s son Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. said. “Never once did they try to diffuse the situation.”

None of the officers involved were ever charged in the fatal shooting because the state refused to indict them. In June, Westchester District Attorney’s Office announced plans to review Chamberlain’s police-caused shooting death.

“You have to embrace the struggle,” Chamberlain, Jr. said. “I know that I am only doing what I know in my heart that if the situation was reversed, my father would have done for me. What type of role model am I to my children if I just say, ‘When things get tough, you just give up.’ No, you fight.”

His son is hopeful the movie will honor his father’s memory while shining a light on how police should respond to calls with civilians battling mental health disorders.

“I want this film, if nothing else, to serve as a teaching tool, a teaching tool on what not to do,” Chamberlain Jr. added. “I think of a man who died in a manner that he didn’t have to. That this was just a medical call, and if you would have treated it as such, my father would still be alive today.”

Black Enterprise spoke exclusively to Freeman and actor Frankie Faison, who plays Kenneth Chamberlain in the film. Watch the video interview below.


 

The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain is out now in theatres and available on-demand.

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