A new report finds that nearly 100,000 Black girls and women went missing last year and little is being done to help find them.

Now, a journalist in California is trying to help–by telling their stories.

Journalist and activist Erika Marie Rivers started the website Our Black Girls, which tells the many untold stories of Black girls and women who have gone missing or were mysteriously found dead.

“The women in these stories I report on are more than the highlight clip on the ten o’clock news,” Rivers writes on her website. “These are and were our sisters, many of whom endured deception and/or violence. We shouldn’t sweep their stories under the rug and move on to the next hot topic. We need to remember what they went through in order to change patterns of behavior.”

However, Rivers’ efforts require true commitment. She spends nights sifting through missing persons databases and old news articles to uncover information.

Rivers, 39, worked in entertainment journalism for more than a decade but is passionate about this work locating the missing girls and women—who she says could easily be her or anyone else.

Since the website started nearly three years ago, Rivers says she has published an article nearly every other day. Many of the stories involve girls and women just walking down on the street who wind up missing. 

“And I know that there are a lot of stories like that about girls and women who look like me, so why am I not seeing them as much as I’m seeing everything else? And then it became, why am I waiting for somebody else to pick up this banner when I’m the one who’s passionate about it?” she told NPR.

NPR reports that an alarming rate of Black girls and women have gone missing, but their stories are not getting the attention they deserve in news coverage when compared to White girls and women who have gone missing.

According to the National Crime Information Center, in 2020, of the 268,884 girls and women who were reported missing, 90,333, were Black.

However, Black girls and women make up just about 15% of the U.S. female population, according to census data.

• Lifestyle

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 27, 2021

Wendy Williams On the Mend: ‘Ready to Get Back to Work’ After Being Hospitalized for COVID-19

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Amid news of talk show host Wendy Williams being hospitalized for COVID-19-related issues, production for the upcoming series stopped and the new season scheduled to start Sept. 20 was a no-go.

The new date to start airing live shows beginning Monday, Oct. 4, was tentative, with many worried that Williams’ recent health scare could delay production for The Wendy Williams Show once again.

But according to Page Six, despite recent reports of her health status, the show will return on the newly scheduled date.

“Wendy is on the mend and doing well. There was a meeting this week, and [execs] assured staff the show will return on Oct. 4., and Wendy is ready to get back to work,” cites a source who connected with the production, the outlet reports.

Over a week ago, it was revealed on the show’s official Instagram account that Williams had tested positive for COVID-19:

“While continuing her health evaluations, Wendy has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19,” according to the show’s statement. To allow Wendy time to quarantine and fully recover and to ensure that our production fully abides by SAG/AFTRA and DGA Covid [sic] protocols, we expect to begin the 13th season of The Wendy Williams Show on Monday, Oct. 4. In the meantime, repeats will be scheduled.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Wendy Williams (@wendyshow)

TMZ also revealed that Williams voluntarily admitted herself into an NYC hospital for a psych evaluation. The hospitalization came after the talk show host’s COVID diagnosis was confirmed. Her brother, Tommy Williams, gave her fans an update on his sister’s condition letting her supporters know she’s pushing through.

According to The Sun, an insider implied that the 57-year-old Wendy Williams Show host had also indulged in alcohol before being admitted to a hospital on Sept. 14.

Williams was gearing up to host a new season of her popular daytime talk show before falling ill. She has been transparent about her struggles with drug abuse and ailments like Graves disease, dating back to 1999.

In 2017, Williams infamously passed out during the show’s Halloween episode. That incident was later attributed to dehydration.

Around the time she was going through a highly publicized divorce from her husband of 20 years, Williams admitted herself into a sober house and admitted it on her show.

• Lifestyle

by Ashantai Hathaway

September 27, 2021

Sisters Find Another Dead Woman Lying in Mother’s Casket, Funeral Home Calls it an ‘Honest Mistake’

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A grieving family wants answers after finding a stranger in the casket where their mother should have been.

Jennifer Taylor and her sister Jennetta Archer lost their mother, Mary, last month. When they went to view the body at Hunter’s Funeral Home in Ahoskie, they soon realized that a strange woman was posted up in their mom’s casket and she was even wearing Mary’s clothing.

“We just couldn’t understand how this could happen,” said Taylor.

The stunned sisters immediately called attention to the matter and notified funeral home officials. They were even more shocked when they got an unexpected response from the funeral home after they tried to pass off the strange corpse as actually being the mother, Mary Archer.

“There’s no similarity in the person. Their size was way off. When the first person had the clothing on, she was swimming in the clothes because she was so small compared to my mother,” Archer said.

“For this to play out like that, it’s just embarrassing,” Taylor said.

According to reports, apparently the bodies of the women were  somehow switched.

The sisters say the situation was not handled properly and they are still waiting on an official apology.

“No one addressed it immediately. It would have been a different situation if they had just come up front and addressed it immediately to show that yes, they did, they made an error,” Archer said.

The lead embalmer at Hunter’s Funeral Home confirmed that the error happened on Sept. 7, calling it and an “honest mistake” and say the did apologize to the family.

According to the funeral home, this has never happened in more than 40 years of embalming. The funeral home claims they tried contacting Taylor and Archer to explain.

The sisters still wants answers to how this can happen in the first place.

“What do you do to prevent something like that from happening? Don’t they have a chart per person and treat them like a customer or a patient or whatever you want to refer to them as so that you don’t have them mixed up?” Archer said.

A racist FedEx driver was fired after refusing to deliver to homes that show support for Black Lives Matter, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

FedEx terminated the employment of Vincent Paterno after he posted a video to TikTok bragging that he was not delivering packages to customers who did not share the same political beliefs as him.

Paterno, 39, who worked for the company in Washington state, uploaded the profanity-laced video while he was wearing his FedEx uniform:

“What’s up TikTok? Just wanted to come on here and let all you know, if you don’t have a flag in front of your house, and if you have a Joe Biden, Kamala f–king camel toe posted up in front of your house, Black Lives Matter — I will not deliver your s—.”

“I will not deliver your s—. I will bring that back to the station,” he smirked. “And I will keep doing that s—. Have a good day.”

Hey, @FedEx, your employee Vincent Paterno said he won’t deliver packages to people who’s political ideology he doesn’t agree with. /20 pic.twitter.com/G00eosZEJC

— Michelle (@LoneStarLeft) September 18, 2021

TooFab confirmed that the driver has not been delivering the packages and responded to the publication on the matter.

“We are appalled by the behavior depicted in this video, which does not reflect the views of FedEx,” a Fed Ex spokesperson said. 

Originally posted on Sept. 16, the video has since received over 40,000 views and more than 2,100 comments and has been removed.

“You about to lose your job 😂😂😂,” the top-liked comment reads.

“So if you get sick and go to the ER remember those doctors, nurses, and people have the right not to help you if they support Biden 😁😁,” another wrote. One commenter pointed out that some of the packages Paterno withheld could have contained life-saving medicine or medical devices.

“Somebody tag me in his weepy apology video after he gets fired 😂,” wrote another commenter. Now that Paterno is out of a job, that’s a video he’ll have ample time to make.

• Entrepreneurship

by Jeffrey McKinney

September 27, 2021

Black Therapy App Expands Services To Individuals And Corporations Amid Rising Mental Health Concerns

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With mental health being a rising concern among entities such as U.S. corporations, Ayana Therapy Founder and CEO Eric Coly has a fresh growth strategy for his app that addresses the issue.

A  provider of online therapy for BIPOC communities, Ayana, in the last year has experienced healthy growth by expanding to directly serve individuals along with just companies, universities, and non-profits. It will offer services for families, couples, and groups and coaching and psychiatry for the first time.

After launching Ayana in 2020, Coly reports his business is on track to make nearly $1 million in annual revenue.

The Los Angeles-based firm is benefiting from a growing number of organizations taking a more galvanized stance to offer counseling benefits to help individuals and communities of color after a slew of racial incidents that occurred since COVID-19 started early last year.

Coly’s firm is also discussing deals with some of the nation’s largest cities, San Francisco and Seattle, to provide therapy to their employees. He says Ayana is also in talks with some of the country’s largest tech companies to offer their workforce therapy.

To help a develop a niche and differentiate itself from the rest of the industry, Coly says Ayana just began piloting new services to ensure continuity of care for its users. To complement its existing adult counseling services, Coly said Ayana plans on offering teen/family/groups/couples, coaching, and psychiatry services with access to medication by early 2022.

“We want to become the place where all of your counseling and wellness needs are met,” Coly says.

Coly, a former investment banker and Senegal native, started his tech startup after a close friend told him she needed counseling. She was struggling to find a Black therapist due to the lack of them in the U.S.

Coly says Ayana now has over 400 therapists on its online platform, and it hopes to boost that number to 700 by the end of this year. “This expansion will help us increase market share and become further anchored in order to better serve our communities.”

• Lifestyle

by Black Enterprise Shop

September 27, 2021

Blast Away Your Fitness Goals With This Home Fitness Bundle

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If we’re being honest, a lot of us during the last 18 months of the coronavirus pandemic have suffered when it comes to many of the weight-training or self-care goals we set for ourselves. However, it’s not because of a lack of having tried. Gyms closed en masse, and even though most have reopened, a logical hesitancy of returning to them remains.

With brick-and-mortar offices closing, old routines like lunchtime walks or the evening walk home from your commute are a thing of the past. Instead, many find themselves working from home where they’ve logged countless hours sitting in front of their computer screens.

If you’re one of the many who are looking to regain control of your fitness goals but remain hesitant to return to a public gym, or if you’re just someone who would like to supplement your already-established workout routine, look no further than the Terra-Core Fitness Home Gym Bundle.

For a limited time, you can purchase this fitness-infused bundle for just $279, a savings of nearly 30% from its MSRP.

The Terra-Core Fitness home gym is an all-encompassing balance trainer that also doubles as a mini weight bench. Featured on Shark Tank, this product works more than four times the muscles of your typical workout. On one side, its gel-like durable surface allows for dumbbell, kettlebell or medicine ball workouts. When you flip the device over, it can be used for pushups, and its band handles can accommodate any band training you choose to attempt.

The Terra-Core home gym is currently rated 4.7 stars on Amazon’s 5-star scale.

Included in your purchase is access to a two-year subscription to Openfit Fitness & Wellness App, allowing you to choose from more than 450 classes each week or numerous on-demand videos to coach you along your journey. The app also features a meal planner along with a nutrition tracker to log your macros. It carries a sterling 4.9 out of 5 stars on the App Store.

Weighing only 28 pounds, Terra-Core’s device is small enough to leave a small footprint in your home. If you’ve pondered ways to regain control of your fitness life, don’t wait any longer and purchase this product today for its limited-time price.

Prices subject to change.

• Lifestyle

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

September 27, 2021

Kelly Price Breaks Her Silence, Says She Almost Died and Flatlined Due to COVID

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 The ongoing saga over where is singer Kelly Price has come to an end after she finally broke her silence and addressed the wave of concern over her wellbeing.

Price who has been missing in action, told TMZ that she actually wasn’t and nearly died from COVID-19. She explained that’s the reason why she shielded herself from everyone and didn’t want family members to face the same fate.

Price said she had a serious bout of Coronavirus that almost cost her life. In fact, she says her heart stopped and she flatlined before she was resuscitated by doctors and nursing staff. She was basically knocking at death’s door.

Still Price said it’s tough because she’s on oxygen and has a long road ahead to recovery.

The college football community is reeling over the loss of one of its star players. 

Aaron Lowe, 21, was tragically gunned down at a house party in Salt Lake City early Sunday morning. ABC 4 reported that the University of Utah football player and another person were shot. The unidentified person is listed in critical condition. 

The Utah Utes fan page shared the news on Twitter.

Rest In Peace, A Lowe.

We love you forever. #LLAL pic.twitter.com/03O9qMt6oA

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 26, 2021

The defensive back was in his third season with the team. Affectionately known as “A Lowe,” the football player had recently become the first recipient of the Ty Jordan Memorial scholarship. Jordan, a fellow Ute and high school friend of Lowe’s, accidentally shot and killed himself in December 2020 during his freshman year at the University of Utah. He was home visiting family and friends in Denton, Texas when the tragedy happened.  

Lowe and Jordan played football together in high school. AfterJordan passed away, Lowe sported his fallen homie’s No. 22 jersey instead of his No. 2.

Officials from the university’s sports department issued statements regarding the team’s loss.

Utes Head Coach Kyle Whittingham said, “We are devastated to hear about the passing of Aaron Lowe. Our thoughts and prayers are with Aaron’s family and friends, along with the other individual who was harmed in this tragic incident. Aaron was a great teammate, friend, brother and son and was loved by anyone who crossed paths with him. He will be deeply missed.”

University of Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan also released a statement, “We are devastated by the loss of Aaron Lowe earlier this morning. Aaron was a terrific young man, a leader on our football team, and a rock of resiliency and courage. Our prayers are with Aaron’s family, friends, teammates and all who knew and loved him.”

“We also express our deepest concern for the other individual who has been hospitalized as a result of this tragic incident. We have been in communication with Aaron’s family and we are providing support to them, as well as to the student-athletes, coaches and staff in all of our athletics programs, and our focus will remain on them,” he added.

Fans took to social media to express their condolences to the Utes.

Heartbreaking to wake up to the news of Aaron Lowe. To the @Utah_Football team and Aaron’s family, you are in our prayers. Life is too precious 🙏🏽

— Fesi Sitake (@fsitake) September 26, 2021

Reading this detail about Utah’s Aaron Lowe just crushed me… 😢 pic.twitter.com/ArVswwYvjK

— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) September 26, 2021

So Utah Football’s Aaron Lowe was shot and killed this morning and he was the first recipient of the Ty Jordan memorial scholarship which was named after the young man that passed away this past December?? Man, prayers for the family 🙏

— Big OU NDN (@OU_NDN44) September 26, 2021

I’m so sad to hear about Aaron Lowe. Love to his family and the Utah team who has gone through so much. Just terribly awful news. 😢 ❤️

— Sporty (@SportyMcSports) September 26, 2021

Our condolences to Lowe’s family and teammates.

• News

by Keka Araújo

September 26, 2021

Derremy Walker, A Former Florida High School Custodian, Sentenced To 60 Years In Federal Prison For Recording Female Students’ Genitalia In Restroom

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Derremy Jerrell Walker, 31, will probably spend the rest of his life in federal prison after he was found guilty of placing a hidden camera in the girls’ bathroom of a Florida high school.

U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger sentenced the pervert to 60 years in prison “for two counts of using, or attempting to use, children to produce sexually explicit videos.” 

According to the U.S.Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Florida, Walker worked at Oviedo High School as a contract custodian. 

During his time of employment at the educational institution, Walker used a cellphone to record activities in the girls’ restroom. In November 2019, two 15-year-old female students discovered the phone recording while hidden underneath a sink in a bathroom stall. The students turned the phone over to school officials, and the police were contacted. Police determined that Walker had hidden the camera two times before in the same month, according to the report. He had created one-hour videos of female students inside the stall. When the two young ladies found Walker’s hidden cellphone, it had been recording for 15 minutes. Walker set up the camera to record girls’ genitalia.

Out of 12 girls filmed, eight were identified. Walker was charged in February last year and terminated from the custodial position. While investigating the case further, Oviedo Police and the FBI discovered that Walker had stealthily set up another cellphone to record in the women’s faculty restroom as well. 

FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson spoke about the case and Walker’s behavior.

“Mr. Walker did more than just produce horror; he stole the innocence and trust of these young victims. We are pleased with the sentence handed down in this case and will continue efforts to protect the children in our communities from sexual exploitation and abuse.” 

When Catrice Hixon decided to open a coffee shop in the Southern Alabama town of Opelika, she knew she wanted it to serve three purposes: to educate, inspire and unite.

The education and inspiration are built into Melanin Café’s offering of coffee, smoothies and pastries. Each of the 38 beverages on the menu is named after a prominent historical Black figure. But not the ones we’ve all been reading and hearing about since childhood.

There’s the “Big Bank,” named for businessman and investor Bernard S. Garrett; the “Sci-Fi,” paying homage to Octavia Butler; “The Resistance,” in honor of Geronimo Pratt, and many more.

“I wanted to bring forward people we don’t really know about, people like inventors, scientists and doctors,” Hixon tells US News & World Report.

“I just want to bring all of those people to the forefront so we know who they are and what they contributed to this country. It’ll inspire us to do things because representation matters. If we’re not seeing people that look like us do different things, we’re not really inspired.”

Beyond inspiration, Hixon also shares the not-always-pretty history of Alabama: one item on the menu is a green smoothie called Kowaliga, named after a long-gone African-American community. The town of Kowaliga, AL, which was home to the first Black-owned railroad, was flooded in 1926 when the Martin Dam was built. It now lies at the bottom of Lake Martin.

The unity she hopes to bring to Opelika is built into the space and the staff. It’s easy for her to create a sense of family for guests because Melanin Café is fully family operated. Each day, Hixon works alongside her husband Jakyra and her sister Crystal Slaughter. Hixon says she wants the café to feel “inviting and relaxing;” to the extent that she doesn’t even care if visitors buy anything. You can even learn the meaning behind Melanin Cafe beverages without visiting the shop, by checking out the Culture Corner on the shop’s website.

“I just want this place to educate people, inspire people and bring everyone together,” she explains. “If we learn about each other, we can coexist with each other.”