Former MLB Star Darryl Strawberry’s Missing 14-Year-Old Granddaughter Found
by Charlene Rhinehart

September 25, 2021

Former MLB Star Darryl Strawberry’s Missing 14-Year-Old Granddaughter Found

Former MLB outfielder Darryl Strawberry’s terrifying request to find his missing granddaughter, MyLisa Reid, has turned into good news. His 14-year-old granddaughter was found safe on Thursday (Sept. 23).

The family expressed their gratitude on social media.

“MyLisa was found safe,” MyLisa’s mom, Diamond Strawberry, shared on Instagram Friday morning. “Thank you everyone for helping me find my baby!!!! I couldn’t have done it without you!!! I am forever grateful. All the repost and attention that was brought is the reason my baby is HOME!!!”

The Search for Darryl Strawberry’s Granddaughter

Darryl Strawberry previously reported that MyLisa was missing on Wednesday in Las Vegas, according to TMZ. The news came a few days after the teen celebrated her 14th birthday with her mom in Kaanapali, Hawaii.

The 8x All-Star shared a picture and description on social media, saying that she was last seen with a black outfit and white Jordans. He asked followers to contact the Henderson Police Department in Nevada if they had any information.

In his social media post, Darryl asked his followers for prayers.

“This is our granddaughter MyLisa who is missing right now! Please Please Pray for us as we desperately need your prayers! Thank You!”

Love & Hip Hop star Diamond Strawberry also shared the missing person flyer. She asked her 280,000 followers for their help.

“PLEASE REPOST!! PLEASE SHARE!!!! Diamond wrote.

She added, “Please help us bring MyLisa home!”

The original posts were removed on Friday morning. The family updated their social media pages to share the good news. Darryl Strawberry thanked his 66,000 Instagram followers on Friday morning.

“So Many Prayers Answered. Thank You!!”

Diamond responded to her father’s post. “Thanks for all your help dad. Getting the word out there is what got my baby home!!! Thank you Jesus!!!!!!!!!!”

Darryl Strawberry is a four-time World Series Champion who started his career with the New York Mets in 1980. The 59-year-old also played with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees during his career.

The Metropolitan Economic Development Association’s Million Dollar Challenge Awards $1.2M to Minority Entrepreneurs
by Ashantai Hathaway

September 25, 2021

The Metropolitan Economic Development Association’s Million Dollar Challenge Awards $1.2M to Minority Entrepreneurs

Five entrepreneurs now have financial backing for their businesses thanks to a group called Meda.

According to PR Newswire, Metropolitan Economic Development Association’s Million Dollar Challenge — the largest Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) entrepreneurial competition in the nation — has announced the winners of the fourth annual competition where five companies received $1.2 million in financial support.

Metropolitan Economic Development Association was founded by a group of Minnesota business leaders who want to help minority entrepreneurs succeed. The group works to tackle inequity within minority communities in the state.

 The group states, “Meda operates a growing Community Development Fund Institution (CDFI) that provides needed capital for BIPOC businesses to become sustainable.” Since its inception, it has helped to launch more than 500 BIPOC businesses and helped with more than 23,000 Minnesota BIPOC entrepreneurs.”

The competition involved nearly 200 businesses in the U.S., with only 12 making it to the Bootcamp for Successful Pitches in which they competed in front of 40 judges.  In the past three years, 18 BIPOC businesses have received nearly $4 million in funding.

“We had an incredible number of remarkable companies participate in the Meda Million Dollar Challenge this year, leaving all of us impressed and inspired,” said Meda CEO, Alfredo Martel, in an official statement. “As we continue to navigate past the pandemic into the new economy, the innovation and dedication from these entrepreneurs leaves me hopeful for the impact they will have on the economy and their community.”

The Million Dollar Challenge is Meda’s way to bring awareness to the lack of funding and resources that many BIPOC entrepreneurs face. Research suggests that both a lack of capital and racial discrimination lead to an uneven playing field between BIPOC entrepreneurs and their non-BIPOC counterparts.

Four of the five companies were women-owned and three of them were Black-owned. Here are the winners:

  • Bon AppeSweet- $350,000
  • Slick Chicks- $250,000
  • HercLéon- $200,000
  • FitnesCity- $200,000
  • Seraph 7 Studios- $200,000
Toronto University is Offering a Course on Musicians Drake and The Weeknd
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 25, 2021

Toronto University is Offering a Course on Musicians Drake and The Weeknd

If you don’t know anything about two of the biggest artists from the city of Toronto, Canada, Drake, and The Weeknd, you can now take a course to find out!

Toronto author and publicist Dalton Higgins, who is a music professor in residence at Ryerson University, also known as X University, announced the course he will be teaching in early 2022 on his Instagram account.

“Real talk, I’ve been lecturing about hip hop and popular culture at North American universities, – including all the local ones; University of Toronto, York University, etc.- for the last decade. When I wasn’t doing that, I was pushing Hip Hop Pedagogy in high schools, writing chapters and lesson plans for various hip hop textbooks.

“But the real fun & deep learning has only really just begun as I’ll be teaching a course about two Toronto-born music titans; Drake & The Weeknd in early 2022. Students at Ryerson University will now be able to take a course that delves into two of Toronto’s most influential artists in the music industry: Drake and The Weeknd. The course, titled Deconstructing Drake & The Weeknd, will study the artists’ careers and lyrics.”

Higgins tells Now Toronto that Drake and the Weeknd are two of the biggest artists in the world and it’s overdue for them to be canonized academically. He feels that the two artists who come from the Toronto scene should be celebrated in the city that birthed them.

“When you have two Black artists born and bred in Toronto who perform rap, R&B and pop, and who are arguably well on their way to becoming billionaires at some point in time, there is apparently a lot to learn,” he says. “Remember, they both blew up despite being products of a local Canadian music scene that does very little to foster the growth of its Black music practitioners.”

Louisiana State Trooper Charged With Civil Rights Violation After Beating Black Man Two Years Ago
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 25, 2021

Louisiana State Trooper Charged With Civil Rights Violation After Beating Black Man Two Years Ago

Charges have been filed against a former Louisiana State Police trooper who allegedly violated the rights of a Black man who he struck 18 times with his police-issued flashlight.

According to The Associated Press, the former police officer, Jacob Brown has been indicted by a grand jury for beating a Black man back in 2019 following a traffic stop. The victim, Aaron Larry Bowman suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs, and a gash to his head. The civil rights violation that Brown has been charged with is one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.

The Department of Justice released a statement pertaining to the indictment.

“The 31-year-old Brown, a former trooper with the Louisiana State Police, was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Shreveport, Louisiana, for using excessive force against an arrestee.

“The indictment charges Brown with a single count of deprivation of rights under color of law. Specifically, the indictment alleges that on May 30, 2019, Brown assaulted an arrestee, identified in the indictment only as A.B., by repeatedly striking him in the head and body with a dangerous weapon (a flashlight modified with a metal tactical cap designed for breaking glass). The indictment further alleges that the incident resulted in bodily injury to A.B. If convicted of the deprivation of rights charge, Brown faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.”

BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported that body camera footage of the incident was recently released after being kept secret for more than two years. The video shows a Louisiana State trooper beating Black motorist Aaron Larry Bowman 18 times with a flashlight, which the trooper later defended as “pain compliance.”

According to the Associated Press, which obtained the video, Bowman, a motorist, was pulled over for a traffic violation. Trooper Jacob Brown arrived on the scene after police pulled Bowman out of his car and threw him to the ground.

Brown jumped out of his car, took hold of his eight-inch aluminum flashlight, and began beating Bowman within two seconds of “initial contact,” according to reports.

The Department of Justice has also acknowledged that investigations involving the Louisiana State Police that resulted in death or bodily injury to people who had been arrested are still open and ongoing.

Atlanta Chaplain Gwendale Boyd Willis Gets Her Record Expunged 16 Years After Her Release
by Derek Major

September 25, 2021

Atlanta Chaplain Gwendale Boyd Willis Gets Her Record Expunged 16 Years After Her Release

Atlanta Chaplain Gwendale Boyd-Willis, who was featured In Black Enterprise’s Success Beyond Bars series, has become the first woman in the state to have her record expunged.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed SB 288 into law in 2020 allowing rehabilitated individuals to petition the court to have certain misdemeanor convictions restricted and sealed four years after the completion of their sentence, provided they have no new convictions and no pending charges.

The bill became effective Jan. 1, 2021. Attorneys for Boyd-Willis filed to have her record expunged and the court granted her petition sealing her record in two counties in August. Boyd-Willis said when she heard the news, she felt excited, relieved, and a host of other emotions.

“It’s a surreal moment,” Boyd-Willis said. “I’m still trying to process through it. I’m ecstatic and happy and grateful and I give God all the glory and all the praise because I wouldn’t have made it through this journey without my faith in God.”

Boyd-Willis served four months at the West Central Center facility for taking money from a debit card she found in an ATM machine and going shopping. After she was released, Boyd-Willis turned her life around when she was released, earning multiple degrees including her masters from Beulah Heights University and attending seminary school.

However, after she was released in December 2005 her record continued to follow her like a dark cloud, limiting her opportunities and keeping her from feeling free. Boyd Willis said getting her Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice after she was released allowed to the system from the other side

“I didn’t think I’d ever get to see this day because the system is set up to hold people back,” Boyd Willis said. “Your race, color and ethnicity doesn’t matter because it’s the system and if you don’t have knowledge of the system then you don’t know where to start.”

Boyd-Willis never let her experience hold her back. In addition to her degrees, she’s also an entrepreneur. She  owns Manna From Heaven Catering, which she started in 2006. The chaplain also has a clothing line,  God Been Good apparel which she started in 2011 but relaunched last year.

“I also have a music production company called Ramindabush Productions,” she added. “Before the pandemic I was booking engagements for gospel artists, gospel groups and R&B artists, I was also booking preaching engagements for several pastors in Metro Atlanta, one being my good friend Bishop Eddie Long’s son Elder Edward Long Jr.”

When asked what the ordeal of going to prison, getting released and getting her life back on track taught Boyd-Willis, she wasted no time answering.

“This whole experience has taught me patience on another scale,” Boyd-Willis told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I have mastered patience and I can truly thank God for that.

Bark Up The Dog-Training Tree With This 6-Course Bundle
by Black Enterprise Shop

September 25, 2021

Bark Up The Dog-Training Tree With This 6-Course Bundle

Whether you’re a first-time dog owner or you’ve had your four-legged best friend for years, it’s not a stretch to say your mission to learn how to ensure your pet has the most comfortable life never ends.

While it’s impossible to learn all there is to know to become the perfect dog owner, the How to Train & Raise A Healthy Dog Master Class Bundle will earn you brownie points — or doggie treats — from your furry friend. It can be yours today for a limited-time price of $29.99. Individually, each course is available for $199.

Included in this pet-friendly bundle are six courses: Leash Training, How to Stop Dog Attacks, Stop Dog Barking, Puppies: A-Z Guide to Puppy & Dog Training, BARF: Feed Your Dog a Raw Diet, and Natural Remedies for Health & Dog Training.

Each course is taught by dog and puppy expert Sharon Bolt, who has a 4.2-star instructor rating. Bolt was featured as a trainer in the BBC Documentary “Britain’s Most Embarrassing Pets” and she’s authored three books.

“The course helped me build the foundations; every day is progress for both us and our puppy. Highly recommended for anyone about to embark on a new puppy adventure!” verified purchaser Marie Yvette writes specifically about the puppy-training course.

More than 100 lessons are packed into this bundle, and your purchase guarantees lifetime access. Each course is one hour, so they’re easily digestible. Three verified purchasers give this product 4.5 stars out of 5.

A content, well-behaved dog can make all the difference in maintaining a stress-free life as a dog owner. Furthermore, ensuring your dog is receiving a well-balanced diet along with proper training can prove fiscally beneficial for your wallet.

Give your dog the life it deserves by purchasing this six-course bundle today at its discounted price of $29.99. That’s less than $5 per course.

Prices subject to change.  

Black Maryland Cemetery Of Freed Slaves Underneath Parking Lot At Center Of Legal Dispute
by Derek Major

September 24, 2021

Black Maryland Cemetery Of Freed Slaves Underneath Parking Lot At Center Of Legal Dispute

An asphalt-paved parking lot in Washington D.C. is at the heart of a development dispute due to a cemetery below it where hundreds of bodies of freed slaves and their descendants lie.

Local community members in Montgomery County, MD say the bodies are buried in what was once a cemetery in the early 20th century. The cemetery is one of the last remnants of a historic Black neighborhood in Bethesda.

“These are people who were so oppressed and so discarded and so disrespected in life, and now, even in death, they meet the same fate,” Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, president of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition told NBC News.

The coalition members are now trying to preserve what is known as the Moses African Cemetery, filing a lawsuit seeking to block the county’s $50 million sale of an apartment complex property to Charger Ventures investment firm. The suit alleges Montgomery County’s Housing Opportunities Commission violated state law by failing to get court approval for the sale of the property, which is required when a cemetery is involved.

The coalition won a small victory earlier this month when a Montgomery County judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the sale of the property until a second hearing is scheduled for Monday. The judge will then decide whether to grant an injunction blocking the sale or allow it to go forward.

During the hearing earlier this month, Coalition attorney Steven Lieberman told the judge he believes a developer could end up exploiting the site.

The issue in Montgomery County, a majority White and one of the wealthiest counties in the country, is one of many happening across the U.S. Earlier this summer, a similar battle took place in Tulsa, OK when archaeologists and city officials tried to reenter bodies it had exhumed from an underground cemetery to collect DNA evidence. In New Jersey, a new database is mapping and cataloging numerous African American burial sites containing prominent figures and regular folks, freed and enslaved peoples.

Many of these sites are endangered due to several factors including a lack of historical record-keeping, political will power to save them and even climate change Lynn Rainville, an anthropologist and director of institutional history and the museums at Washington and Lee University told NBC.

The one acre parcel was bought by the chapter of a Black fraternal society in 1911. According to historical records, the chapter operated a cemetery which has about 200 graves. Many of the sites were freed slaves who worked the tobacco plantations and farms in the area before the Civil War. Black families in the area were squeezed out in the late 1950s and the chapter sold the land in 1968.

Government Relief Watchdog Finds COVID Relief Fraud Worth Billions, Shake Shack, Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse and the Los Angeles Lakers Shamed Into Giving Funds Back
by Derek Major

September 24, 2021

Government Relief Watchdog Finds COVID Relief Fraud Worth Billions, Shake Shack, Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse and the Los Angeles Lakers Shamed Into Giving Funds Back

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee which oversees trillions of dollars in approved COVID-19 relief funds says relief programs disbursed $100 billion in fraudulent funds.

The committee was established as part of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed last March, tasked with overseeing $5 trillion in COVID-19 relief funds authorized by Congress. The committee worked with the inspector generals of several notable federal agencies and in its report, published Wednesday pointed out fraud within several programs touted by both political parties.

The report adds that one of the reasons for the widespread fraud was the quick release of funds requested by individuals and businesses.

“This is an unprecedented amount of money,” the report states. “And most of the funds were disbursed quickly. These factors put the money at a higher risk of fraud.”

One of the programs the report found rife with fraud was the weekly $600 federal unemployment benefit. Democrats initially touted the program, but according to the report, the program will have disbursed nearly $87 billion in fraudulent payments before the program expires this month.

The report adds potentially ineligible applicants for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, given to small businesses that were established before the pandemic, received $918 million in loan funds “reducing the total amount of funds available for legitimate businesses.”

Both COVID relief programs were plagued by self-certification, which allowed applicants to self-assess their eligibility for the program.

The report also noted fraud within the Paycheck Protection Program, a small business program that Republicans strongly advocated for. The program allowed small businesses to receive federal loans that would be forgiven if at least 60% of the fund were used to keep employees on payroll.

The report states a failure to require against checking applicants against a list of those ineligible to receive federal loans more than 57,000 PPP loans worth $3.6 billion issued to ineligible recipients.

In the first days of the PPP program, several large businesses that were ineligible for funds took them anyway and had to be shamed into giving it back including Shake Shack, Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The PPP program also included language instructing lenders to ensure small business loans were given to women, veterans and minorities, but there is “no evidence that small businesses in underserved communities” received the loans.

The small business association, which was tasked with collecting demographic data on who was receiving federal loans, failed to do so and also failed to issue guidance requiring lenders to prioritize applicants from businesses in underserved communities. The report also found fraud in the $1,200 stimulus check given out to Americans. $3.5 billion in checks were sent to deceased individuals. Of that, about $72 million was voluntarily returned.

Police Locate Car In Hit-And-Run That Killed 10-Year-Old Girl
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 24, 2021

Police Locate Car In Hit-And-Run That Killed 10-Year-Old Girl

Florida police have tracked down the vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident that took the life of a 10-year-old girl.

On Friday, Fort Pierce police announced they found the car involved in a hit-and-run that killed elementary school student Yaceny Berenice Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Orlando Sentinel reports. The young girl was crossing the street of an intersection to enter her school bus but was found unconscious in a grassy area at about 6:35 a.m. police said.

The bus had its stop stick and flashing lights on at the time Yaceny was crossing in front of the bus when a driver disregarded the flashing lights and hit her before driving off.

Police posted photos of a white Chevrolet sedan that had a smashed windshield and visible damage to its front right side. Authorities said the car was located around about 4 p.m. Thursday, 10 hours after Yaceny was fatally struck.

“Officers learned that Rodriguez-Gonzalez was walking across the intersection to get on her school bus, which had its stop stick and flashing lights on,” police said. “The driver was traveling northbound, struck the child, and fled the scene. Yaceny Rodriguez-Gonzalez was transported to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, where she later succumbed to her injuries.”

Other students were on the bus at the time of the hit-and-run and the Yaceny’s mother and siblings were at the bus stop at the time she was hit, WPBF reports.

Just think about it,” Police Major Carlos Rodriguez said in a press conference, as noted by Law and Crime. “They didn’t even stop to see if the person that they hit, a young child that was struck, Yaceny, was okay. And that hurts us all.”

A makeshift memorial now sits where Yaceny was fatally struck, a video shared on Twitter shows.

Officers are asking anyone with information to contact Traffic Homicide Investigator Shayne Stokes at (772) 302-4764 and sstokes@fppd.org, or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 273-8477 [TIPS].

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 24, 2021

Kamau Murray Talks Producing The Chicago Fall Tennis Classic at His $16.9M Facility on The South Side

Things are coming together full circle for tennis coach Kamau Murray.

After coaching Sloan Stephens to the US Open title in 2017, the Chicago native is returning to his hometown to serve as the producer in one of the only Black-produced stops on the WTA Tour.

The Chicago Fall Tennis Classic will close out the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament from September 27 to Oct. 3, 2021. The event will be held at Murray’s $16.9M Black-owned and operated tennis facility, XS Tennis Village in Washington Park. Held.

A groundbreaking moment for Murray who was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and played tennis in Chicago Public Schools after-school programs for many years. Applauded as one of Tennis Channel’s newest commentators and the third Black coach to coach a player into a Grand Slam Victory, Murray is fully equipped to host a WTA in his stomping grounds.

“It’s a great opportunity to bring tennis to the South Side of Chicago and fulfill the dreams and the mission of the XS Tennis facility,” Murray told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “The mission of the facility was to expose youth to tennis, and to also attract professional events here.”

Murray is fulfilling his facility’s mission and then some. It’s not too often when inner-city youth gets a chance to see Olympic tennis players up close and personal. As the only Black coach in the open era to coach a player into a Grand Slam title, Murray knows how life-changing events like the Chicago Fall Classic can be for the youth watching from the stands.

“We love the Bulls, we love the Bears, because we can actually see them in person, and we’re gonna grow the game in a minority population,” Murray said. “You don’t do that without putting professional tennis players in front of them. And having them sort of see it to be it kind of mentality.”

Chicago Tennis Festival

With the event coming on the heels of The United States Tennis Association (U.S.T.A.) launching the David N. Dinkins H.B.C.U. Coaching Grant, Murray touched on how important funding for players is when looking at the history of discrimination within the sport of tennis.

“Blacks were kind of shut out of tennis back in the old days. Blacks and Jewish people were not allowed in private tennis clubs,” Murray explained. “There are not a lot of tennis clubs in Black neighborhoods clearly because historically we weren’t allowed to join.”

“Trying to find funding to support budding careers just as we do in STEM and AAU, basketball, even to a greater degree is needed in tennis, to create a big wave of black tennis players.”

He noted the David Dinkins grant is “a good start” but admitted that “a lot more needs to be done.”

Murray was faced with the challenge of producing the WTA 500 in Chicago’s South Side. Bringing in 16 of the top 25 players in Women’s Tennis, including the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medalist from the Tokyo Games earlier this year, as well as sponsors. While he admits he enjoys coaching a lot more than producing tennis tournaments, he proud that he could share the opportunity with the city that made him.

Learn more about the Chicago Fall Classic at  ChicagoTennisFestival.

×