New York Officials Announce Murder Charges in Fatal Mother’s Day Hit-and-Run
Officials have announced that a 56-year-old man was arrested and charged Thursday in the fatal Mother’s Day hit-and-run in Queens, New York.
Roosevelt Rose allegedly struck 49-year-old, Florence Ngwu, on May 8 around 8:30 a.m. pinning her between two parked car. Rose was driving a stolen Ford F-550 as he attempted to make an illegal U-turn, according to authorities. He hit “several cars,” according to reports, before hitting the car that slammed into Ngwu.
Rose was arrested Thursday and was arraigned by a Queens County grand jury.
Video surveillance captured the entire incident as neighbors tried to help move the vehicle off Ngwu.
In the video, Ngwu confronts Rose with one of her daughters after watching him hit some of the cars on their block. One of the vehicles reportedly belonged to Ngwu’s daughter.
Ngwu was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where she died the following day.
Inspector Sylvester Ge, head of the NYPD Highway District, said investigators worked relentlessly to build their case against Rose across five months, according to the New York Daily News.
Rose has been charged with murder, manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene of an accident, criminal mischief, and reckless driving, according to officials. He’ll return to court on Monday, December 12, and faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz issued a statement:
“This is a horrifying incident involving the heartbreaking death of a local mom on a day meant to be a celebration for her and her loved ones.”
“As alleged, the defendant was operating a vehicle when he slammed into parked cars on a residential street, causing the victim to get pinned between two bumpers. My office will not allow the use of motor vehicles as dangerous weapons. The defendant is now in custody and will be held accountable for his alleged criminal actions.”
Milwaukee Police Investigating White Man Who Gripped Neck of Special Needs Black Man
Milwaukee police are investigating a citizen’s arrest between a white man who wrapped his hands around a young Black male’s neck, Yahoo reported.
Shocking video captured the moment when a 62-year-old white man, identified as Robert Allen Walczykowski, grabbed the neck of a 24-year-old Black male he assumed was involved with a neighbor’s bike being stolen, according to WISN.
An eyewitness intervened and began recording the October 10 encounter that has riled up the local community and led to protests.
The video shows the older man taking on the phone with 911 while holding the neck of the Black man, who insists he did nothing wrong. The white male can be heard telling the operator that he was holding the young man because he believed he stole a neighbor’s bike two days earlier.
“He had one of the younger boys by the neck, like kind of strangling him, so I got out of the truck, and I approached him, and that’s when I started recording him,” witness Deangelo Wright said.
Wright wasn’t sure what was going on when he drove by, but he knew it looked unjustified.
“There’s no reason why this man should be grabbing this boy by the neck,” Wright said. “There’s no excuse.”
Community activist Vaun Mayes organized a protest in response to the disturbing incident they believe was racially motivated.
“I mean, we still have a race and segregation problem here,” Mayes said.
While the white man made no racial comments in the video, Mayes believes the Black male’s race is what prompted the aggressive response from the white male.
“To grab someone by their throat, who he didn’t even know if that kid was the kid that stole the bike allegedly or what was going on, but you immediately went to that level of violence,” Mayes said. “That has a racial component.’
Candace Owens Rebuffs Notion That She Should Be Sued By George Floyd’s Family
Political commentator Candace Owens recently engaged in a heated argument on social media after some said she should be sued following her recent comments on the death of George Floyd.
Owens took to Twitter to rebuff claims that she should be sued for “defaming” Floyd with her new documentary.
George Floyd’s family didn’t even stop by his house to collect his belongings. They left his car and personal items abandoned in his house.
Now they’re mad my documentary TELLS THE TRUTH about the fatal levels of fentanyl discovered in Floyd’s autopsy. https://t.co/6M1M0FMhG7
Owens replied, “I think you should consider how defamation law works in this country. Did you know that truth is an absolute defense against it? Did they pick up Floyd’s belongings? Did Floyd not say, ‘I can’t breathe’ before he was laid on the ground?”
She adds “sue her!” is not an argument and shared more comments on the issue in another replied tweet over an article shared by the Rolling Stone that claims George Floyd’s family is considering legal action as they felt betrayed by Owens and Kanye West.
This comes after Ye’s interview on Drink Champs, where he discussed Owens documentary, The Greatest Lie Ever Sold, which focuses on the events involving George Floyd and his death in Minneapolis.
Attorney Lee Merritt took to Twitter and stated: “While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death. Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”
While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death.
Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.
In his interview with the Rolling Stone, Merritt says the near $1 billion judgment that Sandy Hook parents won against Info Wars host Alex Jones for spreading conspiracy theories about the 2012 shooting presents a possible pathway for legal recourse.
Owens and Ye have been involved together in other controversial events after wearing White Lives Matter T-shirts in Paris during a runway show apart of Paris Fashion Week.
Report: St. Louis Tech Workforce Growing, But Not In Black Talent
Black talent has long been underrepresented in the forever-growing tech industry. Despite the number of job increases in certain regions, only 3% of workers in tech represent the Black community.
A new report by the technology group TechSTL specifically highlights St. Louis region’s tech workforce. Among many factors, data published in the IT Labor Market Report last week confirms that the first year of the coronavirus pandemic saw an immense growth in the number of jobs, which brings the total to 86,000 tech workers in the region, St. Louis Public Radio reported.
Although companies moved to digital and the demand for tech workers increased, only 7.6% make up the Black tech workforce in the region. This lack of diversity sheds light on the historical patterns that continue to influence the industry which is predominantly employed by white men. The report notes that the workforce is 67% male and 79% white.
“This was the first place that we needed to start with in order for tech in St. Louis to really get up off the ground and start taking strides in the areas that we know that we need to be active in to serve the community,” said Emily Hemingway, executive director of TechSTL, per the news outlet.
Strengthen STEM Education
For TechSTL, achieving diversity is possible with a focus on amplifying STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—education and programs in schools.
“It’s in the entire educational pipeline of how we’re working with the area schools and addressing better access to STEM education, dropping the barriers to access, and making it easier for people who are coming from historically excluded communities. That [makes] it easier for them to get the higher-level training that they need to really navigate upward mobility,” Hemingway explained.
The membership-based technology council is currently compiling data on tech jobs among underrepresented groups thanks to a $300,000 grant from the Kauffman Foundation for researching and collecting data on barriers to entrepreneurship and economic success, the St. Louis-Dispatch reported. The intention is to target more specific sectors, like geospatial and cybersecurity, with the help of Lindenwood University and St. Louis Community College.
“We also know that demand for tech jobs outweighs supply, and to meet that demand we need to expand our focus and look to train nontraditional students and people from non-tech backgrounds,” Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, said in a statement.
MailChimp and Black In Fashion Council Partner To Accelerate Black Designers, Entrepreneurs
Intuit Mailchimp and Black In Fashion Council (BIFC) are leveraging commitments to helping Black designers and fashion entrepreneurs accelerate their businesses.
In a new partnership, the BIFC and Mailchimp program and capsule collection are supporting and empowering women like Jamaican–American fashion designer Samantha Black of Sammy B, a women’s ready-to-wear clothing line, and Nigerian-Austrian designer Larissa Muehleder of the Muehleder label.
The limited-edition capsule collection, featuring five designers from the BIFC Discovery Showroom, debuted during New York Fashion Week.
Mailchimp, a marketing automation platform and email marketing service, leaned on Black In Fashion Council’s collective mission to amplify inclusivity within the fashion industry.
“I think we’ve done a lot of work for Brown and Black entrepreneurs and want to begin to extend that platform to female entrepreneurs and LGBTQIA entrepreneurs. We want to create as inclusive of a platform as possible and provide as much representation as possible,” explained Michael Mitchell, senior director of brand and content marketing at Mailchimp, in a statement.
Meanwhile, BFIC is a group of editors, models, stylists, freelance creatives, and industry stakeholders that wants to further MailChimp’s investment in entrepreneurs through programs, cutting-edge technology, mentorship, and accelerators.
Lindsay Peoples Wagner and Sandrine Charles, co-founders of Black In Fashion Council, released a statement. In part, it read: “Making the fashion industry more inclusive is an all-hands-on-deck undertaking and partnering with brands like Mailchimp to continue to amplify inclusivity efforts is just one step closer to a more equitable environment for all.”
Muehleder launched her fashion design label in 2014. As a Black woman designer and entrepreneur, she found the value in relationship-building and credits the ambitious program for helping her business gain exposure.
“This program is so important because it holds us up and says, ‘Hey, pay attention to these designers. And you should pay attention and be aware of nepotism and the lack of inclusiveness.’ It’s an honor for Mailchimp to have that broader lens as they partner with Black In Fashion Council,” said Muehleder.
Black is launching Sammy B in collaboration with Mailchimp.
“As part of the collaborations, we are receiving mentoring,” she said. “My brand is self-funded. And as a small business owner who has to do everything, having the help of a big machine behind me will make so much of a difference.”
Black Men’s Union at Yale Holds First Induction Ceremony Since 2019
Board members of the Black Men’s Union and Yale students gathered for the first time in three years for the Yale Black Men’s Union induction ceremony.
The Black Men’s Union is an organization founded in 2007 at Yale University to empower and support Black men on and off campus. Launching the union was an effort to uplift the community through positive social, educational, economic, and political change by addressing the needs and concerns of Black men beyond Yale, according to the organization’s Facebook page.
Yale Daily News reported that 54 students were inducted by the union’s board members at this year’s ceremony at Battell Chapel on Saturday. Inductees are set to take part in weekly open meetings that will continue in the Founder’s Room of the Afro-American Cultural Center, in addition to events hosted to bridge the gap between Yale and the greater New Haven area.
The union’s solidarity chair, Abel Geleta ’25, described the ceremony’s return as a “great milestone” in his opening remarks, and OrLando Yarborough III, GRD ’10, a pastor at the Black Church at Yale was the appointed guest speaker at the induction.
“I want students to know that they belong, they’re not alone, they have greatness inside of them and greatness ahead of them,” said Yarborough
Co-president of the board for the 2022-2023 academic year, Joaquin Estevez ’24, encouraged attendees to be involved and engage amongst each other.
“Each of you are special in your own way,” Estevez said, according to the paper. “Start connecting with people today so that you don’t regret it or wish you could revert things tomorrow.”
First years were called up after current board members, who were unable to have an induction ceremony due to the COVID pandemic, to add their signatures to the union’s official black book.
“I’m being…welcomed to the Black community here at Yale and meeting a lot of new people and forming connections for the next four years,” said inductee Nolyn Mjema ’26.
“By establishing certain guidelines, ceremonies, and traditions with these Black organizations, you make Black life a part of Yale culture, and you’re cementing a lot of Black students into this culture,” Estevez added.
According to Yale Daily News, the board has prepared a series of events for the academic year, including a reinstatement of the union’s mentorship program for magnet schools in the greater New Haven area.
Baby Onyx wore a white dress with lace trim paired with white socks. Cannon wore a white and gold long sleeve dashiki while Cole sported an ivory sweater dress and held their baby girl.
The church dedication comes a few weeks after Cannon shared a black and white photo holding his infant daughter, one of his two infant children born in recent weeks.
“All in a days work!! Onyx has the right idea! It’s a wrap! Meditation and Rejuvenation aligns the Spirit!,” Cannon captioned the post.
Onyx is the ninth of Cannon’s 10 children born last month just nine days before little brother Rise Messiah Cannon, born September 23, whom Cannon shares with Brittany Bell. Cannon and Bell share three children— baby Rise, daughter Powerful Queen, 20 months, and son Golden, 6, Peoplereported.
Cannon also shares 11-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with his superstar singer ex-wife Mariah Carey. He shares son Legendary Love, 3 months, with model Bre Tiesi. The Masked Singer host is also father to twins Zion and Zillion, 16 months, with Abby De La Rosa, who is currently expecting her third child that many speculate might be Cannon’s 11th.
The Wild N’ Out creator is also father to son Zen, who he welcomed with Alyssa Scott, who died at 5 months old in December 2021 after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
Luxury in Every Detail! Black Woman Handbag Extraordinaire Designs Italian-Made Luxury Travel Bags
Meet Lola Banjo, the Black woman founder behind the luxury Italian-made handbag and travel accessory line, Silver & Riley.
It was during her travels that Banjo realized how hard it was to find a travel bag that was functional, stylish, high-quality, and affordable. Recognizing the highly profitable gap in the market, Banjo sprung into action and Silver & Riley was born.
Describing herself as a “global citizen” who’s traveled to over 100 countries and counting, Banjo knows a thing or two about what makes a bag extraordinary. From a young age, Banjo’s engineering mind has been motivated to build things better. From toys, as a child, to now travel and style handbags, as an entrepreneur, her bags are built from the unique perspective of ergonomics and style.
(Image: Courtesy of Silver & Riley)
With an MBA from Emory University and studies in Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, Banjo’s journey set the stage for Silver & Riley’s launch. Before studying business and launching her luxury handbag and travel accessory line, she pursued Mathematics and Materials Engineering at Rutgers University and completed her Masters of Science in Financial Engineering from New York University (NYU).
Banjo travels to Italy once a month to visit the factories where her bags are produced, to ensure quality and construction. Silver & Riley prides itself on being one of the premiere Black woman-owned luxury handbag and travel accessory lines with multi-use, versatile function, and unisex style the industry has yet to see.
“Just as I am a global citizen, my goal is to make Silver & Riley a global brand,” Banjo told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“I am already receiving orders from South Africa, Dubai, and all over Canada. Those customers are paying hefty fees in customs, if they are valuing my bags that much, I know there is space in the market for Silver & Riley to have a presence everywhere.”
In the luxury handbag market, it’s a common practice to create products based solely on style and not usability. It’s a gap Banjo was determined to close.
“Most high-end fashion brands don’t care if you really need to use this bag, it just has to look good,” she said. “Their focus is on what is trending, what looks hot, and what’s poppin’ right now.”
“My goal as a designer is to show people you don’t need to compromise! You can have both. I am closing the gap between style and functionality.”
Silver & Riley just announced two additional sizes and styles of the convertible executive bag and brought Vanessa Simmons along to help with the debut.
“I am beyond thrilled to be working with Silver & Riley and founder Lola Banjo,” Simmons told BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“Lola designs beautiful pieces that stand the test of time. Quality, functionality, and style are important to me when investing in bags and Silver & Riley delivers without exception.”
(Image: Courtesy of Silver & Riley)
With a continued rise in the number of Black designers taking up space in the luxury fashion market, Banjo still aims to see more support for Black women-owned brands.
“There is a great opportunity for Black Women Designers to enjoy similar mainstream success, and I would definitely love to see more support for us,” Banjo said. “I’m proud of brands like Hanifa, Fe Noel, and of course, Rihanna’s Fenty, but we need more!”
“Black Women Designers are doing our thing everyday and also deserve to be elevated.”
Adding to Banjo’s empire and legacy, Silver & Riley aims to amplify Black women entrepreneurs through their Buy1Give5 initiative. As part of the program, five percent of all total sales go to other women entrepreneurs to help start, grow, or scale their businesses.
(Image: Courtesy of Silver & Riley)
“To date, Silver & Riley has been able to award grants to 27 Black women in business, from consulting, accounting and healthcare to fashion and beauty,” she said.
“In the last round, we received 977 applicants and were able to award $10,000.”
The entrepreneur is inspired by her late mother, who ran a number of businesses, including a jewelry business and a bakery, while always supporting other women in her community with small monetary “grants” whenever she could.
“My mother passed away 20 years ago and till this day, I still have people say to me, ‘your mother helped me open my shop,’ or ‘she helped establish my cart, so I can get out of the sweltering sun when I sell my wares.'”
“I am so proud of this initiative and look forward to it growing,” she added.
Akon Roasted On Twitter After Revealing His Hair Transplant Journey: ‘The Frontal Sitting Too Low’
Akon has no shame in his hair transplant game and is opening up about his journey to restoring his hairline. But leave it up to Black Twitter to make a mockery of the singer’s cosmetic glow-up.
The Senegalese hitmaker recently appeared on The Bootleg Kev Podcast where he spoke candidly about the $7,500 hair transplant procedure he received in Turkey.
“I went to Turkey and got a procedure,” Akon said. “In the beginning, my whole front was loose.”
The “Smack That” singer admitted the process was more painful in the beginning, but well worth it in the end.
“The painful part is the beginning when they gotta numb you up,” he explained. “They stick a needle like this big, nonstop.”
But as the saying goes, beauty is pain and Akon’s flourishing hairline is thriving.
“It looks amazing,” Akon said. “I love it.”
The singer even recommended the procedure to singer Tory Lanez. While the procedure is done in the United States, Akon argues that it’s highly overpriced. The same process runs around $50,000 in the U.S. while in Turkey he paid just under $8,000.
As useful as Akon’s cosmetic advice could be for many men going through the normal process of thinning or balding hairlines, Black Twitter caught wind of the interview and has been roasting the “Locked Up” singer for his flourishing hairline.
“Akon got the frontal sitting too low,” one user tweeted.
Akon is among a growing community of prominent male entertainers receiving hair transplants to combat hair loss. Along with Akon, singer Tory Lanez and rapper Tyga have been open about undergoing hair transplant procedures.
“If you look back at my old pictures, my only issue was [that] my corners were back here. I fixed my corners and I let the rest of my hair grow in,” Lanez toldHipHopDX. “I’m coming back with the braids. I’m coming back crazy on y’all. Y’all think it’s a joke.”
