Black Firefighter Files Discrimination Suit Against FDNY For Opposing Order To Use Water Hoses On Protesters
A Black FDNY firefighter alleges that he was suspended for opposing his boss’ idea of using fire hoses on Black Lives Matter protesters in a federal lawsuit.
In a 13-page filing, FDNY veteran Omar Wilks details the retaliation he faced after a May 2020 confrontation with his boss and Wilks’ continued fight against racism in the department. Wilks filed the suit against New York City, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro, and five other department officials.
Wilks, an eight-year veteran with the department, said his FDNY supervisor instructed him and other firefighters to control protesters by using water hoses. The Black firefighter objected to the plan and insisted he would not follow it.
During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, fire hoses were regularly used on protesters demanding equal rights and treatment. Birmingham, Alabama, Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connorordered the use of high-pressure hoses on Black protesters in a move that prompted outrage around the country and across the world.
Wilks’ attorney, Aymen Aboushi, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the FDNY has a culture and history of racial discrimination.
“Firefighter Wilks was unlawfully punished for seeking to change the culture of discrimination at the FDNY,” Aboushi said. “We will continue to fight for equality and ensure that the FDNY no longer retaliates against its members who do the same.”
Additionally, the suit notes Wilks complained to top FDNY officials about the marginalization of Black firefighters and the lack of diversity in the FDNY ranks. In response, the department sent Wilks a summons to meet with officials upset with his comments.
The suit also alleges Wilks was suspended for 30 days after he protested outside FDNY headquarters and then moved to a post with no overtime pay in addition to losing income from his suspension. Wilks was also forced to undergo counseling before returning to work.
The FDNY has not commented on the lawsuit, referring inquiries to the city law department, which said the suit was under review.
A NY Woman Says Her Mother’s Remains Were Finally Identified 20 Years After 9/11 Attacks
Medical examiners recently identified the remains of 47-year-old Dorothy Morgan, a victim whose body was lost in the 9/11 attacks nearly 20 years ago.
Morgan, a Hempstead grandmother, became the 1,646th victim from the attacks to be identified. At the time of her death, she worked in the north tower for Marsh McLennan as a broker.
Her remains were buried beneath tons of steel and stone at Ground Zero. After New York City’s chief medical examiner, Barbara A. Sampson, completed the DNA work, officials announced their findings, Newsday reported.
The long wait for her family came to end. They were both astounded and perplexed about how to honor their mother’s remains. Years ago, the city gave Morgan’s loved ones an urn with some ashes from Ground Zero.
“It was surprising, shocking,” Morgan’s daughter, Nykiah Morgan, said about learning the news.
Nykiah was given some guidance on how to move forward. Officials at the medical examiner’s office briefed her on how to claim the remains, choose a funeral home and decide what to do after that.
Nykiah said she’s not planning a funeral.
“It is a lot to take in,” the Westbury resident told Newsday. “Twenty years later I was not expecting this kind of phone call.”
Last month, Nykiah explained, local detectives spoke with her son while she was at work then followed up with her. They said her mother’s remains had been identified through DNA testing.
In total, there were 2,753 victims in the attacks. Morgan and a man whose family doesn’t wish for him to be publicly identified were the first new identities made since 2019, according to Sampson.
Some families choose to be notified, while others don’t.
Morgan’s brother, 58-year-old Cecil Burke, said being notified so long after the attacks triggered old memories and emotions.
“It is bittersweet, but it is nice to know that they have not given up,” the Atlanta resident said.
Sampson said her office’s recent adoption of next-generation sequencing technology—which is more advanced than conventional DNA procedures—promises more identification results.
While progress has been made, there’s still a ways to go. Tens of thousands of remains recovered from Ground Zero are awaiting additional testing.
“Twenty years ago, we made a promise to the families of World Trade Center victims to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to identify their loved ones, and with these two new identifications, we continue to fulfill that sacred obligation,” Sampson said. “No matter how much time passes since September 11, 2001, we will never forget, and we pledge to use all the tools at our disposal to make sure all those who were lost can be reunited with their families.”
One of the ‘Exonerated 5’ Yusef Salaam Considers Possible Run for Harlem State Senate
One of the ‘Central Park 5’ who was falsely accused of raping a white woman back in 1989 in New York City may be making a run for a political office in New York State.
According to The New York Daily News, Dr. Yusef Salaam, who was 15 at the time of the false accusation and arrest, is considering running for the seat of NY State Senate in Harlem, which was recently vacated by Harlem state Sen. Brian Benjamin. Benjamin was appointed the new lieutenant governor, by Governor Kathy Hochul, after she replaced the disgraced former governor, Andrew Cuomo.
Associates of the 47-year-old Salaam, says that if he does run, he plans to focus, in part, on issues that align with what he went through, wrongful conviction. He reportedly also plans to focus his agenda on criminal justice and prison reform, police brutality and eliminating juvenile solitary confinement.
It’s been reported that other likely candidates include State Assembly members Al Taylor and Inez Dickens, who represent adjoining parts of the 30th Senate district.
Salaam was 15 years old when he and four other teenage boys of color were falsely imprisoned for the rape and brutal assault of a white woman in New York City’s Central Park in 1989. At the time, the boys were demonized in the media (and by Donald J. Trump) and became infamously known as the “Central Park 5.” After serving time in prison, the boys were exonerated in 2002 after a convicted murderer and serial rapist Matias Reyes confessed to the crime.
Today, the men–Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, andKorey Wise–are known as the “Exonerated 5.” Their heart-wrenching story was originally told by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns in 2012. Their story was also adapted by filmmaker Ava DuVernay in the acclaimed Netflix 2019 series “When They See Us.”
Back in 2014, the five men had been awarded a $41 million settlement from the city.
‘Auntie’ Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Hang Out With Nicki Minaj and Baby ‘Papa Bear’
When the stars align, boy, do they align!
This past Labor Day a social media post got the internet buzzing as current lovebirds Rihanna and A$AP Rocky was seen in a photo with Nicki Minaj, her husband, Kenneth Petty, and their son whom she affectionately calls “Papa Bear.”
The photos and videos posted made people on social media take notice and react to the viral moment seeing the star power aligned and having a play date with auntie Rihanna and uncle A$AP Rocky.
Rihanna and Nicki Minaj really was in the same room together chillen with the kids, NEW MUSIC IS FUCKING COMING pic.twitter.com/J0GamjgOso
Papa bear is one of the luckiest baby in the world Rn. His mum is Nicki Minaj and he’s sitting right next to Rihanna and he ain’t even 1 yet 😭❤️ God when
I might sound dramatic, but it’s just fair. Seeing both @rihanna and @NICKIMINAJ together is just making me super emotional. The first song I heard from Nicki Minaj was Fly ft. Rih and it’s just making me so so happy, it’s hard to put into words,Thank you!!😭
nicki is getting ready for the BIGGEST era of her life right now, i just know it. the way she’s been rolling things out and keeping them secret until she’s ready she’s doing this how SHE wants to do it, i can’t wait for this new era. we love you Onika🦄❤️
Everyone looks so happy. I’m happy for ya’ll so much beautiful pics. Mr burberry london england ha baby is so cute congratulations nicki you deserve it
“Papa Bear” may come from star stock, but he is pretty much a star all his own. On Wednesday, Minaj’s and Petty’s baby boy was trending on Twitter for upstaging his momma as she tried to film a Live. But Papa Bear was busy doing some heavy construction and could not be silenced.
‘We Were Manifesting’: Abby De La Rosa Says Pregnancy With Nick Cannon Was Planned After Miscarriage
People felt like entertainer Nick Cannon was “Wild ’N Out” when he started getting women pregnant at a prolific rate.
The father of seven children has welcomed four children from three different mothers in the past year alone. One of the women, Abby De La Rosa, who is the mother of Cannon’s twin sons, recently spoke about her and Cannon’s choice to become co-parents.
In fact, according to E Online!, the model said the pregnancy with Cannon was planned.
The two parents welcomed their twin sons, Zion Mixolydian Cannon and Zillion Heir Cannon, in June. The 30-year-old De La Rosa conducted a question-and-answer session via her Instagram Stories last Friday. She revealed that she and Cannon were expecting their first child in April 2020 but she had a miscarriage. By October, De La Rosa, who is also a professional DJ, learned she was pregnant again.
“First pregnancy, April 2020, was definitely not planned, but Nick was such a great friend to me and just so good to me, and then our focus became to have a baby. Little did we know we would end up having twins.”
“Let me just add that this planning wasn’t like us sitting down with a calendar and being like, ‘You gotta be pregnant by this date,’ it had already been a thought and it happened. It had already been out there, it was something we were manifesting and we were just letting it flow.”
Cannon has seven children, including his first set of twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe, with his ex-wife, singer Mariah Carey.
He also has a daughter, Powerful Queen (born in December), and a son, Golden, with model Brittany Bell. Most recently, his youngest son, Zen, was born in July with model Alyssa Scott.
“Trust me, there’s a lot of people that I could’ve gotten pregnant that I didn’t,” Cannon said on his syndicated radio show in July. “The ones that got pregnant are the ones that were supposed to get pregnant.”
Alabama Agrees To Take Racist Language Out of Constitution
Alabama is attempting to get rid of racist language from its constitution, but it is taking some time.
According to reports from the Associated Press, the document that outlines, limits and dictates how the state of Alabama is governed was created in 1901. It contains clauses that maintain racial inequality, such as segregation in schools.
However, in November 2020, in an effort to change the racist constitutionthe Committee to Recompilation of the Constitution was established. The group is seeking to remove the remaining traces of Jim Crow laws and the agreed-upon changes will be put to a public vote, expected to take place in 2022.
Alabama voters approved the recompilation project in 2020.
Currently, the constitution has phrases that state:
“Separate schools shall be provided for white and coloured children, and no child of either race shall be permitted to attend a school of the other race.”
This is still written in the state’s constitution, despite that fact that the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation in state-funded schools in 1954.
“It is important for us to let folks know we are a 21st-century Alabama, that we’re not the same Alabama of 1901 that didn’t want Black and white folks to get married, that didn’t think that Black and white children should go to school together,” Marieka Coleman, a Democratic state representative, told the Associated Press.
Legal experts testified to the committee that it was important to rectify the constitution, despite many of its proponents being illegal now.
“There is a recurring theme amongst the public comments that we don’t need to concern ourselves with things that are no longer operable, That segregation is no longer allowed. It is illegal. We all know it’s illegal. Who cares that it’s in the Constitution. I disagree with that,” Othni Lathram, the director of the Legislative Service Agencies told the committee, according to the Alabama Political Reporter. “I think the words in our constitution matter.”
Attorneys Launch Investigation Into Elevator Collapse That Killed Teen Athlete JauMarcus McFarland
The family of the teen athlete who died in an elevator collapse in Atlanta has opened a formal investigation into his death. Attorneys representing the family of 18-year-old JauMarcus McFarland said they want to determine if there are legal grounds to file a suit.
“This family obviously deserves answers and certainly they deserve justice if there is wrongdoing,” Cochran Firm attorney Sam Starks said at news conference earlier this week. “And it certainly appears that JauMarcus’ death was unnecessary and preventable.”
McFarland’s family said it has been given “the run-around” and has heard different stories about that tragic day. Lawyers say the family has seen what they called “doctored video” from the incident, according to 11Alive.
The investigation will look into the owners and managers of the 444 Highland Avenue apartment complex in Midtown, Starks said. It will also focus on Champion Prep Academy, the college preparatory program where McFarland was enrolled that uses the Highland Avenue complex as student housing.
“We certainly believe they had a duty and responsibility to provide for the care and supervision of these boys and we have some serious questions about that,” Starks said.
The apartment complex said Tuesday it is aware of the family’s investigation, but declined to comment further.
McFarland arrived at Champion Prep at the beginning of August looking to improve his grades and to become eligible to join a college football program. The teen graduated from high school in May and moved to “better himself,” his family’s attorneys said.
“He had a desire and a dream to go to college and to play college football,” attorney Shean Williams said. “He came to Atlanta to fulfill that dream. Unfortunately, what JauMarcus and his family got was a nightmare.”
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, McFarland and several of his teammates were inside an elevator at the apartment complex when it malfunctioned Sept. 1. While his teammates made it out, McFarland remained trapped, lodged between the elevator and the floor until first responders arrived. He subsequently died from his injuries.
Self-Taught Design Artist Melissa Mitchell Launches Apparel Partnership With Foot Locker
Melissa Mitchell, owner of Abeille Creations, was stuck in quarantine when the voice of God told her to create. Listening to that calling helped her land a monumental deal with Foot Locker.
The opportunity features an exclusive appeal line of wearable art designed by Mitchell.
In the midst of Mitchell’s restlessness in 2020, the self-taught artist created over 100 digital art pieces. This wasn’t the first time she’d been encouraged to create during an isolating time.
“I’d been in this place of forced isolation and stillness before when He told me to create before I even knew how,” Mitchell said about the 2014 snowstorm that left Atlanta residents homebound for days.
Both times she allowed her creative spirit to carry her through the challenging times. As a preacher’s kid raised in Miami, her connection to spirituality and creativity are the two most important things in her life.
“My father was very involved in church and was also an incredible designer, so I had no choice but to be creative,” she told Essence.
While she’s creative, Mitchell also has great work ethic. She established her design brand seven years ago while employed full-time at another company. Even though Abeille Creations was an almost instant success, she didn’t quit her job right away.
“Here’s the thing, I don’t think people need to quit their day job to be successful, at what they love,” Mitchell told Essence. “I have a substantial 401(k) and have spent time building my savings before deciding to quit my corporate job…I’m not the average creative.”
Only this year did she leave her job to focus on her art full-time. The day she left fell on the seven-year anniversary of the beginning of her design journey.
Now, her brand has been featured in Vogue and worn by celebrities like Lupita Nyong’o, Tabitha Brown, and Amara La Negra.
Mitchell told Essence she believes people gravitate toward her designs because they can feel that it’s her way of communicating with God.
“I don’t always use my mouth to speak to Him,” she said. “I think people can feel that my prayers are threaded through the art and are a way of expressing my gratitude for everything he’s blessed me with.”
Her partnership with Foot Locker, which is the latest installment in her growing brand, features 13 pieces consisting of joggers, jackets, leggings, biker shorts, hats, and more.
“The line is called ABL, A Better Life,” she said. “I knew the other opportunity did not move forward because there was something bigger and better waiting for me. Always trust the timing of your life.”
The appeal line will debut in Foot Locker, Footaction, and Champs Sports stores nationwide and will be sold for a limited time only.
How This African-Born Financial Advisor Is Finding His Fulfillment Helping African-Americans Build Wealth
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This content was made in partnership with Bank of America.
Bank of America is looking for professionals like you, who want to make a difference in people’s lives while working at a company that values all our differences. Join us for a three-part series where we’re talking with some of their top Black financial advisors about how they found professional fulfillment while bringing their whole selves to work.
Tobias (Toby) Hananda was born in a small town in Zimbabwe, came to the U.S. some 20 years ago, went to college and grad school in Georgia, and is now a Merrill Lynch financial advisor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.
Hananda started at Bank of America in 2007, after getting his master’s degree from Georgia College & State University, thinking it might be a stepping stone to another opportunity.
“I just finished my MBA, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he says, “but I knew I wanted to do something that would impact the world, make a little money along the way, and help my parents back home.”
But he quickly felt at home professionally, finding Bank of America to be “a very welcoming company, full of diversity. From the get-go, I got so attached to the company.”
A financial advisor since 2017, Hananda started by working the phones in the credit card division, eventually becoming a team lead before transitioning to personal banking in 2013.
Hananda says a day in the life of a financial advisor is busy but fulfilling.
“On average I will have maybe five to 10 appointments with clients, and it starts off with understanding each client before they come in,” he explains. Where others see differences, Hananda sees the commonalities of the human spirit.
“My journey is a journey of all of us, no matter where we come from. We may speak different languages, we may look different, we may go to different churches, but ultimately we’re all chasing the same things,” he says. “We are all on this journey to become a better version of ourselves.”
In addition to prep work on learning about the client and understanding commonalities or differences, there’s a lot of follow-up to be done to manage relationships: “I’m on the phone quite a bit, reaching out to my clients, explaining to them things that are happening in the economy, making them feel reassured that they are still on the right path. I use my email a lot as well, responding to client questions.”
It’s a job that calls for continuous growth and improvement.
“There’s a lot of learning that’s still going on and ultimately just trying to be better so that the next interaction I have with the client is a worthwhile interaction for them,” he says.
There’s also lot of learning that needs to happen with the public, when it comes to using financial advisors, Hananda says—starting with the fact that financial advisors are not only for the rich.
“That, to me, is the biggest misconception that we have to overcome. No matter what station you are in life, no matter what level of assets you have, financial advice is for everyone.”
That is especially true for members of traditionally underserved communities, as financial expertise is essential to closing the racial wealth gap.
“There’s a report that I ran across. Only 35% of Black households have money invested in the stock market. On the flip side, 61% of whites are invested,” he explains¹.
“My clarion call is to make sure that I do my little part in terms of making people know that this is for all of us,” he continues. “It’s critical that we educate minority communities because we need to catch up.”
Representation matters when it comes to getting Black clients to participate in financial planning. “I can’t tell you how many clients I get in my office and they’re truly inspired that there’s one of them on the other side of the table,” Hananda says.
Having diversity on his side of the table also matters to cultivating the next generation of financial services professionals.
“I feel like my presence in the industry hopefully inspires some kids out there in whatever corner of the world they are that at the end of the day, you can do it,” he says. “We all can do it.”
Here’s more on Hananda’s inspiring professional journey as a financial advisor:
What is the most fulfilling part of what you do?
“Making a difference in people’s lives is one of those things that’s really fulfilling. When clients come in the office, we sit down, we start off with their goals: what do you aspire to be, what does the future look like for you? And then based on those goals we do a top-down approach; we try to create vehicles to help accomplish those goals. I get emails from clients, I get letters from clients, and I’m so thankful that I was able to help them.”
What is your favorite thing about working at Bank of America?
Bank of America is big. We have some, I think, 200,000 employees. I work with people from all walks of life. Bank of America allows us to thrive in that melting pot of inclusion and diversity. And I think it’s a wonderful thing that they’re at the forefront of change that’s needed in this country. You probably have seen the commitments that the bank has made in terms of making a difference in our society, to the tune of $1.25 billion. That’s absolutely just heartwarming. I’m so proud to work for a company like that.
What have been the keys to success in your career?
The one thing that I think is absolutely key in this business is the ability to communicate, the ability to dress up your thoughts in a way that clients can understand. You have to be able to communicate well, because there’s a lot of complex things that we talk about with clients, but it’s about distilling those into manageable and understandable nuggets. The art of listening is key as well. It’s such an important part of what we do, because at the end of the day, it’s about the client, it’s not about me.
What advice would you give someone who wants to enter the financial industry?
Try to understand how things work. Whatever challenges you’re going through, it is through the understanding of those problems that you’ll find the solution; solutions are embedded in problems. Think big and don’t give up. There’s always something on the horizon, and fortune favors the brave.
Meet The 22-Year-Old Luxury Handbag Designer Who Hopes To Catch The Eye of Beyoncé
Before she founded a luxury handbag brand named after herself, this Togo native was bullied for her name when she moved to the United States at six years old.
Now, people all over the world are pronouncing her name while rocking her stylish handbags.
Hogoè Kpessou, 22, launched her brand last October to wash away the negative association she felt toward her name. Now, it represents luxury.
“I have people asking me how to say my name properly and asking how to spell it,” she told Insider. “That was a good choice on my part.”
Kpessou launched her brand known for backpacks emblazoned with bumblebees with $10,000 from her mom. She expects to hit seven figures by the beginning of next year.
Since the brand’s launch, the company has made nearly $500,000 in sales with a 3,900% transaction increase, according to the outlet. The company’s social media traffic has grown 31,000% and direct site traffic has grown 50,000%.
This year, Kpessou released a collection of bags adorned with fireflies and expanded the color selection of her bumblebee backpacks. She plans to enter wholesale, create apparel, and catch the eye of Beyoncé, whose nickname is “Queen Bee,” the Insider reported.
“That would just be perfect,” Kpessou said about getting the singer’s attention.
Before she launched her brand, Kpessou sold candles and poetry books online. At the same time, she worked as a sales representative at the insurance company Florida Blue. On the weekends, she worked at a local restaurant and delivered food for Uber Eats.
Now that her company is launched, she finds separating her brand’s identity from her personal one a challenge. She’s also working to establish boundaries between herself as a person and as a founder.
Hogoè Kpessou handbags
“I’ve always been a yes-ma’am, no-sir type of person,” she said. “But I can’t rely on people who don’t necessarily know the challenges of starting something from the ground up telling me how to proceed.”
Her advice to other business owners is to “keep the vision of what you want your business to be at the forefront.”
She says now is the best time to start a business. According to Insider, the number of Black-owned businesses launched since July 2020 is on the rise, all while self-employment continues to increase and consumers continue to spend money at companies they support.
“We’re entering a renaissance,” Kpessou continued. “I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
Kpessou currently runs the company alone and is seeking to hire at least five more people in the next two months to help with customer service and packaging.
In the meantime, the business owner is managing burnout by writing and seeing her therapist often. She also taught herself Korean and plans to get back into exercising.
“I need to find out how to make the gym my comfort zone again.”
