Knoxville College, Tennessee, HBCU
by Mary Spiller

November 9, 2024

Historic Building Burns Down At One of Tennessee’s Oldest HBCUs, Knoxville College

No one was injured.

A building at Knoxville College, East Tennessee’s only historically Black college and one of the oldest in the state, was destroyed by fire on Nov. 4. Although vacant, the flames completely consumed the structure.

The huge fire was reported at Elnathan Hall around 9 p.m. According to a Knoxville Fire Department news release, around 40 firefighters responded to the scene and remained present until 1 a.m., attempting to douse the hotspots of the rubble.

As of Nov. 7, fire investigators suggested the fire was intentionally set at its source. They specified that the “set” could be because of arson but also could have been due to cooking. Knoxville Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks told news outlets that they are still unsure of the cause of the Elnathan Hall fire.

Wilbanks explained, “Nothing new as far as any suspects or anything like that. We do believe it was a set fire. We don’t have any leads at this time, but the investigators were told a few people’s names. They are still looking into that.”

Knoxville College is a small, non-accredited HBCU campus near downtown Knoxville. The college has been contending with debt, low enrollment, and a loss of accreditation. The college now only offers online classes, so the campus is largely vacant. Thankfully, no one was present at Elnathan Hall during the fall, but the location was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Knoxville College is still trying to regain its accreditation and is also searching for a new president of the HBCU. Knoxville College lost its Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation in 1997 due to financial difficulties and a consistently declining enrollment. The college was founded in 1875, and it is one of seven historically Black colleges and universities in Tennessee and the only historically Black college in East Tennessee.

RELATED CONTENT: Central State University, Ohio’s Only HBCU, Placed On Fiscal Watch

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Black organications
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 9, 2024

Baltimore Mayor Reacts To Kamala Harris Election Loss, ‘This Country Does Not Deserve Black Women’

Scott shows solidarity with Black women after VP Harris's election loss.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is going viral for his impassioned speech lamenting Vice President Kamala Harris’s election loss to Donald Trump.

On Nov. 6, Scott addressed the public following Harris’s decisive loss to former President Trump. In a video shared Nov. 7, Scott shared his thoughts about her defeat and what he feels it signifies about the country.

While Scott became the first Baltimore mayor to win re-election since 2004, he expressed his “extreme disappointment” with the presidential election outcome and the reality of a second Trump presidency. He also criticized the nation for its lack of support for Black women.

“It is really on my heart this morning to say that as a man, but more importantly as a Black man, that this country does not deserve Black women or Black people, but specifically Black women,” he said.

“This morning, I woke up and I just gave my wife a hug because I know how heavy this is weighing on Black women,” he continued. “And they have carried this country and saved this country too many times and continue to be the most disrespected human beings on the planet. And it, quite frankly, it disgusts me.”

With the Baltimore Mayor expecting a baby girl with his wife, Hana Pugh, he expressed concern about the world she’ll be welcomed into. One that is “steeped in racism, sexism, and misogyny,” he said.

Scott defended Harris’s campaign, saying neither she nor her team deserves criticism for their strategy or its short timeframe after President Joe Biden opted out of re-election in July. Scott believes that even with more time, the outcome would have remained unchanged, given the state and history of the country.

“The fact is, is that they did everything that a campaign can do and more,” he said. “But we as a country really have a lot of soul searching to do, and that’s really what I wanna say about that today.”

Scott’s passionate speech received widespread support on social media, with many expressing gratitude and sending warm messages in the comments.

“Thank you Mayor Scott! We needed to hear this ❤️,” one person wrote.

“This brother gets it,” added someone else.

On X, Mayor Scott was celebrated for being “a real one.”

https://twitter.com/cbr_OLU/status/1854566807744504096

RELATED CONTENT: Even A Mayor Can’t Escape Jury Duty: Brandon Scott Takes A Seat In Baltimore Courtroom

trump, mass deportation, private prisons
by Sharelle Burt

November 9, 2024

Private Prison Groups Celebrate Trump’s Massive Deportation Plan, Calling It An ‘Unprecedented Opportunity’

And it starts.....

Private prison groups are cheering for President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for a massive deportation on day one of his term, labeling it as the “unprecedented opportunity” they’ve been waiting for, HuffPost reports. 

During an earnings call on Nov. 7, top-ranking private prison groups explained their excitement over a second Trump era. Members of GEO Group and CoreCivic feel the election results will increase government funding of private contracts for immigration detention, electronic tracking devices, and transportation of detainees from the United States to other countries. “The GEO Group was built for this unique moment in our company’s– country’s history, and the opportunity that it will bring,” founder and executive chairman of the board of directors for GEO Group, George Zoley, said.

Immigration deportation was a key element in Trump’s 2024 campaign, threatening mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and, in some cases, those who are here with legal protections. During rallies, he spoke highly of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s mass deportation program and being open to inciting an 18th-century law giving him powers to enforce deportations.

Allies in Trump’s corner have been openly candid about building mass deportation camps along the border, with the capacity to hold thousands of people at a time while judges process deportation orders. The concept would be a good thing for private prison owners, as stock prices have already increased. 

According to Fortune, CoreCivic stock went up 29%, while GEO Group saw a larger gain at 42%. Data from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) shows that the industry has a right to celebrate the announcement. During the Trump-Pence reign, the federal government expanded the migrant detention system by more than 50%, which “overwhelmingly benefited private prison companies.” In 2019, just before Trump left the White House, the number of detained immigrants reached a peak of 55,000. 

President Joe Biden seemingly followed Trump’s plan once he took over in 2021 by making an exception to migrant detention facilities while issuing an executive order to end private prison contracts with the government. 

CoreCivic’s CEO Damon Hininger said during the call that he feels a sense of newness with the new Trump administration — something that the country has yet to see. “It feels like with this election this year, we’re heading into an era that we really haven’t seen, maybe only once or twice in the company’s history, where the value proposition of the private sector for both our state partners and our federal partners are going to be not only strong today, but even stronger as we go in the next couple of years,” Hininger said. 

“We do think that there’s going to be an increased need for detention capacity.” 

GEO Group CEO Brian Evans agrees with the thought. “We expect the incoming Trump administration to take a much more expansive approach to monitoring the several millions of individuals who are currently on the non-detained immigrant docket,” Evans explained, alongside COO Wayne Calabrese, who joined the call. 

While the plan seems to be giving leaders joy, they know that the magnitude of deportation Trump is speaking of could take quite some time. “I’ve been told recently [that it will take] several weeks if not a few months to detain these people and make final arrangements for their removal,” Zoley mentioned. 

Zoley failed to highlight who exactly was the source of that information.

RELATED CONTENT: Trump Promises Mass Deportations On Day 1

Plies’ Attorney Disputes Lawsuit Against Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla And Cardi B Is Attack On Black Women
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 8, 2024

Plies’ Attorney Disputes Lawsuit Against Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla And Cardi B Is Attack On Black Women

Walter Mosley, Esq., explains why the lawsuit was filed

Recording artist Plies has filed a lawsuit against four fellow rappers who he claims used an unauthorized sample of his 2008 song, “Me & My Goons.”

According to Rolling Stone, Algernod Lanier Washington, aka Plies, has filed paperwork against Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla, Cardi B, and Soulja Boy. The suit was filed in a California Federal Court where Plies accuses Soulja Boy of illegally sampling “Me & My Goons” for his 2010 song “Pretty Boy Swag.” In turn, Megan Stallion and GloRilla used the “Pretty Boy Swag” sample authorized by Soulja Boy for their 2024 song, “Wanna Be” which sets them up to be included in the lawsuit. Cardi B was added because she was on the remix of the song.

The lawsuit states, “The Plaintiffs never granted any license, permission, or authorization to the Defendants to use any portion of the Copyrighted Material in [“Pretty Boy Swag”], [“Wanna Be”], nor [“Wanna Be (Remix)”].”

“After being made aware of the infringement through communications from Plaintiffs’ legal representatives, the Defendants have failed to take corrective actions, including offering compensation, credit, or otherwise resolving the matter. The Defendants’ continued use and exploitation of the Infringing Work constitutes a knowing and intentional violation of the Plaintiffs’ copyright.”

Plies attorney, Walter Mosley, Esq., spoke to TMZ on Nov. 7 to discuss the reason the lawsuit was filed.

Mosley placed the blame on lawyers after stating that Soulja Boy has never denied sampling the song but he found it “convenient” that during negotiations the attorneys denied that. Yet, he stated that a musicologist confirmed that “Pretty Boy Swag” used a sample from “Me & My Goons.” Mosley also defended the accusations of Plies filing a lawsuit against Black women, which he said that TMZ reported when discussing the suit.

“My communication is directed to the labels, the record labels, the people that actually own the music. The artists are wonderful, wonderful artists. This isn’t an attack against any of the artists. This is just a matter of revenue that was made by major companies and major companies were supposed to split that revenue amongst the shareholders.”

He assured the media outlet that the lawsuit is not based on color or gender and this has been in the works for about six to eight months before the announcement was made. He also mentioned that Plies supports Black women and wanted the press to know that this lawsuit is not an attack against Black women, but in making sure business is taken care of.

Plies has also been very vocal in his support for Vice President Kamala Harris during the election cycle.

 

RELATED CONTENT: Philly Rapper Freeway Was All Of Us When He Belted ‘Reading Rainbow’ Theme Song To The Iconic LeVar Burton

BEYONCÉ, beygood, black cowboys
by Kandiss Edwards

November 8, 2024

It’s Beyoncé—Being The Subject Of A Whole College Course—For Us

Yale will offer a course centered around the cultural contributions of Beyoncé in 2025.

Yale University will offer a course, “Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics through Music,” in spring 2025.

The course, developed by Daphne Brooks, professor of African American Studies, will examine Beyonce’s cultural and political contributions. Brooks’s focus on the American Requiem singer is a byproduct of a previous course she taught at Princeton University. The focus of that curriculum: “Black Women in Popular Music Culture.”

“Those classes were always overenrolled,” Brooks told the Yale Daily News. “And there was so much energy around the focus on Beyoncé, even though it was a class that starts in the late 19th century and moves through the present day. I always thought I should come back to focusing on her and centering her work pedagogically at some point.” 

Beyonce’s most recent work, Cowboy Carter, examines the evolution of Black music throughout American history. The singer channels genres, like country and folk music, that originated in the Black community but are now mainstream. The evolution from pop music to her more focused and intentional latter albums steeped in social commentary allows Brooks to examine “American culture, popular culture and global culture for the past two decades.”

“I would hope that no matter what discipline you are pursuing in liberal arts at Yale,” Brooks said, “by looking at culture through Beyoncé, it can invite us to think about the extent to which art can articulate the world we live in and nourish our spirits and give us the space to imagine better worlds and the ethics of freedom.”

While the Yale course focuses on the global star’s evolution to enlightenment, feminism, and liberation, universities are tackling celebrities through a different lens. 

Georgia State University’s law school course, “Life of Issa Rae,” focuses on the deals that helped shape Rae’s rise in entertainment. . 

Rae’s ascension from producing and starring in You Tube’s Awkward Black Girl to HBO’s Insecure necessitated negotiating multiple contracts, reviewed with a keen eye. Analyzing the intersection of art, business, and legalities is just as important as examining culture and political impact.

RELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé Pays Homage To Great-Grandfather With New SirDavis Whisky

American Flight: Visa Research Surges Post-Election
by Kandiss Edwards

November 8, 2024

American Flight: Visa Research Surges Post-Election

American's are looking at Visa requirements amid Trump re-election.

Lavida, a visa consultant company, reports a spike in Americans researching how to establish residency or citizenship abroad. 

The Nov. 5 presidential election results set off alarm bells in many Americans. As the country veers towards a more conservative agenda, many Americans are doubting the country’s stability and their personal safety. 

Lavida released a statement about the over 2000% rise in traffic to their site. 

“Immediately after the election on November 6th, Lavida recorded an unprecedented 2300% jump in US traffic on www.goldenvisas.com. Thousands of US visitors have already explored solutions that could grant them a level of freedom from political tides.”

The company reinforced what it believes is the motivation behind the rise in visa research. In their estimation, Americans need more than one option. Voting cannot be the only solution to protect self-interest, as the will of the majority may be in direct opposition to an individual’s. 

“This surge highlights a growing recognition among Americans: without a viable Plan B, the ballot box might be their only lever – one that leaves half the electorate unfulfilled. Many now see second residency and citizenship as the first step toward greater autonomy, protecting their wealth, lifestyle, and future generations from the uncertainties of shifting government policies.”

Many people have taken to social media to express their interest in leaving the country if Trump won the presidency.

https://twitter.com/f4lserealitiess/status/1852977674198630518?s=46

While other’s are thinking of ways to capitalize off of American flight.

Black Americans leaving the country in search of a better life is not a new development. Both Nina Simone and James Baldwin chose to leave behind America’s violent treatment towards Black folks. More recently, Black Americans are leaving to find greater opportunities for career growth and a better quality of life. Living in walkable cities, escaping gun violence, police brutality, school to prison pipeline, de facto redlining and the invisible ceiling placed on black achievement are all reasons for the abandonment of the American experiment. 

TravelNoire spoke to expats to get a better understanding of their experiences abroad. Mocha Moizelle described the difference between how the U.S. is perceived and her lived realities. 

“Due to our sorted history, Black people throughout the diaspora just have different lived realities. Sometimes I have encounters with people who cannot fathom why I would want to leave the U.S.”

She continued, “I have to acknowledge how the U.S. is marketed to the outside world, and that their lived experience is totally different from mine. Race relations may not be as important to someone who does not exist in whiteness on a daily basis”

Perhaps the same reality exists for future expats. The perceived safety and liberties of other countries may not live up to what has been marketed. But for some, anyplace is better than here. 

RELATED CONTENT: Luxury Travel Group For Black Women Shutters, Customers Have Yet To Be Refunded

black designer
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 8, 2024

Pharrell Williams Was Fired From McDonald’s Back In The Day, Here’s Why

The music producer explains he was actually fired 3 times

Music producer and fashion stalwart Pharrell Wiliams recently revealed that before finding success as a recording artist, his first and only employment took place at one of America’s favorite fast-food restaurants, McDonald’s. He also explained he was terminated three times and the last one made sense to anyone who has ever worked at a fast-food spot.

According to E Online, the artist sat down with BBC Radio for an interview where he told the host about his time working at McDonald’s when he was much younger. He was able to work at the corporation three times but he did something the last time that could have been avoided, but most likely happens at most restaurants.

“McDonald’s was my first and only job,” Pharrell stated. “I got fired three times. I was eating the chicken nuggets.”

He went on to say that laziness did him in the first two times.

“The first two times it was just because I was lazy. The third was like, ‘What are you doing? You’re just sitting there eating nuggets?’”

Pharrell has given people the opportunity to find out about his life and the very beginning of his music career in the LEGO-inspired documentary, Piece by Piece. The project was released in theaters on Oct. 11. According to Forbes, due to a poor showing in theaters the film was released on a streaming platform via premium video-on-demand.

The autobiography was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville. Piece by Piece gives the audience a view of Pharrell’s life, from his upbringing in Virginia Beach, creatively told through LEGO animation. Included in the film were testimonies and memories from childhood friends from his area who happened to also go into the music business and find success. Those people were fellow Virginia natives Pusha T, Missy Elliot, Timbaland, and his longtime friend and N.E.R.D. and Neptunes collaborator Chad Hugo. Other music contemporaries also “appear” in the film like Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Teddy Riley, and several other artists he’s worked with throughout the years.

RELATED CONTENT: Pharrell Williams LEGO Biopic Headed For Streaming After Just Two Weeks In Box Office

Brooklyn Bodega, new york city, Sanyia, Samyia Spain
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 8, 2024

Police Search For Gunman Who Shot Former Employer On NYC’s Upper West Side, Sparking Melee

A gunman remains at large in NYC after shooting his former boss on the Upper West Side.

The New York Police Department is on the search for a gunman who they say shot his former boss Nov. 7 in the morning on the Upper West Side and fled into a nearby subway station.

The shooting took place after the disgruntled employee confronted his ex-boss at Lincoln Business Machines Inc. on West 68th Street and Columbus Avenue, ABC 7 NY reported. The former employee was a remote worker and was fired sometime before the shooting around 9:30 a.m.

The suspect allegedly fired at least six shots, hitting the 47-year-old victim twice in the leg and shoulder. The victim was transported to Mount Sinai Morningside and is expected to survive while the suspect fled into the subway station at 72nd Street and Central Park West, leading to significant train delays.

Authorities resorted to turning off the subway power to allow officers to walk the tracks in case the suspect was hiding in the subway tunnel north of the station. Some passengers were removed from the train and station, and others were told to lie on the ground as the A, B, C, and D lines experienced delays due to the investigation. Subway service was able to resume shortly after 11 a.m.

Investigators believe the suspect, last seen wearing a white hat, green jacket, blue hoodie, and carrying a black gun, may have exited the subway through an emergency exit at 76th Street. On Thursday afternoon, they were searching Central Park for the suspect.

Footage posted on the Citizen app showed the area immediately surrounding the scene was blocked off. Shattered glass was scattered near a bus stop, and a bullet hole was visible in the door of an apartment building just behind it.

Witnesses say they heard about a dozen gunshots, with the window of a bus stop damaged in the aftermath. A nearby school was briefly placed on shelter-in-place but was able to resume normal operations.

“I was actually half asleep and I heard 10 gunshots, about. And then we heard whelping, like crying, screaming, and then we heard a bunch of sirens,” one witness said.

“When I heard the shots, I thought, I can’t believe that would be gunfire, because in this neighborhood, you don’t hear that kind of stuff,” another person added. “But here it is, bus station blown apart.”

Authorities say the suspect remained at large by 3 p.m.

RELATED CONTENT: NAACP Announces $200M Fund To Support Black Businesses As Part Of Reparative Economic Justice Initiative

Kristen Dunning, Shark Tank, Gently Soap, UGA, Georgia, Candace Nelson
by Stacy Jackson

November 8, 2024

Kristen Dunning’s Gently Soap Is One Of Oprah’s Favorite Things

Gently Soap's sensitive skin care products are backed by plant science and they're some of Oprah's favorites.

Following a successful pitch on ABC’s Shark Tank last year, Kristen Dunning’s Gently Soap has made it onto Oprah’s 2024 list of favorite things.

“The road to OFT was an incredible one,” the Gently Soap founder wrote on LinkedIn. “It gave me the opportunity to elevate and reposition my brand how I’ve always envisioned it.” Dunning’s Live Gently Holiday Gift Set, featured in Oprah Daily’s special 2024 Holiday Edition, offers the entire full-size line of soaps, boxed with a heartfelt message signed by the skincare guru. Gift holders will find five soaps which include Gently’s four main bath bars: Fields of Joy, Reign Cloud, Breathe and Bloom, and Treasures of the Sun. The box set also includes the brand’s new Greenhouse Dreams, which according to the Gently Soap website, is a coconut oil free bath bar.

Dunning pitched her soap brand to Shark Tank during the show’s season 15 premiere in September 2023. As previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, the entrepreneur secured a $75,000 investment with guest Shark and Sprinkles Cupcakes founder, Candace Nelson. The deal included access to Thirteen Lune’s specialty beauty website in exchange for 25% of her company.

On LinkedIn, Nelson called Dunning’s spotlight in Oprah’s Favorite Things 2024 a “#ProudInvestor moment.”

The University of Georgia alum graduated from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, completing degrees in horticulture and agricultural communication. She launched Gently Soap in March 2021 before she faced the Sharks with her brand inspired by her personal journey with eczema. Throughout her business ventures, she’s been awarded a $100,000 investment through Essence and Aveeno’s Skin Health Startup, selected as a participant for the Techstars Accelerators program and a finalist for Pharrell Williams’ $1 million Black Ambition entrepreneurship prize, and received a $2,500 award for her business from the University of Georgia.

Dunning’s Live Gently Holiday Gift Set is available to purchase on the Gently Soap website and Amazon. Find her featured skincare products in Oprah Daily’s special 2024 Holiday Edition, available on newsstands Nov. 12.

GRADY HOSPITAL, ATLANTA, TRAUMA, LEVEL ONE
by Kandiss Edwards

November 8, 2024

Atlanta’s Grady Hospital To Build Emergency Care Center In South Fulton

Grady Memorial Hospital will build a freestanding health unit in South Fulton County.

Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta is expanding its reach. Fox5 Atlanta reported that the hospital is planning to build a freestanding emergency unit in Union City.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners is partnering with Grady to fill a healthcare gap on the south side of Atlanta. The medical unit will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

According to Fox 5, “Residents of South Fulton County right now travel up to 40 minutes to get life-saving treatment since the closures of Atlanta Medical Center.”

Robert Pitts, Fulton County chairman, emphasized the necessity of the medical unit and the county’s hope for the future.

“The dream is, and the need is for a freestanding hospital in south Fulton County, but this is a major step in the right direction,” Pitts said.

 A spokesperson for Grady gave a statement to Channel 2 Action News expounding on the details of the partnership.

“We are pleased that our certificate of need to build a freestanding emergency department in south Fulton County has been approved. This freestanding emergency department, built in partnership with Fulton County, will be located in Union City and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” 

Grady Memorial is a Level One Trauma Unit. As such, it can address emergency situations in-house. The freestanding emergency center has 16 bays and will provide labs, immediate assessment, immediate care and body scans. Emergency treatment will require the use of helicopters and ambulances to admit patients to Grady’s main facility.  

Grady Memorial Hospital’s Marcus Trauma Center was recognized as a level-one trauma center in June 2024. Dr. Elizabeth Benjamin, the trauma medical director at Grady, praised the facility’s team and commitment to greatness in a statement.

“This re-verification is a testament to our team of physicians, nurses, and support staff who deliver the highest levels of care to the patients we serve every day,” she said. “It also underscores what we have known for a long time — Grady’s trauma care is second to none.”

The facility is the only trauma center in Atlanta that can accommodate up to 5,000 patients. 

RELATED CONTENT: Fani Willis Re-Elected To Atlanta’s Fulton County District Attorney’s Office

sized the necessity of the medical unit and the county’s hope for the future.

“The dream is, and the need is for a freestanding hospital in south Fulton County, but this is a major step in the right direction,” Pitts said.

 A spokesperson for Grady gave a statement to Channel 2 Action News expounding on the details of the partnership.

“We are pleased that our certificate of need to build a freestanding emergency department in south Fulton County has been approved. This freestanding emergency department, built in partnership with Fulton County, will be located in Union City and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” 

Grady Memorial is a Level One Trauma Unit. As such, it can address emergency situations in-house. The freestanding emergency center has 16 bays and will provide labs, immediate assessment, immediate care and body scans. Emergency treatment will require the use of helicopters and ambulances to admit patients to Grady’s main facility.  

Grady Memorial Hospital’s Marcus Trauma Center was recognized as a level-one trauma center in June 2024. Dr. Elizabeth Benjamin, the trauma medical director at Grady, praised the facility’s team and commitment to greatness in a statement.

“This re-verification is a testament to our team of physicians, nurses, and support staff who deliver the highest levels of care to the patients we serve every day,” she said. “It also underscores what we have known for a long time — Grady’s trauma care is second to none.”

The facility is the only trauma center in Atlanta that can accommodate up to 5,000 patients. 

RELATED CONTENT: Fani Willis Re-Elected To Atlanta’s Fulton County District Attorney’s Office

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