by Sharelle Burt

April 1, 2024

‘Deliveredt’ Social Media Star Andrew Caldwell Announces Campaign For St. Louis Committeeman

We're cheering for you, Andrew!

Andrew Caldwell is going from the internet to Capitol Hill after announcing his candidacy for Committeeman of the 9th Ward in the City of St.Louis, Missouri.

The viral social media star made the announcement on Instagram, saying he’s “always been about people and business.

“Today, I took a step out on faith to handle the business of the people…I announce that I am an OFFICIAL CANDIDATE for Committeeman of the 9th Ward in the City of St.Louis!!!! #andrewcaldwellfor9thward

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A post shared by Andrew Caldwell (@andrew_c_caldwell)

Caldwell seems to be taking his new love for politics seriously the old-school way. He recently posted a picture with St. Louis residents after knocking on their doors for support. Spent the afternoon knocking on doors and sharing with members of my community!…”

“I’m committed to the work of the community! Join me as I make an impact and implement action rather than sit home and talk about it.”

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A post shared by Andrew Caldwell (@andrew_c_caldwell)

There is no set definition of responsibilities for a “committeeman” or “committeewoman,” but according to the St. Louis government website, “each party committee is selected for the purpose of representing and acting for the party in the interim between party conventions.”

Caldwell’s election date is August 6, and his announcement was met with much applause from supporters. “Congratulations! You would be great at fulfilling the duties of a committeeman,” @jamilahnasheed wrote in the comments. Another remembers seeing Caldwell out in the streets during protests. You were on the streets representing during the protests and taking people to task,” @cookingstuffeatingstuff said.

“I remember. You will be a good addition to the committee.”

There has been an influx of younger leaders looking to revitalize the city of St. Louis. Sen. Steve Roberts (D-St. Louis) – the youngest black State Senator in Missouri state history – recently introduced a bill to create a state program incentivizing the conversion of desolate office spaces be turned into residential spaces. After finding 20% of commercial spaces in downtown St. Louis are vacant, Roberts recommended a 25% tax credit be made available for qualifying projects.

by Stacy Jackson

April 1, 2024

Spelman Sees Influx In Applicants Amid Supreme Court Ruling Ending Considering Race In The Admissions Process

Spelman's surge in applicants defies the nationwide trend of declining enrollments that has forced some smaller colleges to shut down.

Spelman College has witnessed a remarkable surge in applications since George Floyd’s murder in 2020, including a 13% influx within the last year.

Bloomberg noted the all-women’s HBCU in Atlanta saw applicant submissions grow by nearly a third between 2020 and 2024, which physician and Spelman President Dr. Helene Gayle credited to Floyd’s murder. The surge within the past year comes amid the Supreme Court’s ruling on race, which BLACK ENTERPRISE previously mentioned, the high court decided to cease considering race in college admissions.

“It has changed the way young people feel about being in an environment that’s nurturing, that they know that they are valued, that they see people that reflect who they are, understand the cultures that they came from,” Gayle told Bloomberg TV. “The Supreme Court decision had a chilling effect, whether or not it’s yet had the time to have a practical impact.”

As colleges share admission decisions for the first application season since the Supreme Court ruling, some institutions face financial constraints due to enrollment declines and demographic shifts like Birmingham-Southern College, which stated it would cease operations on May 31, 2024, due to a lack of funding.

However, Spelman’s surge in applicants defies the nationwide trend of declining enrollments that has forced some smaller colleges to shut down. The college has recently received substantial donations, including a historic $100 million gift from businesswoman Ronda Stryker and her husband, William Johnston. Of this amount, $75 million will fund endowed scholarships to attract top students, while $25 million will support public policy and democracy studies, housing improvements, and strategic needs. This is the largest single donation to a Historically Black College or University.

In 2022, Spelman announced it received a $5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation for faculty development and interdisciplinary programs. The previous year, a $5 million grant from Google aimed to increase diverse representation in STEM fields. These followed two $40 million donations in 2020 from philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Patty Quillin, who donated with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

University of Tennessee, board of directors

by Sharelle Burt

April 1, 2024

Report Details Financial Troubles At Tennessee State University

A forensic audit reveals the HBCU mishandled budget monitoring, collecting tuition, and awarding scholarships.

A forensic audit of Tennessee State University reveals how the HBCU mishandled core responsibilities including budget monitoring, collecting tuition, and awarding scholarships.

With 57 observations and 60 recommendations, auditors from CliftonLarsonAllen LLP found troubling details about the school’s finances. University president, Glenda Glover, received an estimated $33,000 over her contracted base salary that didn’t go through proper approval stages until the funds were received.

Scholarships for students increased by almost 250% — from approximately over $22 million during the 2020 fiscal year to over $55 million in 2023 — in fiscal year 2020 to approximately $55.5 million in fiscal year 2023.

While that may sound like good news, auditors found the spending to be “not sustainable” and lacked the corresponding documents and criteria to award financial stipends.

Enrollment issues also came to light. While students with overlooked unpaid account balances were still allowed to enroll, TSU also failed to charge over $1 million (a minimum in tuition or fees) for enrolled graduate students taking classes related to dissertation, thesis, or project writing continuation.

Lastly, there was money, totaling $3,952.92, paid by the school, that couldn’t be explained or labeled as “University business.”

“The Tennessee State University Financial & Compliance Audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 contains nine findings,” the report read, according to WSMV.

“Several of the findings document management’s lack of adequate oversight over its financial reporting, bank reconciliations, capital asset records, collecting procedures, and more. At least three of the findings have been reported in the prior five annual audits of TSU.”

Released by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office, two other reports showed how the HBCU handles federal grant awards in order to provide students with financial aid. Several findings correspond with similar errors once reported by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) following their October 2023 review of the university’s administration of state financial aid programs.

That review essentially resulted in TSAC holding back grant and scholarship payments from TSU.

The university released a statement claiming some discrepancies in their findings, stating they “cover a period that began in 2021.”

“These findings in this report cover a period that began in 2021, and do not reflect the substantial improvements that TSU has made to its business operations over the past two years, and gives the impression that TSU is committing the same infractions in the present, which is not the case,” the statement read.

“Additionally, the audits do not mention the gross underfunding of TSU.”

In 2023, a federal analysis showed TSU was reportedly shortchanged $2.1 billion dollars less than it should have between 1987 and 2020. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump took the case against the state of Tennessee, calling for GOP Governor Bill Lee to make it right.

“This is really about the lives of Black people in America and trying to understand that there’s a huge wealth gap between Black Americans and white Americans. And education is a great equalizer to bridge that wealth gap,” Crump said on Oct. 3. “We really sincerely hope that the Tennessee legislature is going to rectify this historic deficit.”

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 1, 2024

Offset Turned $245K Into $700M When He Listened To His Mother About An Investment

It was because of her the rapper was able to cash in on an opportunity she brought to him

In a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe and his Club Shay Shay podcast, former Migos member Offset disclosed that an investment he made with $245,000 brought him back $700 million.

Offset is the latest person to sit down with the NFL Hall of Famer, and Sharpe asks him about his investments and questions the rapper about how he delegates where his money goes. As he goes into the conversation about his great investment, he admits to Sharpe that he has never spoken about it publicly and says he can’t talk about it. Yet, he then tells the former athlete that his investment involves the avatars on his phone. He proceeds to credit his mother for getting him involved in the investment.

“I had actually listened to my momma to this. So the dude was here in LA in Chinatown, and he was working out of his little apartment. She brought me to his apartment. And then, He needed like $245,000, and now I can show you an article where it’s up to like $700 million.”

Because he stated that he was unable to discuss that particular investment, Sharpe then shifted to asking the “Bad and Boujee” rapper about what he had learned about the business of hip-hop.

“Knowledge is key, and you can’t blame the system cause the system is going to keep going, so what you got to do like I did. You got to adjust to the system. Get the learning what. Ask questions like I’m asking questions.”

He then said that when he first got into the music game, he didn’t really ask questions and just accepted what he was given without knowing what he would have to do to earn it. He didn’t understand because he never read the terms of what he would have to do to get that money. But now, that’s changed.

“I feel like if you build with your lawyer like I talk to my lawyer, day-to-day. When I’m asking questions, and he knows like I’mma ask this question, and I need you to break it down into a way that I can understand, so I understand what I’m signing up to cause I’ve been a dumb artist before just signing because they get you with the money.”

TED Talks, Brooklyn, comedy show, Black-Owned Comedy Venue, black music

by Kandiss Edwards

April 1, 2024

8 Expert Steps To A Successful TEDx Talk

Here's how to nail public speaking--step by step!

Originally Published Dec. 13, 2019.

The year is winding down and as I take my inventory of goals achieved, abandoned, or rolled over to next year, I’m especially satisfied with one big checked box: I finally did a TEDx Talk.

As someone who does public speaking regularly, you might think the idea of TED was no biggie to me. Just another speech, right? Uh, wrong.

I was deeply intimidated by the idea because it will live online forever and a TED Talk is typically live —no notes, no teleprompter. Call me a commitment-phobe, but that eternity piece is scary.

Despite my fear, an affiliation with TED offers a sort of seal of approval on your brand and a bit of credibility you can leverage. If you make any part of your living as a speaker, a lack of TED in your life feels akin to a skills gap.

The good news is, the risks are relatively small and if your talk takes off, it could be the most efficient work you’ll ever do. The most successful TEDx Talk of all time was a lighthearted riff by a British neuroanatomist, on whether schools kill creativity. To date, it’s been viewed more than 75 million times.

The distinction for the longest-standing ovation in TED conference history goes to civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who delivered an 18-minute talk in 2012 about the power of identity. To date, more than 8 million viewers have watched it online and Stevenson has said his nonprofit, Equal Justice Initiative, received about $1 million from those who attended the live speech alone. It may not have been his goal, but all these years later, the video continues to serve as a powerful fundraising vehicle for Stevenson’s work.

My “The Power of Belonging” TEDx Talk goals were simple. (1) I wanted to communicate clearly (2) I wanted to move people to embrace the importance of belonging—because, as corny as it sounds, I believe that if we all thought more, cared more, and worked harder to create a world where everyone feels they belong, everything that most divides and conquers progress on a daily basis would change for the better. (3) I wanted to feel good about it when it was over, a.k.a., I didn’t want to mess up and then be able to revisit my embarrassment forever.

There are books on how to nail a TED Talk. There are even TED Talks on how to give great TED Talks. They all say pretty much the same thing: Attempt to touch people with something unique that they won’t forget. Breaking that down, there are about eight fail-safe steps:

Tap into a topic you’re truly passionate about.
There are sermons, lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and straight talks. Your goal is to tell a vivid story.
No matter how serious the topic, be conversational, casual, chill.
Teach something new.
Throw in a surprise or two.
Make ’em laugh.
Be brief (the TED timing sweet spot is 12-18 minutes).
Aim for 360-degree authenticity.

Leading up to your TEDx Talk use these three tips:

Over-prepare. Weeks ahead, I knew anxiety was my enemy. It was going to keep me up at night, fretting and sweating until I had my talk written out and was fully satisfied. Whatever mode of preparation works for you, be sure of exactly what you plan to say well ahead. I refined, rehearsed, and memorized every word. Did I rigidly stick to my script? No. But I had it down, and that was key.
Phone a friend. TEDx usually assigns a mentor or small group of knowledgeable people—let’s call them TEDdies—who will help you. I gratefully used them and took their advice, but I also leaned on two close, discerning friends of my own. A few times. On the phone and in person. You don’t want to find out in the midst of your big moment that your big joke or reveal is a big, fat fail.
What will you wear? TED is notoriously casual, and they offer little advice on the matter other than standard broadcast news fashion tips like don’t wear plaid or busy patterns; don’t wear grey or blindingly bright colors. I was so focused on the speech that I honestly didn’t put much thought into my look—and it shows. If my biggest flubs were in the fashion lane, I can live with that. Until next time!

gay dating app, teacher, arrested, kidnapping, handcuff

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

April 1, 2024

Married Christian School Teacher Allegedly Kidnapped And Robbed Men Through Gay Dating App

33-year-old Antonie Perteet allegedly targeted and victimized three men during a three-week span.

A former teacher at a Christian-based learning center has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and robbing men he met through Grindr, a dating app for gay single men. The Vehicular Hijacking Task Force arrested Antonie Perteet in Chicago on March 26.

The 33-year-old is facing charges for a slew of alleged crimes against male victims committed between June and July 2023. According to a statement by the Chicago police, Perteet’s charges include multiple felony counts, including armed robbery and aggravated vehicular hijacking.

Perteet allegedly targeted and victimized three men during a three-week span. The victims ranged in age from 30 to 50 years old.

Perteet would allegedly find his victims through Grindr, getting their addresses to attack them later. Prosecutors claimed that a friend helped conduct the scheme, assisting in holding the men captive and pressuring them for their banking information.

The pair continued his robberies in the fall. On Oct. 8, he and his accomplice saw the man he met via the gay dating app walking his dog. They allegedly forced him back into his home at gunpoint and proceeded to rob him, as reported by CWB Chicago. Prosecutors also accused Perteet of stepping on the man’s face and threatening him not to look up. Perteet had connected with the victim on the day of the home invasion, restraining him with belts, painter’s tape, and a towel to cover his mouth.

Perteet is a married father of four who worked as a gym teacher at the learning center, per WBBM News Radio. His alleged actions may be connected to another set of Grindr-related robberies involving at least 15 men, according to authorities. It is unclear thus far if Perteet is the main suspect of those crimes.

Historic Black Church Partners With Developer To Build Affordable Housing In Charlotte’s First Ward

by Sharelle Burt

April 1, 2024

Historic Black Church Partners With Developer To Build Affordable Housing In Charlotte’s First Ward

Count on the church to put in the work!

An AME Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, is opening more doors than the sanctuary by building affordable housing adjacent to its Uptown campus.

Rev. Dr. Dwayne A. Walker, pastor of Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church, proudly cut the ribbon on March 26 at Varick On 7th, a 105-unit brand-new mixed-use apartment building housing affordable and market-rate apartments. According to a press release shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE, the project was a collaborative effort between the city of Charlotte, the Little Rock Community Development Corporation, which donated the land, and Laurel Street Residential.

Source: **Photo courtesy: Little Rock AME Zion Church**

The Black-founded development company is responsible for some of the budding projects developed for working families and seniors with a range of incomes who seek affordable housing. Mecklenburg County is falling behind in closing the housing gap while battling growing gentrification in Charlotte’s neighborhoods that were formerly for the working class and historically Black communities.

According to The Charlotte Post, the Queen City has a shortage of approximately 26,000 affordable housing units. That number may continue to grow as the cost of renting and buying increases. However, Varick On 7th, named after the first Bishop of the AME Zion Church, hopes to change that.

“Affordable housing is a national problem, and it will take all sectors of society to solve this crisis,” Walker told BE.

“The Little Rock Community Development Corporation and Little Rock AME Zion Church are committed to giving our brothers and sisters a hand up rather than a handout. We plan to offer wrap-around services to our residents who may need certain assistance.”

A census from 2022 revealed elderly residents and people with disabilities are two of the fastest-growing groups in need of affordable housing solutions in Mecklenburg, the largest county in North Carolina.

Walker described the partnership with Laurel as a “perfect match,” touching on its “expertise and passion” to address the need. Laurel Nelson said being open to collaboration is the reason projects such as Varick exist.

“When we come together as one, and we work together, and we’re creative, and we’re trying to deliver solutions, we get creative and figure it out,” Nelson said. “As a result, it’s what you see here today.”

With new residents scheduled to move in in April, Walker is excited about the new opportunities this budding partnership will bring and hopes it will help other churches see the “value they bring to the table.”

“There many churches like Little Rock, who may be asset rich but cash poor,” he said. “Additional revenue gained through these types of ventures not only serves to address a much-needed problem but helps to strengthen the church’s base, which makes their ministries even more impactful.”

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

April 1, 2024

Texas Woman Acquitted In High-Profile Voting Rights Case

Crystal Mason served three years of a five-year prison sentence for casting an ineligible vote during the 2016 election.

A state appellate court in Fort Worth, Texas, has acquitted Crystal Mason of an illegal voting conviction. Mason almost served a five-year prison sentence for ineligibly casting a vote during the 2016 election.

Judge Wade Birdwell ruled in favor of Mason, per NPR. He wrote that state prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence that Mason knew of her voting ineligibility. Her case gained national attention for its ties to voter disenfranchisement, especially in the southern state.

At the request of her family members, the grandmother went to exercise her right. Although she could not be located on the voter rolls, a volunteer helped her fill out a provisional ballot. Mason maintains that she was unaware that she couldn’t vote while on supervised release from prison. The woman, once incarcerated for federal tax evasion, could not legally vote because she had not technically finished her sentence.

While the vote did not count, Mason faced charges of voter fraud with the threat of returning to prison. In regard to her successful appeal, the ACLU of Texas applauded the decision. They called it a “victory for Mason, a Black grandmother from Fort Worth, whose life was upended by the state’s aggressive charges.”

Mason hopes to continue advocating for voter rights even after her acquittal.

“I am overjoyed to see my faith rewarded today,” expressed Mason in a statement. “I was thrown into this fight for voting rights and will keep swinging to ensure no one else has to face what I’ve endured for over six years, a political ploy where minority voting rights are under attack.”

Mason’s attorney, Alison Grinter Allen, maintains that Mason’s conviction was an unnecessary offense from the start. She stated that Texas’ conservative leadership continues to intimidate voters with cases such as these.

“Crystal and her family have suffered for over six years as the target of a vanity project by Texas political leaders,” said Grinter Allen. “We’re happy that the court saw this for the perversion of justice that it is, but the harm that this political prosecution has done to shake Americans’ confidence in their own franchise is incalculable.”

Especially with the upcoming 2024 election, voting rights, including for former felons, remains a big concern for advocates nationwide.

by Sharelle Burt

April 1, 2024

They Did What?! Harvard Removes Bookbinding Made Of Human Skin

That's just nasty...

Harvard University recently made a decision to remove a book with human skin binding from its campus library.

Out of a collection of 20 million books found at Houghton Library, Arsène Houssaye’s Des destinées de l’âme was allegedly bound in human remains by its previous owner, Dr. Ludovic Bouland, a French physician. Bouland was accused of using the skin of a deceased female patient without consent while working at a hospital.

The book has been on Harvard’s campus since 1934 after being placed on deposit by alum John B. Stetson, Jr. After his death, his widow, Ruby F. Stetson, donated the publication to Houghton Library in 1954. It wasn’t until 2014 that a scientific analysis confirmed the book had been bound in human skin.

After recommendations by the Report of the Harvard University Steering Committee on Human Remains in University Museum Collections in 2022, it was decided the binding no longer had a place in the collection, with the committee citing the “ethically fraught nature of the book’s origins and subsequent history.”

The Houghton Library took accountability for the oversight, saying, “Stewardship practices failed to meet the level of ethical standards.” It also admitted that the book had been made available to anyone who requested it and never questioned the reasoning. According to ABC News, a library associate once revealed the book was used to “haze” Houghton student employees years ago, when they were asked to “retrieve the book without being told it included human remains.”

Prominent alumni like Paul Needham said there had been a call for years — 10, to be exact — for the binding to be removed. The early modern books scholar revealed he co-wrote an open letter calling for its removal that was published as an advertisement in The Harvard Crimson in March 2024. “I first raised the question with the library almost 10 years ago, in June 2014. And I requested they should have the human skin respectfully removed and given a decent burial,” Needham said.

“I think that the open letter is what finally moved them really to take action and make a statement because until yesterday we have not gotten the university to say a single word about binding in almost 10 years.”

With all the facts known, library associates answered some grueling questions about why the book had remained in Harvard’s possession this long.

Tom Hyry, Harvard’s associate university librarian for archives, said, “We apologize on behalf of Harvard Library for past failures in our stewardship of the book that further objectified and compromised the dignity of the human being at the center.

“We are determined to move forward with care, sensitivity, and ethical responsibility and are committed to best practices in the field, including reflection and correcting historical errors.”

The binding was removed, and the book will remain in a secure storage space at Harvard Library.

Civil Rights Hall of Fame, Mississippi, Jackson, Mayor Lumumba

by Daniel Johnson

March 31, 2024

LDF Sues Alabama Town Alleging Residents’ Voting Rights Were Violated For Decades

Since the mid-1960s, Newbern, Alabama, has failed to either hold or publicize its municipal elections, as required by state law.

The town of Newbern, Alabama is being sued by the Legal Defense Fund over the town’s refusal to let Patrick Braxton, a Black man who won the mayorship in 2020, do the job that he earned because no one else in the town, including its former mayor, filed to run.

As The Guardian reported, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and the private Alabama law firm Quinn, Connor, Weaver, Davis & Rouco are suing the town’s ex-Mayor Haywood “Woody” Stokes and the town’s all-white council board. They accuse the defendants of manipulating the political process to maintain power, including refusing to allow Braxton to take office. Since the mid-1960s, Newbern has failed to either hold or publicize its municipal elections, as Alabama’s state law requires.

The injunction’s brief summary of events states, “For nearly sixty years, Defendants and their predecessors have operated a “hand-me-down governance” system in the town of Newbern. Under this system, Defendants have generally either refused to hold elections at all or failed to provide meaningful notice about upcoming elections.”

The injunction continues, “Although about 80% of Newbern residents are Black, Defendants’ actions have led to the de facto appointment of almost exclusively white residents to the offices of mayor and town council. Defendants’ refusal to lawfully administer elections denies Plaintiffs their fundamental right to vote in violation of the U.S. Constitution and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (“VRA”).”

Furthermore, Newbern has maintained a system of two mayors, according to the lawsuit. Some town residents were unaware that they even had the right to participate in elections.

Braxton told The Guardian in 2023 that he hoped the town does the right thing, but if not, he is willing to sue.

“They’re] so stuck in their ways and don’t want nothing else for the town. They just want it to stay the same,” Braxton said. “I hope they break, and just go ahead and release everything to me. If not, we’ll just go to court.”

The LDF provided a statement from Braxton, which emphasized that citizens’ inability to vote in elections violates the democratic process.

“For decades, officials in my town have excluded me and other voters from participating in elections and having a say in what happens here,” Braxton said. “Voting is not a privilege; it is a responsibility in helping to shape the direction and priorities of our community. We want to ensure our voices are heard, and votes are counted. We ask the courts to enforce elections in Newbern this November so that we can cast our ballots and actively participate in the democratic process.”

Richard Rouco, a partner at the Alabama firm that joined the motion for an injunction, said in a press release that the town effectively has been depriving its citizens of their constitutional rights. “In failing to hold or give notice to residents for municipal elections, Newbern officials have continually prevented residents from electing representatives and holding office. It is imperative that the courts step in to ensure Newbern residents can fairly and fully exercise their fundamental right to vote.”