Virginia birthing center, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Doula Services, Black Maternal Mortality Rate

by Kandiss Edwards

March 20, 2025

Virginia Union University Offers New Doula Certification Program

Virginia Union University is the first HBCU to offer two doula courses.

Virginia Union University announced the launch of a new doula certification program, making it the first historically Black college or university in Virginia to offer such a program.

The private institution is partnering with the Virginia Board of Health and Birth in Color, a reproductive health advocacy and education organization. The announcement was made during a press conference on March 18.

Birth in Color was founded by Kenda Sutton-El, who attended the event and praised VUU’s commitment to advancing Black maternal health.

“Any place could create their own doula program, but why not give back to the organization that actually created the awareness around doulas, that actually created the awareness around Black maternal health, and actually use us as a partnership?” Sutton-El said. “That speaks volumes about the character of Virginia Union.”

Sutton-El also highlighted the critical need for doulas, especially within Black communities, as part of addressing maternal health disparities.

“People feel a lot more comfortable talking to people who look like them when it comes to anything health-related,” she said. “And what we do see is a lot of doctors actually thank us because we’re giving them information that they may not have been able to get from the patient.”

According to the Virginia Department of Health, Black women in Virginia are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes compared to white women. The disparity is part of a broader national trend in which Black women experience significantly higher maternal mortality rates. Efforts like VUU’s doula program aim to expand culturally competent care and reduce these alarming statistics.

According to the Virginia Maternal Mortality Review Team’s 2024 Annual Report, the number of pregnancy-associated deaths in Virginia rose from 64 in 2021 to 67 in 2022, with the rate increasing from 66.9 to 70.1 per 100,000 live births.

These statistics underscore the critical need for culturally competent care to address maternal health disparities in the state. Initiatives like Virginia Union University’s doula certification program aim to expand care and improve outcomes for Black mothers.

by Stacy Jackson

March 20, 2025

Courtney B. Vance Narrates W.E.B. Du Bois Biography Audiobook

In Volume One of "W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race" audiobook, the actor will narrate the first five decades of the activist's life.

Tony Award-winning actor Courtney B. Vance will reintroduce the legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois as narrator of a two-volume biography about the civil rights activist.

The opportunity to narrate the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, W.E.B. Du Bois, 1868-1919: Biography of a Race, is a true passion project for Vance as the work makes its debut as an audiobook for the first time. The Lovecraft Country actor said in a press release obtained by BLACK ENTERPRISE that his love for history drew him to Du Bois’ biography, authored by David Levering Lewis.

According to the March 19 announcement, Volume One will cover the first five decades of Du Bois’ legacy, followed by Volume Two, a continuation of his life through 1963. “Listen to Courtney B. Vance, and you shall hear the spoken wisdom of an American colossus, a prophetic man of color in whose ninety-five years all intellectual, political, economic, and racial choices were profoundly explored,” said Lewis.

The biography explores an intense fifty-year period of the African American scholar’s life and career, according to the book’s description on Simon & Schuster. Born William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, the renowned civil rights pioneer, editor, and writer changed the way Americans think. The NAACP says the leading thinker was “one of the foremost Black intellectuals of his era.” Du Bois, an NAACP founding member who became the organization’s director of publicity and research, published several essays and works speaking on race and the plight of Black Americans. Du Bois made history as the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Simon & Schuster Audio President Chris Lynch said, “To have a narrator as talented and passionate as Courtney B. Vance bring W.E.B. Du Bois’ legacy to life is a true publishing event.” Vance has portrayed significant figures over the course of his acting career, from Johnny Cochran in FX’s The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story to Rev. C.L. Franklin in National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha series.

Simon & Schuster Audio’s announcement additionally revealed the actor’s plans to produce a documentary film based on the W.E.B. Du Bois biography through the Bassett Vance Productions company, founded in partnership with his wife, Golden Globe Award-winning actress Angela Bassett.

Volume One of W.E.B. Du Bois, 1868-1919: Biography of a Race will be released as an audiobook on June 17.

Atlanta Georgia, education, Super Bowl LXII, Atlanta Wine and Jazz Festival, Build-to-rent

by Jameelah Mullen

March 20, 2025

California-Based Company To Bring Hundreds of Jobs To Metro Atlanta

Good news for Atlanta job-seekers.

Trinet, a human resources consulting firm, plans to move into a multimillion-dollar corporate center in Dunwoody, Georgia, about 16 miles from downtown Atlanta. The California-based consulting firm will open a $15.4 million facility in 150,000 square feet of office space.

Trinet says its new national hub will employ 750 people by 2030. Their roles will include tech, HR consulting, client management, and sales.

“Most of these positions don’t exist currently. So they won’t be bringing people with them as they move operations here. They will have to hire people locally,” Mayor Lynn Deutsch said at her State of the City address on Tuesday, March 18.

“With 750 new jobs in Dunwoody, there will certainly be an even more increased demand for housing,” Deutsch said.

These new jobs could bring new renters, homebuyers, and consumers to the Dunwoody area, boosting the local economy.

“This creates the multiplier effect because they’ll consume in that area. By consuming there, you’re creating new revenue that was not there before,” Sergio Garate, assistant professor of finance and director of the real-estate program at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, told Fox 5 News.

Garate estimates that, with an average salary of $75,000, these jobs could generate about $56 million in additional income for Dunwoody.

Dunwoody is located in Atlanta’s Central Perimeter submarket, home to some of the city’s most prominent corporate headquarters. The submarket is close to most of Metro Atlanta’s major interstates and public transit system, making it convenient for employees to commute to work. However, the area has faced challenges rebounding from the disruption to office space rentals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trinet lists 18 open jobs in the Atlanta metro area, including several payroll tax analysts and sales consultant positions. The corporation has not specified the exact location of the new office complex.

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 20, 2025

Nonprofit Scammer Found Guilty Of Stealing $240M In Food Aid Meant For ‘African Immigrants’

The state grew suspicious in 2020 and attempted to stop payments but Bock sued the state government for discrimination since it served African immigrants.

Aimee Bock, leader of a Minnesota anti-hunger nonprofit, Feeding Our Future, was convicted of spearheading a scheme that scammed the government out of $240 million in pandemic relief funds, the New York Times reports.

In early March 2025, Bock was found guilty by a jury on seven counts, including wire fraud and bribery, for coming up with a plan of phony food kitchens and leaving the government with a bill for 91 million meals. First charged in 2022, federal prosecutors labeled the scheme as the largest known fraud against the government’s COVID-19 relief programs involving close to 70 additional people.

According to FOX 9, prosecutor Joe Thompson blasted Bock’s scheme, calling it “brazen” and “the shame of Minnesota.” “A monumental fraud that’s being perpetrated on our state,” Thompson said.

“A brazen and corrupt scheme designed to take advantage of a program designed to feed needy children. The Feeding Our Future case has come to symbolize the problem of fraud in our state; it has become the shame of Minnesota. Hopefully, today’s verdict will help turn the page on this awful chapter in our state’s history.”

Over 40 people involved have already been convicted or pleaded guilty. Another defendant, Salim Said, who supervised one of the fake kitchens, was convicted of 21 counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, in addition to four counts of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The federal government fed into Bock’s program, dishing out money thinking funds would reach children who were out of school without access to school lunches. Administered by the state of Minnesota, the government relied on nonprofit groups called “sponsors” to be its watchdogs, responsible for overseeing individual kitchens and feeding sites to guarantee the group wasn’t inflating the number of children they served.

The state started to grow suspicious of her moves in 2020 and attempted to stop payments to the programs. However, she sued the state government, claiming discrimination against her network since it served African immigrants. In response, the state called in the F.B.I., which led to an investigation and a raid of Bock’s home and the nonprofit’s offices in early 2022.

Prosecutors claimed that Bock conspired with dozens of people to set up 250 nonexistent feeding operations around the state and used her oversight power to hide her plans from the government. Bock was given a total of $18 million as, by law, her nonprofit received a cut of the money. Proceeds from the scheme went toward purchases of homes, cars, and commercial buildings, including Bock sending money to her then-boyfriend and taking trips to Las Vegas and Lamborghini rentals.

Gov. Tim Walz celebrated prosecutors, the Department of Education, the USDA, and the FBI for building a strong case with a guilty verdict and saying he is “furious” about it. “I heard literally two minutes ago [during the budget meeting]. This is something that is obviously very close to me because I am furious about this,” Walz said.

“I have been from the beginning. These are criminals who preyed on a system that was meant to feed children. It was organized; they continued to lie about that.”

Judge Nancy Brasel ordered Bock and Said to stay behind bars until sentencing, but all charges carry sentences of more than 10 years in prison.

Elon Musk, Tennessee, pollution, super computer

by Mitti Hicks

March 20, 2025

It’s Giving Delulu! Elon Musk Claims U.S. Has ‘Magic Computers’ That Create Money Out Of ‘Thin Air’

Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, says his team found “magic money computers” that create money out of thin air. He also claims the U.S. can transfer funds anywhere in the world with the magic computers.

Musk, whose department is tasked with implementing cost-saving measures in the federal government, was speaking to Senate Republican Ted Cruz as a guest on the senator’s Verdict podcast.

“One of the things you told me about is what you called magic money computers,” Cruz said to the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

According to the Indy 100, Musk replied, “You may think that government computers all talk to each other, they all synchronize, they add up what funds are going somewhere, and it’s coherent, and that the numbers you’re presented as a Senator are actually the real numbers […]. They’re not.”

He says that while the numbers are “not totally wrong,” they may be off by 5% to 10%.

“Any computer which can just make money out of thin air, that’s magic money,” said Musk.

When Cruz asked how the computers work, Musk replied, “It just issues payments.”

According to Musk, the computers are inside the Treasury Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense.

On X, Musk stated, “One of the biggest scams we’ve uncovered is that the government can give money to so-called nonprofits with very few controls, and there’s no auditing of that nonprofit.”

🚨 ELON MUSK: "One of the biggest scams we've uncovered is that the government can give money to so called non profit with very few controls and there's no auditing of that non profit." pic.twitter.com/ovUqzsseXi
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) March 17, 2025

The Origins of Musk’s Claims on ‘Magic Computers’

As Market Watch reports, financial experts say Musk is describing the principles of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). MMT is an economic theory that states accumulating debt shouldn’t be a concern since governments can pay interest by printing money.

“The U.S. government has a technology, called a printing press (or, today, its electronic equivalent), that allows it to produce as many U.S. dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost,” MarketWatch’s Ben Bernanke reports, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, said in a 2002 speech.

Interestingly enough, Musk also told Cruz that the government doesn’t track the money it spends well.

He told Cruz that he attributes 80% of that sloppiness to incompetence and the other 20% to malice.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 20, 2025

Shilo Sanders Obtains Protective Order In Bankruptcy Trial

The football player filed for bankruptcy after being ordered to pay a default judgment of $11.89 million for an alleged assault against a school security guard

In the continuation of a lawsuit in which Shilo Sanders was ordered to pay a default judgment to a school security guard for which he filed for bankruptcy, the judge issued a limited protective order that states “designated discovery material may not be used for any other purpose” than for the merits of this case.

According to USA Today, Judge Michael E. Romero responded to Sanders’ attorney, who requested a protective order asking that discovery evidence, including NIL (name, image, and likeness) business dealings, be kept from being disseminated so it wouldn’t end up on social media. According to the attorney, the information drawn could become part of a “smear campaign ” that could be used against him and affect future earnings for the football player after his bankruptcy ruling.

“We don’t want a situation where we’re producing bank statements from 2023, and now we see an Instagram post saying, `Oh look. Four times last month, instead of paying (Darjean), he went to go and get avocado toast,’” Sanders’ attorney, Keri Riley, said. “Does anybody care? We would hope not, but this is a case that is in the public sphere already.”

Sanders filed for bankruptcy protection after a school security guard, John Darjean, sued the NFL hopeful, who was a 15-year-old high schooler in 2015 when he, according to Darjean, allegedly assaulted the security guard after he tried to take away Sanders’ mobile phone after being asked to do so by school officials. Darjean claimed he was left with permanent injuries after the assault. He was awarded a default judgment of $11.89 million after Sanders failed to appear in court in 2022.

However, Darjean’s attorney, Ori Raphael, opposed the request because his client is owed the money, and he feels that Sanders should not get “extra” privacy protection in public bankruptcy court.

“Nothing is special about what he’s done,” Raphael told the judge. “Nothing makes him unique. The only thing that’s unique is he chose to be bankrupt and come to this court to say, `Oh, I’m special, so I shouldn’t have to reveal anything I’ve done.’ You chose this path. You have to, therefore, accept it. Same with the people who contracted with him. It’s the risk of doing business.”

The judge stated that designated discovery evidence may not be disseminated on social media unless it becomes a public court record.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 20, 2025

Red Lobster’s Nigerian-Born CEO Leads Effort To Return Casual Dining To Glory Days

Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun is working hard to bring diners back to the restaurant.

Red Lobster’s CEO is working hard to combat the sharp decline in casual dining following the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-present threat of rising inflation.

At 36, Damola Adamolekun made history last September as the youngest CEO in Red Lobster’s nearly 60-year history. The Nigerian-born Ivy League graduate is now focused on shaping the restaurant chain’s future, striving to reignite diners’ enthusiasm for eating out.

“A lot of people, their early experiences with seafood were at a Red Lobster,” Adamolekun told CBS News.

“What people, especially young people, need in addition to great food is a great atmosphere,” Adamolekun explained. “The place you can come in feels good; it looks nice. So if you don’t live up to what they expect, they won’t come back. They’ll go somewhere else, or they’ll eat at home.”

Adamolekun took on the role during a rough patch for Red Lobster. The company had already closed several dozen locations and filed for bankruptcy–alongside closings at TGI Friday’s, Buca di Beppo, and several other restaurant brands in 2024. With 544 locations remaining in the U.S. and Canada, Adamolekun is now tackling the chain’s biggest challenges in an effort to revitalize one of the nation’s oldest casual dining brands.

“You know, crisis, it forces you to move quickly, make decisions, and you can’t stew too long on like, am I ready or am I not,” Adamolekun said. “…I think there’s always a way to make something work. You just need to find the solution.”

Changes include eliminating Red Lobster’s iconic Endless Shrimp deal, streamlining the menu, and new offerings.

“It’s an expensive product,” Adamolekun said of the Endless Shrimp deal. “The way they were doing it was unmanaged.”

With inflation making many Americans hesitant to dine out and restaurants facing rising food costs, Adamolekun acknowledges that some of these expenses are being passed on to Red Lobster’s customers.

“Your entire cost structure is gonna move up somewhat, and prices in the country will go up somewhat, but I don’t want to be higher than overall inflation,” Adamolekun said.

Adamolekun’s changes are making an impact. Red Lobster is no longer in bankruptcy. A recent industry survey from the National Restaurant Association revealed that about eight in 10 restaurant operators expect sales in 2025 to match or exceed last year’s figures.

by Kandiss Edwards

March 20, 2025

Jackie Robinson’s Profile On Federal Website Removed, Then Restored As Government’s Attack On DEI Content Continues

The anti-DEI crusade in Washington claimed Jackie Robinson—temporarily.

Jackie Robinson, who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947, had his veteran profile removed from the Department of Defense website. The profile, part of the “Sports Heroes Who Served” series, detailed the iconic American’s military service.

Robinson entered the U.S. Army in 1942 and was assigned to the 761st Tank Battalion, famously known as the “Black Panthers.” While stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, in 1944, Robinson faced a court martial after refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus. He was ultimately acquitted, but the incident underscored his lifelong resistance to racial injustice, even before his trailblazing baseball career.

Users encountered an error message instead of a standard profile. Embedded within the message was a URL labeled “DEISports.”

A page dedicated to Jackie Robinson’s military career has been removed from the Department of Defense website.

The dead URL now says ‘DEI.’ pic.twitter.com/9wXwbbq1Ib
— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 19, 2025

On Jan. 19, the Pentagon confirmed to ESPN that removing Robinson’s profile was part of a broader “content refresh.” Officials said the decision aimed to comply with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in federal agencies.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot referenced Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a statement, declaring that “DEI is dead at the Defense Department.”

DOD Backlash And Content Restoration

Following public backlash, the Defense Department restored Robinson’s profile. In a revised statement, Ullyot acknowledged the error but downplayed the racial dynamics that shaped Robinson’s military experience. Ullyot also confirmed that other profiles featuring Black Americans and people of color were removed during the update.

“Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others,” the updated statement read. “We salute them for their strong and, in many cases, heroic service to our country, full stop. We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity or sex. We recognize their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission, like every other American who has worn the uniform.”

DEI – Discriminatory Equity Ideology does the opposite. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services’ core warfighting mission.”

The @DeptofDefense sent ESPN an updated statement from Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot on the removal of the story on its website about Jackie Robinson's military service.

(The story remains deleted.) pic.twitter.com/ePo3qLLj11
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 19, 2025

Black American Contribution

It is unclear how acknowledging the breaking of racial barriers will divide, erode or interfere with the operation of the military. The removal of the content appears to have no bearing on operations. Critics argue the removals signal the Trump administration’s attempt to minimize the historical contributions of Black Americans in both the military and the nation’s broader struggle against segregation and discrimination.

Robinson faced systemic racism long before and after his military service. With the Dodgers, he endured death threats, racial slurs and physical assaults from opposing players and fans alike. Despite this, Robinson pressed forward, understanding that his courage on and off the field paved the way for generations of Black athletes.

by Mitti Hicks

March 20, 2025

Lawmakers On Both Sides Spin The Facts About Who Benefits From Trump’s Tax Plan

Democratic leaders say President Donald Trump's tax plans would mean higher costs for working families and more savings for the wealthy.

President Donald Trump recently signed a six-month bill passed by Congress that will fund the federal government through the end of September, averting a potential government shutdown. It’s a temporary solution for a deeply divided Congress trying to navigate the president’s priority of slashing the federal budget while expanding his tax plan.

As the arguments between Republicans and Democrats heat up, analysts from Factcheck.org say lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are spinning the facts about who would benefit from Trump’s tax plan and budget and program cuts.

“On average, taxpayers in every income group would get some tax relief. But not everyone,” experts stated. “In all, about two-thirds to three-quarters of taxpayers would get a tax cut.”

However, Democratic leaders say President Donald Trump’s tax plans would mean significant savings for the ultrawealthy at the expense of middle-class and low-income Americans. They argue that his plans would mean higher costs for working families.

Citing Yale’s Budget Lab, Democratic National Committee (DNC) leaders say Trump’s tax plan would raise costs for Americans in the bottom 40% income bracket while giving over $180,000 in handouts to the ultrawealthy.

“Make no mistake: Trump doesn’t care about what’s best for the American people — just his billionaire backers and their own bottom lines,” DNC leaders wrote in a statement.

Trump Calls on GOP Lawmakers To Expand Tax Cuts, Slash Federal Budget

According to Yale Budget Lab, the House of Representatives recently passed its Concurrent Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2025. The resolution contains “reconciliation instructions” for various House committees to recommend policy changes for programs they oversee. The Trump administration aims to meet deficit reduction and expansion targets over a 10-year budget window. The Senate is also moving forward with a similar budget resolution.

Republican lawmakers lead both chambers. Analysis from the Yale Budget Lab found that the House committees support $1.5 trillion in gross spending cuts and $4.5 trillion in revenue reductions over the budget window between Fiscal Years 2025 and 2035.

The House Budget Resolution does not specify how the committees plan to meet budget targets. However, according to NBC News, some of the proposed changes include reducing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps). Some Republican lawmakers also propose reducing portions of Medicare and all of Medicaid and renewing the expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

If the resolution passes, the cuts will likely skew in favor of wealthy Americans, according to Factcheck.org, but the wealthy will not be the only Americans to benefit.

RELATED CONTENT: IRS Looks To Cut 90,000-Person Workforce By Half

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 20, 2025

LaVar Ball Discusses Health Woes Leading To Foot Amputation

The Big Baller Brand founder admitted that not taking care of his diabetes led to the life-altering surgery.

LaVar Ball, father of NBA basketball players Lonzo and LaMelo Ball and basketball player-turned-rapper, GELO, offered a first-person account to SLAM detailing his diabetes struggle, which led to the amputation of his right foot.

The founder of Big Baller Brand became a public figure for boasting about the impact his sons would make in the world of basketball before his oldest, Lonzo, entered the NBA.

The eldest Ball went to TikTok to confirm reports of having his foot amputated in February.

In SLAM, he explained that his health scare happened around the same time that LiAngelo, who goes by the moniker GELO, was making noise on streaming and radio platforms with his viral single, “Tweaker.”

“…Recently, I had some personal issues I had to deal with. I had an infection, where I was in the hospital for over a month. This happened right in the middle of when Gelo’s banger “Tweaker” was blowing up around the world, in January. Funny how life works sometimes.”

Due to not paying attention to his diabetes, LaVar Ball said, an infection on his foot led to the amputation. It started with just a “couple of toes,” which led to the foot being amputated—three surgeries as well as four blood transfusions.

LaVar Ball said he drew strength from his sons.

“I’m the Big Baller. I’m hard to kill. But I must admit that my boys kept me rolling. Cause a couple of times, I was like, I can’t do no more blood transfusions. I can’t do no more operations. I’m just ready to shut it down. It’s enough for me. But I’m here for a bigger purpose.”

Part of that is to get Black people to take care of their bodies.

“From my experience the last couple months, I want to get in people’s heads the importance of taking care of your health—especially Black people, because sometimes we’re not trying to go to the hospital, we will try to sleep it off or say, Yeah, we’ll get to it later. And sometimes it’s a little more serious than what you think.”

Ball also sat down with SLAM for an interview about his health travails.