beyonce
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

November 26, 2023

Beyoncé Debuts Star-Studded Renaissance Concert Film Premiere

The singer dodged the chrome carpet, but unveiled a special new look inside the theater.

Queen Bey is ready for the world to experience the “Renaissance World Tour” on screen. Beyoncé held her star-studded premiere for her concert film, Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, at the Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 27.

The highly-anticipated event was filled with Hollywood A-listers, including a wide range of actresses, singers, and filmmakers to join in unveiling the project. According to Variety, Lizzo, Janelle Monae, and Issa Rae joined the chrome carpet, in addition to Gabrielle Union, Tyler Perry, and Ava DuVernay. In a special shoutout to Beyoncé’s former girl group Destiny’s Child, past members such as Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams worked the carpet, with Letoya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson also in attendance.

As for the star herself, Beyoncé chose to forego the silver display to meet her guests inside the screening but did share pictures debuting a platinum blonde hairstyle with her chrome attire, all befitting the “cozy opulence” dress code. The exclusive event had invited attendees unaware of its true location until a day prior, in typical fashion for the notoriously private and elusive singer.

The premiere is the first of two world debuts of the already historic film, with another premiere set for Nov. 30 in London. Beyoncé’s exclusive streaming deal with AMC theaters was solidified during the multiple strikes impacting the entertainment industry, as the groundbreaking deal has Beyoncé bypassing studios to work directly with AMC, ensuring she also gets a significant portion of the box office sales. The film’s pre-sale numbers are jumping its revenue for the first weekend, as Deadline reported on Oct. 3 that between $6-$7 million in pre-sold tickets have already been bought.

The final trailer for the movie was released by NBC on Nov. 23 during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, giving more glimpses into its content for her massive fanbase. Keeping in line with her “Homecoming” film released to Netflix in 2019, “Renaissance” will share deeper insight into the process of creating the world tour, including how Beyoncé’s first daughter, Blue Ivy, came to join her mother on stage.

Fans have to wait until Dec. 1, the film’s official release date, to experience “Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé.

”ELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé Makes Appearance During MaMacy’shanksgiving Day Parade

venus, serena, tennis, tiktok
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

November 26, 2023

Venus And Serena Williams Serve Up Fun And Nostalgia In New TikTok Tennis Match

The sisters shared the snippet of them playing their famed game to Serena's TikTok account.

The legendary sister tennis duo Venus and Serena Williams have returned to the sport in a new TikTok. The sisters shared a snippet of their practice match to the younger William’s account on the social media platform.

The video garnered rightful attention on the internet as it was released on Nov. 20, as the two legends showcased themselves stretching and laughing with one another as they partook in a game.

“Having a blast hitting with [Venus Williams],” captioned the 23-time Grand Slam winner.

The aptly-included song “Beast Mode” by Rokka was heard in the video. The video is being heralded as the most recent footage of Serena playing on the court that made her a household name. Before this, the mother of two was last seen playing professionally at the U.S. Open in September 2022, WTA Tennis reported.

As for Venus, the acclaimed player last played in 2023’s final Grand Slam, with the 43-year-old playing part-time. However, an injury in the first round of the Wimbledon tournament forced her to rest. Despite this, her career is not over, and she anticipates returning in March next year.

On the other hand, Serena has stayed off the courts for the past few years, focusing her recent efforts on expanding her family and entrepreneurial pursuits. Not only did she welcome her second child, daughter Adira River Ohanian, this past August with her husband Alexis, but she also became the first-ever athlete to win the Fashion Icon award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2023. She and her husband have another daughter, 6-year-old Olympia.

Serena has curated her own brands, including S by Serena, and ventured into fashion on and off the court, frequently with Nike and the Virgil Abloh-founded brand Off White.

Venus is also a businesswoman of the court, juggling various ventures, including the most recent partnership with BlendJet. Earlier this month, she released the Venus Williams’ Happy Viking Collection.

RELATED CONTENT: Serena Williams Spotted in Miami: Leaves Message In Heat Locker Room, Attends Ricky Martin Concert

roc nation, basketball doc, NYC Entertainers Basketball Classic
by Daniel Johnson

November 26, 2023

Darryn Peterson Becomes First Adidas High School Signee

Peterson, a 6’5 combo guard at Canton, Ohio’s Huntington Prep is the first high school basketball player to ever sign with Adidas.

Adidas Basketball is betting big on the future basketball prospects of Darryn Peterson, the top-ranked guard in the class of 2025 at Canton, Ohio’s Huntington Prep. A 6’5 combo guard, Peterson is the first high school basketball player to ever sign with Adidas.

According to Boardroom, Peterson also carries around 30 D-1 scholarship offers into his junior year. Peterson sees this as a massive opportunity for him as he told Boardroom, “The deal gives me the opportunity to take my brand to the next level and spread it around the world.”

In 2003, along with Nike and Reebok, Adidas Basketball attempted to court another Ohio player, LeBron James. James, of course, rather famously chose Nike’s $87 million fully guaranteed contract over the other two, who, according to Andscape, offered contracts above $100 million. Like Peterson, James also received offers from over 30 college teams but ultimately decided to go straight to the NBA from high school, an option that Peterson currently does not have. Peterson could, however, choose to go the path that Houston Rockets star Jalen Green took and play for the G-League Ignite after he graduates instead of likely playing a year in college and declaring for the draft. 

NIL deals have significantly transformed the prospects of select high school players from a money standpoint, an idea that Peterson seems to grasp–at only 16 years old, he’s already referring to himself as a brand. Though most of the NIL attention has gone to college players like Angel Reese, Shedeur Sanders, and even gymnast Olivia Dunne, a few high school players with massive upsides have been inked to deals.

Juju Watkins, the USC freshman phenom who recently tied Lisa Leslie’s mark for 30-point games as a freshman with three, signed her Nike deal as a senior last year, as did fellow USC commit Bronny James and Kentucky commit D.J. Wagner. There is precedent for senior year deals, but this is the first major NIL deal from a shoe company for a player before their senior year of basketball. Peterson, like the other players, is an elite basketball player, the kind of basketball player who will see big NIL deals even though some states are slow to catch up. 

Peterson is grateful for the opportunity, as he told Boardroom, “It means a lot. For Adidas to choose me out of all the high school basketball players in the world? For them to take a chance on me is a big deal. It’s an honor and a blessing.”

He also understands that what got him here is continually delivering big nights, as he averaged 31 points and nine rebounds in his sophomore season.

Peterson’s advice for the next crop of up-and-coming basketball players is simple.

“Keep the main thing the main thing,” Peterson said. “Focus on whatever that dream is, and the business part will come with it. Don’t let that drive you. Stay humble and be self-motivated.”

RELATED CONTENT: Bennedict Mathurin Signs Deal With Adidas, Recalls Buying Adidas as First Pair of Shoes at 12

Jail, Prison, Missouri, Conviction
by Daniel Johnson

November 26, 2023

Houston Attorneys Accused Of Smuggling Drug Laced Documents Into Jail, Triggering Contraband Scandal

Two lawyers allegedly laced documents with liquid drugs that they allegedly smuggled into Harris County Jail.

According to court records obtained by the Houston Chronicle, a flow of contraband into the Harris County Jail in Houston was allegedly created by at least two lawyers through a scheme that involved spraying letters and other documents with liquefied drugs before delivering them to incarcerated individuals at the jail. According to a search warrant, an unnamed informant said that attorneys constituted “the main source of the delivery” and that the papers or “sheets” were “just laced with something to get them high.”

Defense attorney Ronald Lewis, 77, was arrested after the Harris County Sheriff’s Office intercepted approximately 700 sheets of paper laced with the drugs. Lewis has been accused of sneaking about 20% of the sheets into the jail, even though he only has maybe a few clients, according to the Chronicle. Lewis is accused of using his status as an attorney to pass out laced “sheets” or “dominos” to at least a dozen incarcerated people who were not his clients and subsequently took Cash App payments for the deliveries. The investigation is also interested in a second, unnamed lawyer, but it has also identified 27-year-old Briana Scott as a participant through a sting operation. Authorities then determined Scott to be a liaison for the second lawyer and her client to coordinate the document passing.

Several people have been tied to the “sheets” scandal in the Houston jail. Also, according to ABC 13, Harris County Magistrate Eva Flores says that she believes the scheme was, in fact, widespread.

“It was a widespread operation,” said Flores, who also noted that the two deaths in custody that prosecutors are attempting to connect to Lewis at present do not have sufficient evidence for her to affirm a connection. “I am not going to find causation at this time and even the state doesn’t have that information, at this time. I also recognize if the state does develop that information, they can and will file new charges.”

According to bail documents for Lewis, investigators have identified around 24 people, some of whom are currently jailed and some who have wrapped up their criminal cases as co-actors in Lewis’ case. 

Prosecutors are planning to use one of these men, Henry McCoy, who is going on trial soon, to reveal upon his conviction for a murder charge that he had a hand in helping to get the “sheets” into the jail as far back as April 2023. There have been deaths at the jail, but it has not been determined if the deaths of two men, 30-year-old Ramon Thomas and 32-year-old Robert Terry, are connected to Lewis’ actions. One of the men, Thomas, had his death ruled as “sudden death associated with cardiac hypertrophy,” according to the Chronicle, while the other’s death was ruled an accident. 

There has also been at least one charge of a recently adopted fentanyl murder by delivery charge, which the Texas Legislature worked to make a legal possibility through ruling that fentanyl overdoses could be treated as poisonings, which opens them up to murder charges.

According to Fox 26, on Nov. 18, Christian Rayo died after Michael Barnett allegedly sold him drugs laced with fentanyl on Nov. 16, a few days before Rayo died in custody. Prosecutors in that case are seeking Barnett’s bail to be set at $500,000, while his defense seeks a reasonable amount. Barnett’s bond, however, has yet to be set, and he remains in the Harris County Jail, where he awaits his next court appearance, set for Nov. 28. 

RELATED CONTENT: Legal Aid Staffer, Fronting As A Lawyer, Caught Smuggling Weed Into NYC’s Rikers Island

6-year-old In Mississippi Honored For Saving Mom Suffering Stroke
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

November 26, 2023

6-year-old In Mississippi Honored For Saving Mom Suffering Stroke

Bryanna Cook is being honored by her county for her bravery.

A 6-year-old girl from Mississippi is receiving rightful praise for saving her mom, who suffered a stroke while driving. Bryanna Cook is being celebrated by her community for her bravery during the incident on Oct. 23.

As reported by the Commercial Dispatch on Nov. 18, Cook is being honored by her county for helping her mother after she stopped their car in the woods while having a stroke. After Cook called her grandmother, who informed her to call 911, the first grader began speaking with dispatchers. She connected with one from Lowndes County, Latonya Malone.

Malone guided Cook to help her identify their location and the well-being of Cook’s mother, Yolanda. The dispatcher and the young elementary schooler worked together for two hours, alongside the girl’s grandmother, to save her mom as help was on the way.

“Bryanna was able to tell us where they were going and the grandmother helped, too, because she told us around where they were at the time, based on when they left home,” expressed Malone.

Cook assisted her mother by opening the doors to allow fresh air in and trying to see if her mother would wake up. When first responders arrived at the scene, the 6-year-old’s mother was transported to the North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, with her daughter staying with her until her release over a week later.

During the ceremony to honor her heroic action, Malone met with the girl for the first time in person, as the Fairview Elementary School student was highlighted in a speech by her principal.

“The level of joy my heart felt when I learned of Bryanna’s heroism is immeasurable,” shared Principal Monte Ewing-Johnson. “Bryanna is kind, compassionate, and patient with her classmates; therefore, it is not hard to believe that she was able to call 911 and wait as she and her mom were rescued.”

Cook was honored by the Lowndes County Supervisors in a resolution that will forever commemorate her courage in the scary situation.

RELATED CONTENT: 9-Year-Old Girl Saves Family From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning When She Unlocked Father’s iPhone With Face ID to Call 911

LeBron James, NBA
by Daniel Johnson

November 26, 2023

LeBron James’ Home Court Museum Opens In Akron Before Cavaliers Game

LeBron James credited his mother, Gloria James’ penchant for saving all of his memorabilia.

LeBron James has never forgotten where he came from as he ascended to basketball superstardom from Akron, Ohio, and now there will be a museum full of the things and memories he carried with him. According to the Associated Press, the opening of James’ museum on Nov. 25, LeBron James’ Home Court, coincided with a game his Los Angeles Lakers played against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ahead of the game, according to ESPN, James was celebrated by his former franchise for breaking the NBA All-Time scoring record formerly held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

James credited his mother, Gloria James’ penchant for saving what is now an impressive collection of sports memorabilia, telling reporters after the game, “I used to get on my mom a lot about saving everything since I was like starting first playing sports,” James said. “And she kind of threw it back in my face…because a lot of the [items] in there is because of the stuff that she saved. And that’s pretty cool.”

The museum opened on the morning of James’ Nov. 25 game against the Cavs, and as ESPN reported, James reflected on the place where his NBA career blossomed. James addressed the media following the game, saying, “It’s just special,” James said. “It’s very special to be a kid from Akron. I grew up 30 miles south of here (Cleveland) and to be able to be drafted here and spend my first seven years here and do some special things that the franchise had never seen. And when I was drafted, I said I wanted to light this place up like Vegas. So I feel like I did a decent job of doing that when I was here for my 11 years.”

Tickets for general admission to the museum are priced at $23, and the proceeds will go toward a training fund set up for students, parents, and educators at James’ I Promise School, which is located in Akron. James’ mother curated the collection, featuring artifacts like the 2003 baggy all-white suit he wore on draft day and game-worn shoes from a few of his biggest games.

James, a player and a person who is always in pursuit of the next thing, was finally able to slow down, at least for a day, and contemplate his achievements, telling ESPN, “I think it’s pretty cool that I’ve been able to do some things in my life to be able to bring back to my community, continue to highlight my community and give my community a place where people want to visit, want to see and want to be proud of it,” James said. “And I am. I’m definitely proud of the fact that my foundation has been able to do some great things, and this is just one of the things that we can all be proud of, for sure, in my hometown.”

climate control,
by Mary Spiller

November 26, 2023

Inside The Climate Crisis’ Effect On Predominantly Black Neighborhoods In Chicago

Payne told the story of her South Side Chicago neighborhood being overtaken by air pollution and industrial companies.

Thirty-five-year Chicago resident Deborah Payne recently sat down with In These Times to talk about the effects of climate change and pollution on Black neighborhoods. 

Payne recalled her neighborhood on the city’s South Side that the climate crisis has completely wiped out. She remembered places where homes used to be located are now lots of debris and concrete. She described the air as smelling like “rotten eggs baking in the summer sun [from] the toxic metals that cake soil and pack into families’ walls.” She explained that respiratory illnesses were so common from the pollution that it forced many Black families to leave their longtime homes.

According to statistics, the problem is extremely prominent in the Midwest. Only 10% of residents in the area are Black, but Black people make up 30% of the region’s “disadvantaged” by climate change and the environmental injustices in the US. According to the White House’s climate and economic justice data tool, the vulnerable population is 33% more likely to get diagnosed with lung cancer than Black people outside of the Midwest — and that has a direct causation linkage with high air pollution exposure. 

A low quantity of jobs exasperates the issues in health and housing accessibility. It has caused the gap in housing ownership between white and Black households to widen tremendously, as African American Midwesterners are leaving their neighborhoods for non-toxic air pollution and more affordable places to live. 

Asiaha Butler, a housing activist in Payne’s old community, said, “When we leave, not only to the suburbs but to Texas, to Atlanta — I know because my family did it — it is because we see that Chicago and these other cities are not here to uphold Black life.” 

Many of these issues have been caused by diesel pollution, growing from the expansion of railroads and yards that also buy out acres of land to build more factories. In the case of Payne’s neighborhood, over 200 families were displaced by the buyouts despite residents pushing back to try and keep their properties. 

Now, Payne’s neighborhood exposes the few remaining residents to more nitrogen dioxide byproducts than nearly anywhere else in the nation. She said, “That’s my story. … It happened to me, happened to my neighborhood, but it’s happening all over.” 

RELATED CONTENT: Can You Believe That Environmental Racism Impacts Aging In Black Folks?

Black Panther Party
by Mary Spiller

November 26, 2023

Debate Emerges Over Inclusion Of Illinois Black Panther Party In National Register Of Historic Places

The Illinois chapter's history with the party could be included in the National Register of Historic Places.

A recent push to memorialize the Illinois Black Panther Party has stirred up a division over how the activist organization’s legacy should be upheld. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times on Nov. 24, the National Register of Historic Places is moving to include the Illinois chapter’s history in its registry but has been met with pushback.

The inclusion would highlight some of the most crucial locations in the Chicago area that hold deep history for the Black Panther Party. However, many of the concerns over the move come from the organization’s tumultuous history. After being founded in the 1960s, the Black Panther Party, which was an extension of the Black Power movement, was considered to be violent and gang-like by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which even launched a counterintelligence program against the organization. While supporters of the National Register of Historic Places inclusion think the listing will help uphold important historical components, some oppose it and claim it would continue pushing an untrue narrative about the activist group.

Leila Wills, who headed the inclusion project and collected letters of support from more than 20 former Black Panthers, said, “Our purpose is to make the Illinois chapter an official part of the state’s history.” 

Former member Wanda Ross wrote in her letter of support.

“It is important to include the historical significance of the ongoing struggle of the Black Panther Party throughout the United States as a voice for parity and justice. The struggle of Black People to overcome racism is a reality that must be told, addressed, and ended before we can move forward as a nation,” Ross wrote.

However, Fred Hampton Jr., chairman of the Black Panther Party Cubs and the son of former Black Panther leader Fred Hampton Sr. — who was assassinated during a 1969 raid led by Chicago police and FBI counterintelligence efforts — disagrees. He began a coalition to oppose the National Register inclusion move and explained that the federal government’s misinformation about the party had already damaged its legacy. He believes that the National Register recognition will continue to do so because the project doesn’t have respect for the true Black Panthers’ history.

“This is not their story to tell,” Hampton Jr. said. “We come from a community that prefers a demolished truth, as opposed to a structured lie.”

Regardless of reluctance, a state advisory council approved the nomination effort in late October. Now, the National Park Service makes the final call on whether to reject or accept the nomination. After receiving the final proposal on Nov. 8, the NPS has until Dec. 26 to decide.

RELATED CONTENT: Meet The Woman Who Once Led The Black Panthers and Is Now Leading The Fight For Affordable Housing in Oakland

smoking, menthol, cigarettes
by Mary Spiller

November 26, 2023

Health Organizations Focus On Assisting Black Smokers Amid Potential Menthol Cigarette Ban

The push comes as the Biden administration zeroes in on banning menthol products.

President Joe Biden’s administration is getting closer and closer to banning menthol cigarettes in the United States, so recently, major health organizations have been focusing on efforts to help Black smokers have access to treatment programs that will help them quit the highly addictive habit.

The White House is reviewing the Food and Drug Administration’s ban proposal, but the director of equity-centered policies at the Center for Black Health and Equity, Natasha Phelps, told NBC News that the ban is a good first step; however, “we’re so far from the finish line.”

The Center for Black Health and Equity has identified a need for more resources in the Black community regarding menthol addiction treatment. They’ve been partnering with government agencies to include funding in their tobacco cessation bills for groups and grants to focus on the root of the systemic racism problem behind menthol race-related health disparities. Phelps listed, for example, projects that will help fund transportation for minority people to get to treatment facilities, pushing for Medicaid expansion to include addiction-related services and medications. 

“One thing that we can all do is really help to remind the White House that there are sufficient resources out there, specifically for Black people, to help quit menthol. No one’s going to be left behind. No one is going to be left without anything to help them and their addictions,” Phelps said.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the majority of menthol smokers are Black, 85%, and more than 45,000 Black people die from smoking every year.

The issue with menthol cigarettes is that they are highly addictive and difficult to quit, and the rate at which smokers can successfully quit them is concerningly low, specifically in the Black community.

“It’s also a fact that it’s harder to quit smoking with menthol cigarettes. Why that is — it’s still unclear. But this behavior has been observed in many studies as just harder to quit,” Sven-Eric Jordt, an associate professor of anesthesiology, pharmacology, and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine, told NBC News.

Jordt cited the cooling effect of menthol, which suppresses coughing and makes it easier to inhale, as one explanation.

According to the American Lung Association’s national senior director of tobacco programs, Jennifer Folkenroth, “Menthol users tend to smoke less cigarettes and less frequently, yet, are breathing in deeper, holding in the breath longer. So, it’s a misconception among menthol users, in particular, that they are occasional smokers, when, in fact, their tobacco dependency levels — their actual nicotine levels — are extremely high. That misconception many times will kind of deter some of the nicotine replacement therapy dosing.”

It’s challenging to quit menthols on your own, and even still, the American Lung Association’s National Senior Director of Tobacco Programs, Jennifer Folkenroth, said that professional programs that help smokers quit are being severely underused.

“There is a need for more trained and certified facilitators in Black communities, like churches, to really assist these quitters in their journey to freedom,” Folkenroth said.

RELATED CONTENT: Black Activists Are Fighting Against Tobacco Companies

congresswoman Nikema Williams
by Mary Spiller

November 26, 2023

Congresswoman Nikema Williams’ Proposed Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Bill Gains Support

Nikema Williams' bill has already gained four co-sponsors.

The Democratic Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams is working tirelessly to close the racial wealth gap. She has proposed the Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program Act of 2023 to establish a new federal grant program for institutions and historically Black colleges and universities. 

The grant program will supply money to entrepreneurship initiatives at educational institutions that mostly serve minority students. 

Williams’ goal for schools included in the proposed Minority Students Institutions program is to allow them to apply for resource grants of up to $250,000 for student entrepreneurs on their campuses. 

Williams explained, “Too often, Black and Brown entrepreneurs face enormous barriers to accessing the capital needed to launch and sustain businesses. The Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program will help to break down those barriers and ensure that the next generation of minority business owners have a fair shot at the promise of America.”

She added, “Investing in minority-owned businesses is also one path on the journey to close the racial wealth gap. I am proud to advance legislation to continue creating equity in entrepreneurship opportunities for everyone–no matter your ZIP code, no matter your bank account.”

The support for Williams’ new bill is looking promising, and it has, according to Rolling Out, gained even Republican support in addition to three Democrat co-sponsors. They include Democratic Reps. Alma Adams of North Carolina, Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania, Norma Torres of California, and Republican Brian Fitzpatrick.. of Pennsylvania. However, Williams expects strong opposition from the other side of the floor except for Republican co-sponsor Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) 

Fitzpatrick agreed with Williams’ sentiment in a statement. He pointed out, “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and allow communities to flourish,” he said. “The bipartisan Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program Act will empower minority innovators and entrepreneurs to start their own small businesses and I’m proud to join my colleagues on this legislation.”

Williams previously proposed a bill last year similar to the Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Program Act of 2023, but it didn’t gain very much steam amongst even her fellow Democrats.

RELATED CONTENT: This BIPOC Farmer’s Collective Sows More Seeds With California State Grant

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