“For working people, it’s getting harder to build our lives in Minneapolis. And with Donald Trump stepping back into the Oval Office, everything we’ve worked so hard to create is in jeopardy. It’s not enough to just stand up to Donald Trump. It’s time to push back with forward-thinking leadership,” Fateh wrote in his announcement.
A member of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor party, Fateh is known as a progressive voice within the state’s legislature. According to CBS News, he has sponsored policies such as funding free college tuition for low-income Minnesotans and minimum wage for rideshare drivers. The latter, which also secured other protections for those workers, went into effect in the state this month.
Fateh currently represents District 42, which also includes parts of south Minneapolis. In his statement, he added that he hopes to work with the progressive city council to help the working-class community.
Courtesy of Omar Fateh
“Serving in the Minnesota Senate, I’ve seen firsthand what a progressive legislature can do with the right executive,” continued the elected official. “As Mayor, I will work with the progressive City Council to achieve tangible wins for our neighbors and uplift those of us who are struggling to get by. Minneapolis is full of people who are ready to invest in long-term solutions that will bring security and stability to our communities. Minneapolis residents work hard for the city we love. We deserve a Mayor that works as hard as we do.”
Fateh will challenge the incumbent, Mayor Jacob Frey, in the 2025 election. If elected, Fateh would become the second Somali American mayor in the U.S. and Minnesota’s history. Nadia Mohammed was the first to do so when elected mayor of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, in 2023.
Quavo Named Humanitarian Of The Year For Work Against Gun Violence
Quavo thanked 'everyone fighting for change and fighting for my brother Takeoff, who inspires me every day.'
Quavo was honored as Humanitarian of the Year for his efforts in combating gun violence at Variety‘s eighth annual Hitmakers Brunch in Los Angeles.
The Migos rapper reflected on the loss of his nephew and group member Takeoff in 2022, sharing how the tragedy motivated him to advocate against gun violence. Quavo explained how channeling his grief into anti-violence initiatives, such as his Rocket Foundation, gave him a renewed sense of purpose.
“Losing my brother Takeoff was the worst moment in my life. I didn’t know where to go, where to turn, I didn’t know if I still wanted to make music,” Quavo said during his acceptance speech.
He ended by thanking “everyone fighting for change and fighting for my brother Takeoff, who inspires me every day.”
Greg Jackson, deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, presented Quavo with the award and commended the rapper’s relentless dedication to tackling gun violence through his Rocket Foundation.
Founded in November 2022 in memory of Takeoff, who was that same month in Houston, the foundation supports community-focused programs addressing gun violence and has quickly grown into a significant force for change.
Quavo’s advocacy efforts include meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris during the Congressional Black Caucus legislative conference in September 2023 and hosting the first-ever Rocket Foundation Summit on Gun Violence Prevention in Atlanta earlier this year. He also joined Harris at a rally supporting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, one of the most sweeping federal gun control laws in U.S. history, and helped in the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Quavo’s anti-gun violence efforts have made a meaningful impact on both local and national levels. In March, the Rocket Foundation launched Sparks Grants, awarding $10,000 each to 10 Atlanta organizations committed to fostering safer communities. Over the summer, Quavo collaborated with the Offender Alumni Association to host a music education workshop for at-risk youth as part of the Rocket Camp initiative.
The Rocket Foundation collaborates with partners such as the Offender Alumni Association, H.O.P.E. Hustlers, Community Justice Action Fund, and LIVE FREE, focusing on community-driven solutions to combat gun violence.
The board failed to openly say if it would not vote on dismantling the DEI program after spending $250 million on diversity initiatives since 2016. However, diversity statements for faculty members — hired or promoted — would no longer be required. While there has been speculation on the program being canceled, board member Michael Behm warns people to be careful with what they read on the internet. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” Behm said.
“There are no plans to make any cuts to these programs.”
Over 500 students, faculty, and staff gathered on campus on Dec. 5 to protest the program’s potential cancellation. As word got out that the board did not vote, students turned their attention to the decision over diversity statements. “We’ve seen it all over the nation. DEI has been added to the long list of dog whistles and buzzwords that many bureaucrats are now too scared to touch,” student Yasin Lowe said.
“Many have DEI completely wrong, instilling terror and fear for a reason I must attribute to ignorance at best, malice at worst.”
Other students, like Nicholas Love, challenged the institution to look at “who it serves, who it excludes, who it claims to be and create a model where we are consistently improving access to education and prosperity.” However, some board members are eager to get rid of DEI in Michigan, claiming the money could be used for students instead. “It is my hope that our efforts in D.E.I. focus on redirecting funding directly to students and away from a bloated administrative bureaucracy,” Mark Bernstein said, according to Fox News.
Michigan’s Black students look at the school’s DEI initiatives as a failure, calling efforts “superficial” and portraying “a general discomfort with naming Blackness explicitly.” A spokesperson for the school’s Black Student Union, Princess-J’Maria Mboup, said: “The students that are most affected by D.E.I. — meaning marginalized communities — are invested in the work, but not in D.E.I. itself.”
Prior to being elected as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump pledged to pull back on DEI at colleges receiving federal funding. Schools like Texas and Florida have banned DEI programs at their state-funded universities. At Michigan, physics professor Keith Riles hopes for the elimination of all DEI programs, calling them “discriminatory” along with the Black Lives Matter Movement being a “grift.”
In 2022, The New York Times revealed a report finding that “students and faculty members reported a less positive campus climate than at the program’s start and less of a sense of belonging.”
New Yorkers Host Look-A-Like Contest for UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooter: ‘I Wear This Everywhere’
New Yorkers responded to the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO with a grim twist.
A group gathered in New York City’s Washington Square Park on Friday, Dec. 6, to seemingly mock the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by holding a look-a-like contest.
Eight contestants, all dressed in hooded outerwear and face masks, participated in the outdoor contest, drawing a crowd of onlookers who cheered and watched in fascination, the New York Post reports.
One contestant fired a bubble gun while wearing a handwritten sign over their black attire that read “Deny Defend Depose”—the exact words the gunman had scribbled on the shell casings left at the scene.
“Bro, I don’t know if you all should be doing this—but your life choices, I guess,” one passerby shouted as the contestants stood together, according tothe Post.
The winner, who took home $50, wore a green jacket and face covering and shared that he headed to the park after learning about the contest earlier that morning.
“I got no looks until I got over here, and now everyone wants a picture with me,” he said. “I wear this everywhere,” he said, noting that he didn’t need to dress up for the event since the outfit was part of his regular wardrobe.
The winner, known as “contestant number six,” bore a striking resemblance to the actual assassin, prompting one onlooker to remark, “He’s the one.”
He also voiced his frustrations with the healthcare industry, sharing that although he isn’t a UnitedHealthcare member, he has faced challenges with insurance companies covering some of his medications.
Addressing the startling lack of sympathy for Thompson , the look-alike winner pointed to the widespread dissatisfaction with America’s healthcare system as a likely factor.
“People do not feel great about the current state of things in our world,” he said.
The look-alike contest took place two days after Thompson was fatally shot outside a Midtown hotel in the early morning hours while walking to an investor event alone and without security.
On Monday, authorities detained a person of interest in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The individual was found with a manifesto, a gun, a silencer, four fake IDs, and other items described as “consistent” with what investigators were seeking in the case.
Big Sean Thanks Tyler Perry For Bringing Grandmother’s Story To Life In ‘The Six Triple Eight’
'I told Tyler Perry how thankful I was because it’s such an overlooked crucial piece of American history and Black history.'
Detroit recording artist Big Sean gave Tyler Perry props for helping tell a story that was very close to the rapper’s heart.
Perry’s latest film, The Six Triple Eight, tells the story of World War II’s only all-Black, all-female unit, the 6888th Battalion, whose members include Sean’s grandmother.
The rapper publicly thanked Perry after the Netflix film’s red carpet premiere in Los Angeles on Dec. 3. Kerry Washington stars as the commanding officer of the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion, Charity Adams.
“I told Tyler Perry how thankful I was because it’s such an overlooked crucial piece of American history and Black history,” Big Sean told The Hollywood Reporter. “The Six Triple Eight Battalion connected millions and millions with over 17 million pieces of mail where there was no other means of communication to families and information about loved ones. They were fighting their own war, being strong Black women during segregation and fighting for their country.
“I’m just proud of them, not just my grandmother, proud of all of them. I’m happy to be raised by such strong Black women that are embedded in my DNA, and I’m forever grateful for it. It’s a super emotional night.”
The Six Triple Eight will debut Dec. 20 on Netflix.
The “Clique” rapper was recently seen in Las Vegas, where he announced a cookie-inspired merch collection with Chips Ahoy! They debuted the line at ComplexCon where the brand also celebrated the Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie.
Co-designed by Big Sean, items include a Don Life T-shirt emblazoned with the Big Chewy Cookie; a premium heavyweight sweatshirt in a chocolate brown color, which has a large cookie design that shows off what a Chips Ahoy! cookie should look like; and an oversized tote bag that has a perfectly sized slit to place the Big Chewy Cookie in or its new nostalgic lunchbox tin.
Law Enforcement Officials: Alleged UnitedHelathcare CEO Gunman Captured
The suspect was captured in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
The gunman who allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on Dec. 4 has been detained for questioning in connection with Thompson’s death, according to law enforcement sources.
ABC News reports that a man in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named Luigi Mangione was stopped with a fake New Jersey ID after he walked into a McDonald’s and was recognized by someone in the establishment due to the photos police had circulated.
On the man, was a gun similar to the one allegedly used to kill Thompson. A computer was also recovered by police in Altoona.
According to police sources, the man checked into a hotel in the Upper East Side using another person’s New Jersey license before the shooting. A new video also shows Thompson’s alleged killer allowing others to pass before going across the street to shoot the CEO at point-blank range.
This matches the authorities’ belief that he targeted Thompson. According to ABC News, police currently have no motive.
Immediately after the shooting, the suspect fled on a bicycle through Central Park to the Upper West Side, where he took a taxi to the Port Authority bus facility in midtown Manhattan and boarded a bus out of New York City.
Recent pictures released by the New York Police Department showed the suspect in the back of a taxi as he looked through the partition between the front and back seats. An additional photo showed the suspect walking by the windows of a cab.
Investigators indicated that the man arrived in New York City via a bus from Atlanta, but it is unclear where he is from..
On Dec. 8, as the NYPD Dive Team searched Central Park near the Bethesda Fountain. A backpack containing a jacket and Monopoly money was discovered. Police did not recover a gun. The electric bike the suspect rode to get to the taxi is also missing.
According to CNN, the alleged shooter possessed a “ghost gun”—an untraceable, homemade weapon. He also had on him a document railing against the healthcare industry, which suggested that violence is the answer, according to a law enforcement official.
A partial fingerprint was allegedly pulled from a “burner phone” believed to belong to the suspect. DNA obtained from a water bottle and energy bar wrapper the man allegedly bought has, so far, returned no matches.
According to law enforcement sources, the alleged killer made several mistakes, and once they obtained his identity, they could piece together patterns that ultimately led to his capture.
“I’m thinking we’re going to know who this is within a matter of a few more days, if that,” former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole told CNN before the suspect was captured. “He’s completely outnumbered. With that kind of manpower behind their efforts, they’re going to come up with the information that identifies him.”
Senate Subcommittee Wants To Hold UnitedHealthcare Accountable For Denied Coverage
According to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, (D-CT) chair of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the increased prior authorization denials resulted in increased profit for the companies
Following reporting from ProPublica that indicated that insurance companies like CVS and UnitedHealthcare Group used the services of EviCore by Evernorth, owned by Cigna, which uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to deny coverage to policyholders, a Senate subcommittee is attempting to hold UnitedHealthcare Group accountable for denying Medicare Advantage claims.
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the shooting of UnitedHealthcare Group CEO Brian Thompson provided an avenue for more focus on the for-profit insurance company, which has resulted in people sharing stories online about their experiences of denials from the company.
In 2022, UHC and CVS denied prior authorization requests at a rate three times that of their overall denial rates, while Humana’s prior authorization denial rate was over 16 times its overall denial rate.
“Insurance companies say that prior authorization is meant to prevent unnecessary medical services. But the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has obtained new data and internal documents from the largest Medicare Advantage insurers that discredit these contentions,” Blumenthal said. “In fact, despite alarm and criticism in recent years about abuses and excesses, insurers have continued to deny care to vulnerable seniors—simply to make more money. Our Subcommittee even found evidence of insurers expanding this practice in recent years.”
Even though Sen. Blumenthal doesn’t directly mention EviCore, the company promises a 3:1 return on investment to insurance companies, which its salespeople translate as a 15% increase in denials.
According to former employees of EviCore, the company’s algorithm, referred to as “the dial,” can be adjusted based on a desired outcome.
Dave Jones, a former California insurance commissioner, noted that while the practice of arbitrarily adjusting approval or denial is not a violation of standards, it does make him uncomfortable.
“That, to me, is troubling,” Jones said. “It suggests that the claim settlement procedure is not objective, right? It calls into question everything that’s occurring.”
Martin Lustick, a former insurance executive, told the outlet, “The fact that these big companies focused on profits and can play all these games is quite disturbing to me. They know the more reviews they do, the more denials they get.”
According to Will Humble, executive director for the Arizona Public Health Association, the greed of insurance companies needs to be regulated by Congress through reforming the Medical Loss Ration loophole, which currently incentivizes insurance companies to raise costs for policyholders.
“If insurance companies are not held accountable for their greed, our health care system outcomes will get worse. Across the country, patients can’t afford care, and hospitals can’t afford to keep the lights on and their doors open, while insurers rake in hundreds of billions of dollars,” Humble wrote in a 2023 op-ed for Arizona Mirror. “We need more regulation of health insurers to ensure that they are not putting profits before people.”
Humble continued, “Congress should step in and address this problem in order to lower the cost of health care and curb insurance industry abuses. We need Congress because we know that, left to their own devices, the big insurers have proven they will put profits ahead of people every single time.”
Dick Allen, Dave Parker Will Be Inducted Into Baseball Hall Of Fame
The Induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, July 27, 2025, in Cooperstown, New York.
Former Major League Baseball players DickAllen and Dave Parker will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame aspart of the Class of 2025.
TheClassicBaseballEraCommittee announced the decision on Dec. 8. The other inductees will be announced on Jan. 21 and inducted on July 27, 2025. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America will select the other baseball players.
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) December 9, 2024
The late Allen was a seven-timeAll-Star who played 15 seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Chicago White Sox, and the Oakland Athletic (A’s). Parker, 73, also a seven-time All-Star, played 19 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds, the Oakland Athletics, the Milwaukee Brewers, the California Angels, and the Toronto Blue Jays.
A 16-membercommittee selected Allen and Parker from an eight-personballot listingcandidateswhoseprimarycontributionstothe sport occurred before 1980. Fourteen members picked Parker, while Allen appeared on 13of the ballots. Only candidates who received 75% of the votes could make it in.
During his career, Allen hit351 homerunsand1,119RBI.Hewonthe1964NationalLeagueRookieoftheYearAwardwiththe Philliesand took home the1972AmericanLeagueMostValuablePlayer while playing withtheWhiteSox.He hit at least 20 home runsinninestraightseasonsand10overallwhileleadinghisleaguein sluggingpercentagethreetimes, extra-base hitsthreetimes,andon-basepercentagetwice.
Parker won two straight NLbattingtitles in1977-78whileearningleagueMVPhonorsin 1978. He helped the Pirates win the World Seriesin1979andtheAthletics in 1989. He ledhis leagueintotalbasesthreetimesandsluggingpercentagetwice. Parker won three GoldGloveAwards and the 1979All-StarGameMVPAward.
The Induction Ceremony will take place during HallofFameWeekend2025, held from July25-28inCooperstown,N.Y., with the honor on Sunday,July27,2025.
Maryland High School Opens Up Student-Led Barber Shop And Beauty Salon
The student-led barbershop provides free services for students.
A Maryland high school has launched a barber shop and beauty salon to promote entrepreneurship and confidence for its students.
Arundel High School in Gambrills, Maryland, launched the student-led program this year, with classmates working as the service providers and clientele. Jaiden Martin, a senior at the school, began cutting hair at another barbershop through an internship project.
The program, supported by Rob’s Barbershop Community Foundation, trains young barbers as they pursue careers in the haircare industry. The foundation’s CEO, Robert Cradle, also funded and fully equipped Arundel’s shop. Now, Martin is putting his skills to the test in between classes.
“It really is like a dream come true,” explained Martin to WBAL. “It is surreal for me personally because I’ve never seen this.”
He continued, “A lot of students come in here. We have a need for grooming services, and I don’t want to just be giving out average haircuts just because it is a need. I want to be giving out professional cuts and just cuts that are going to boost everybody’s confidence up, make everybody feel good.”
His fellow students are excited about the new barber shop, which provides free services to students. One of the first clients, Jaylen McDaniel, expressed his gratitude for the transformative measure.
“I never thought we would have a barbershop at school or any of the schools that I’ve gone to, but they made it happen, and I’m thankful for that,” shared McDaniel, a junior.
Furthermore, the shop and salon do more than just provide hair styling. Having the resources on campus helps students maintain themselves without jumping through hoops to do so, also taking the burden off parents.
“Students have to come to school, so just making life easier for students who may not be able to get to another place, or for parents who are working after school hours, transportation, just having it here just cuts out a lot of those barriers,” Kimberly Winterbottom, Arundel’s principal, said.
The shop hopes to inspire all students, no matter their career aspirations. With a fresh hairdo bringing a new perspective, students will feel confident once they leave the chair to take on new opportunities.
Judge Rules Naval Academy Has The Right To Use Race In Admissions Process
US Senior District Judge Richard Bennett ruled that the Naval Academy 'established a compelling national security interest' in its use of race as a factor in its admissions process
As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, a civil suit brought by a conservative legal group threatened to upend the use of race as part of the admissions process of the United States Naval Academy. In a ruling on Dec. 6, the practice was upheld by a federal judge.
According to CNN, US Senior District Judge Richard Bennett, an appointee of George W. Bush, ruled that the Naval Academy “established a compelling national security interest” in its use of race as a factor in its admissions process.
Breaking news: U.S. Senior District Judge Richard Bennett has ruled in favor of the U.S. Naval Academy's race-conscious admission policies, affirming their alignment with the Supreme Court’s exemption for military academies. https://t.co/DVabDQscFq@highereddive#collegeadmission
— Natl Association for College Admission Counseling (@NACAC) December 6, 2024
However, the ruling also established that the executive branch dictates decisions about how the school uses race in its admissions process, that is, the President of the United States.
As the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump draws near, speculation abounds that this ruling will be tested, as he has been hostile to diversity and inclusion.
In addition to Trump, Pete Hegseth, his pick to run the Pentagon, has also expressed his disdain for diversity in the military.
“Woke sh*t has got to go. Either you’re in for warfighting, and that’s it, that’s the only litmus test we care about,” Hegseth said on a podcast discussing diversity in the military. “You’ve got to get DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and CRT (critical race theory) out of military academies, so you’re not training young officers to be baptized in this type of thinking.”
According to Judge Bennett’s ruling, the history of the military was a factor in his decision.
“At bottom, the Court, considering all evidence before it, finds that the military’s interest in growing and maintaining a highly qualified and diverse officer corps is informed by history and learned experience and that a highly qualified and diverse officer corps remains critical for military effectiveness and thus for national security. Plaintiff’s suggestion to the contrary contradicts decades of broad historical and military consensus,” Bennett wrote.
“We are encouraged by today’s ruling, which recognizes the importance of diversity in shaping leaders who can effectively respond to the complex global challenges our nation faces,” Watson said. “Today’s decision also unequivocally rejects the attempt by Ed Blum’s SFFA to apply the Harvard University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill decision beyond their fact-specific context. Under justified circumstances, the law has –- and still does -– allow for the consideration of race to protect equal opportunity.”
The door for the Students for Fair Admissions to bring the case was opened by the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that established that using affirmative action as part of the admissions process of universities was unconstitutional, except in the case of military academies.
The group challenged this exception, based in part on a footnote provided by Chief Justice John Roberts, which said that the cases the court heard did “not address the issue” and said there were “potentially distinct interests that military academies may present” in a future case.
In his decision, Bennett also referred to this footnote, writing that the “record in this case demonstrates the wisdom of that caution.”
Bennett continued, “Defendants have proven that the Naval Academy’s limited use of race in admissions has increased the racial diversity of the Navy and Marine Corps, which has enhanced national security by improving the Navy and Marine Corps’ unit cohesion and lethality, recruitment and retention, and domestic and international legitimacy.”
Meanwhile, the Students for Fair Admissions have indicated that they plan to appeal the ruling and will take the case before the Supreme Court if necessary.
Per a statement from Edward Blum, the conservative legal activist who is the president of Students for Fair Admissions, “It is our hope that the U.S. military academies ultimately will be compelled to follow the Supreme Court’s prohibition of race in college admissions.”
