grocery, food desert
by Sharelle B. McNair

November 21, 2024

BlaQue Community Cares Launches Cash Mob Initiative To Support Queen’s Black-Owned Grocery Store

Support local Black businesses!

QNS reports that a nonprofit based in Queens, New York, BlaQue Community Cares, is stepping up to help boost awareness for Earnest Foods, an organic grocery store, with a cash mob initiative. 

The BlaQue Cash Mob program is a community-driven event designed to support local businesses like Jamaica-based grocers by encouraging shoppers to visit the store and spend a set amount of money, roughly around $20. BlaQue Founder Aleeia Abraham says cash mobs occur throughout the New York City borough to boost support for local businesses. “I think it’s important to really encourage local shopping habits and strengthen the connection between residents and businesses and Black businesses, particularly in Queens,” she said, after hosting six events since 2021. 

“And we’ve been doing this for a while now, and we found that it really helps the community discover new businesses that they might not know exist.”

As a result, the mobs increase sales and heighten community ties for independently owned businesses. 

Earnest Foods opened in 2021 after a noted need for fresh produce in the area. As fresh food options were difficult for residents to find, Abraham defines the store as an “invaluable part of the southeast Queens community.” “There’s really nowhere to go in Queens, especially Black-owned businesses in Queens to find something healthier to eat. We have to keep those businesses open,” she said. 

“So someone has to just make everyone aware that these businesses exist and how to keep dollars in our community. Organizing this cash mob not only encourages people to shop, but it also shows our collective dollars, how it helps sustain business and directly serves and uplifts our community.” 

The event will take place on Nov. 24 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 123-01 Merrick Blvd in the St. Albans community. According to Queens Chronicle, the store’s co-owner, Earnest Flowers, has partnered with several other Black-owned brands in the area to sell their products in the store. Flowers is happy that his neighbors can come to his supermarket to get organic food along with goods from local area vendors such as Celeste Sassine, owner of Sassy Sweet Vegan Treats. 

During the grand opening three years ago, which saw more than 350 patrons, Sassine said the partnership was “super, super, super exciting,” so much that most of the products vanished from the shelves within hours.

RELATED CONTENT: Tips For Eating Clean On A Budget

damon dash, roc-a-fella bankruptcy
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 21, 2024

Damon Dash Said Drake ‘Disappeared’ After Offering To Purchase His Share In Roc-A-Fella Records

The former Roc-A-Fella owner claims the Canadian rapper wanted to buy his share for $6 million.

The auction of Damon Dash’s one-third stake in Roc-A-Fella Records finally took place on Nov. 14 and now the State of New York is partners with Jay-Z and“Karee” “Biggs” Burke.

Dash, however, mentioned to America Nu Network that Canadian rapper Drake previously offered to put up $6 million for his stake..

The stake was originally anticipated to bring in $10 million. After only three bidders showed up, it was auctioned off for $1 million. According to WBLS, an anonymous Albany representative placed the winning bid over offers of $250,000 and $223,000.

“At the end of the day, I don’t really understand it,” he said. “My child support, I guess, will get paid. And in my mind, I wasn’t getting any of that bread anyway. If I could sell it, I thought people really loved homeboy way more than they did. People did not show up. Drake did put a bid in for six million, but then he disappeared.”

It isn’t the first time that Dash has mentioned Drake wishing to bid to be a Roc-A-Fella Records partner.

“You know Drake hollered at me through DM and made an offer,” Dash previously said. “I’m not quite sure what happened, but I thought that he had got with Jay or something. But I don’t know. It would be a good time to close.”

The judge ordered the auction after Dash failed to satisfy a $823,000 judgment due to movie producer Josh Webber. Webber previously won a defamation and copyright infringement lawsuit against Dash after a dispute over the 2016 film Dear Frank.

Dash’s stake will also help satisfy another debt. The New York City Department of Social Services (NYCDSS). The entertainment executive owes $145,096 in unpaid child support to Rachel Roy for his two daughters and to Cindy Morales for his son.

Gen Z, Work, Meeting, Black Gen Zers, marketing, team, retain, hire, talent
by Sharelle B. McNair

November 21, 2024

Tech Founder Says Hiring Platforms Are ‘Soul-Crushing’ For Applicants Looking For Steady Jobs  

Jon Stross, the president and co-founder of the hiring platform Greenhouse, feels that platforms are making it harder for applicants to find a job, CNBC reports. 

Stross has been building technology for people to find proper employment since 2012, but with artificial intelligence advancements, he thinks they are roadblocks to efficient job searching. He has even heard whispers of hiring being “broken.” ​​”All the AI stuff isn’t actually helping. In some ways, it’s exacerbating it. I’d argue it’s getting worse,” Stross said. 

“Between technology that makes it really easy to apply to a lot of jobs combined with the current job market, where there’s a white-collar recession, it’s more soul-crushing than ever.”

Tools such as ChatGPT have oversaturated the hiring process. The technology makes it easier for candidates to write resumes and cover letters to apply for more jobs in half the time, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, the advancements are pushing people to apply for jobs they aren’t qualified for, resulting in more competition. Higher competition leads to more anxiety and angst. “Candidates are feeling like they’re in an arms race with each other around how many jobs you apply to,” Stross says. 

“You hear people on social media saying, ‘Oh, I applied to 150 jobs.’ And so you feel pressure that if you’re not applying to tons of jobs, you’re falling behind.”

Prior to new technology advancements, only the highly competitive companies received more applicants than suited openings. But that has changed, leaving the doors open for all companies and industries. During quarter one of 2024, the jobs listed on Greenhouse received an average of 222 applications, a 43% increase from the previous year. 

The listings are called “ghost jobs,” which signal to employees, investors, or the general public that the company is growing at a faster rate. However, they also give a false narrative that there are plenty of opportunities, fueling the sense of urgency for potential employees to apply. Greenhouse saw the result of such posting — with close to 18% to 22% of all jobs posted on the site being considered ghost jobs. “Whenever I’m talking to friends who are looking for jobs and are like, ‘Wow, these companies are acting totally irrationally,’ my general [response] is, ‘yes,'” Stross said. 

“It’s usually chaos on the inside.”

According to MarketWatch, a survey from software search site Capterra found that 58% of job seekers used AI tools in their search. While many of their services are free, managers feel the tools give candidates an unfair advantage. Some potential employees feel pressure to use AI tools, but it doesn’t always give them much of an edge.

RELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé Leads The Pack For 2025 Grammy Nominations

Wallace peoples, reform alliance, Wallo267, CMO, Chief marketing officer
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 20, 2024

Wallo267 Gives Kodak Black A ‘Million Dollaz Worth of Game’

The podcast host tries to steer the rapper in the right direction.

Florida rapper Kodak Black has always been a polarizing recording artist, having had several run-ins with the law. On a recent appearance on the Gillie Da Kid and Wallo267-led podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game, the former rapper and ex-felon was recorded trying to steer Kodak Black in the right direction.

Kodak Black was already given a lifeline when President Donald Trump pardoned the rapper’s prison sentence on his last day in office during his first term in 2021. According to NBC News, Kodak Black was sentenced to 46 months in prison on federal weapons charges in 2019 after he admitted that he falsified information on federal forms to buy four firearms.

The Source reported that just in the last week alone, the “Super Gremlin” rapper brought unwanted attention to himself when he appeared disheveled while joining Kai Cenat on his popular Twitch livestream series. He allegedly popped what people suspect was a Percocet while on air, and when Cenat asked him what it was, he replied, “It was a glitch for the Twitch.”

According to Billboard, Wallo, a former convict who spent 20 years in prison, gave the rapper some advice while speaking to him.

“Look at me, man,” he says to Kodak. “Listen: You special. Don’t ever doubt yourself, and you got them babies counting on you. Now, there’s gonna be times where you gonna doubt yourself, you gonna be in pain, but them babies counting on you. You got to be here.”

He also warned the rapper to be careful of those around him who don’t care about his welfare. He also advised him to avoid the traps and failures of others before him who were imprisoned, including some who died.

“A lot of brothers ain’t here no more that had the opportunity that you had. Some of them in prison, some of them dead, and they looking at us like we just some ni**as that don’t give a f**k. We’re junkies, we’re criminals. That’s what they think of us. We got to learn how to change the narrative, brother. You got a lot of young people watching.”

He reiterated for the rapper to be there for his children and to live for them.

RELATED CONTENT: WALLO267 DISCUSSES LATEST BOOK ‘ARMED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS’

Shyne Barrow, P Diddy, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Bad Boy
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 20, 2024

Shyne Recalls Being Offended After Diddy Offered Him $50K After 10-Year Prison Bid

Shyne reflects on the $50,000 payout Diddy gave him after he served a 10-year prison sentence for their involvement in a nightclub shooting.

Shyne is opening up about the $50,000 Diddy gave him after the former Bad Boy artist served a 10-year prison sentence in connection with the 1999 nightclub shooting they both were involved in.

In his new Hulu documentary, The Honorable Shyne, the Belize native opens up about his true feelings regarding the New York City nightclub shooting, an incident for which Sean “Diddy” Combs was acquitted while Shyne (born Moses Michael Levi Barrow) served time as the sole convicted party.

The documentary showcases Shyne sharing his side of the story, including his decision not to cooperate with authorities or implicate Diddy. Meanwhile, Diddy appeared to work closely with his legal team, with several witnesses testifying against Shyne, ultimately leading to him taking the fall for a shooting where he wasn’t the only one who fired a weapon.

The “Bad Boy” rapper-turned-Belizean politician recently appeared on The Breakfast Club to promote his documentary and discuss his current relationship with Diddy. After his release from prison in 2009, Shyne revealed that it took three years to reconnect with Diddy. When they finally spoke, Shyne admitted he anticipated millions in financial compensation for staying loyal and refusing to implicate the Bad Boy founder.

“There wasn’t an instant forgiveness. I got out in 2009,” Shyne said. “There wasn’t an attempt at reconciliation until 2012 when I went to Paris to meet him. That was the first attempt of forgiveness, but I was still in a place of, ‘He owe me. He owes me his life.’”

“He’s a billionaire. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have been a billionaire. If I would have cooperated with the district attorney, he’d have went to jail, and heaven knows what would have happened to his career. So that’s worth at least a couple million dollars out of the billion that you’re worth.”

What made the $50,000 payout even more insulting to Shyne was witnessing Diddy spend $500,000 on a shopping spree for his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, before offering him the comparatively small sum.

“He probably gave me, like, 50 racks, and I’m like, ‘You can’t be serious.’ That’s 10 years? Fifty racks?” Shyne recalled.

https://twitter.com/ArtOfDialogue_/status/1858532386939470218

Shyne, now the Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives and head of the Belize United Democratic Party, also recounted his anger when Diddy attempted to visit him early in his incarceration at Rikers Island before his transfer to the Clinton Correctional Facility in Upstate New York.

“He came to see me once, and I think I tried to spit in his face in Rikers Island,” Shyne recalled. “I didn’t even want him to come see me. I didn’t even know he was coming to see me. They just brought me down in the lawyer’s office.”

The documentary chronicles Shyne’s journey toward forgiveness and moving on from the past. However, old wounds were reopened amid Diddy’s recent controversies, including a lawsuit filed by producer Rodney Jones, who alleges Diddy boasted about firing a gun during the 1999 Club New York incident and expressed disdain for Shyne. Additionally, Natania Reuben, a victim of the shooting, has come forward, accusing Diddy of being the one who fired the shot that struck her in the face.

“You know, there’s so many things that I said so long ago about Diddy,” Barrow told CNN recently. “Nobody would listen, nobody would believe. And it makes the wounds that I’ve, by the grace of God, been able to heal and the accomplishments that I’ve been able to achieve even much more significant.”

RELATED CONTENT: No One Is Interested In Buying Diddy’s Beverly Hills Mansion

Ebony Alert, missing Black women, Missing child
by Stacy Jackson

November 20, 2024

Week-Long Search For 80-Year-Old Georgia Woman With Dementia Leaves Family Worried

DeKalb County police will conduct a search with family members and volunteers on Saturday.

A missing 80-year-old woman in DeKalb County, Georgia, has her friends and loved ones concerned since she wandered away from her home on Nov. 13.

Ricky Dawson told Channel 2 Action News that his mother, Rosa Mae Dawson, never leaves her street.

DeKalb County officers searched near the 2400 block of Jenay Court for Rosa Mae Dawson, dressed in a pink, long-sleeved pajama set and black shoes.

Rosa Mae Dawson, 80, has suffered from dementia for the past five years. Family members say “Rose” can identify her relatives and locate her home.

“Every now and then, she’d have spells like, ‘Who is that?'” Ricky Dawson said. “But for the most part, I would probably say 75% of the time she had her wits about her.”

11 Alive noted that a relative who normally spends the day with Rose came over last Wednesday to find the door to Rose’s DeKalb County home wide open, and the woman wasn’t inside.

Family members have placed missing posters across the neighborhood that read “Please Help” with a photo of Rose. Loved ones will also join Dekalb County police as they conduct a search on Saturday, Nov. 23. The search is open for anyone who would like to assist.

“We just want her back home safely,” Ricky Dawson said.

DeKalb County police sent out a Mattie’s Call on the day Rose was reported missing, which, an emergency alert activated by a local law enforcement agency for disabled or elderly people who have been reported missing.

Ricky Dawson, her only child, has requested for another alert to be sent out.

“I just want their full support and help. This is an area where they have more expertise than we do on how to conduct this and how to get out,” he said.

Anyone with information about Rose’s whereabouts is urged to call DeKalb County police, (678) 406-7929.

Russell westbrook, clippers, Russell Westbrook
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 20, 2024

Russell Westbrook Becomes First Player In NBA History To Record 200 Triple-Doubles

Westbrook is in his 17th NBA season.

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to record 200 triple-doubles on Nov. 18.

Westbrook came off the bench for 12 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds to help the Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 122-110. He also recorded two steals and one block in 32 minutes. 

Westbrook extended his lead over former triple-doubles king Oscar Robertson by 19 games. He has 62 more than Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson. His Nuggets teammate, big man Nikola Jokić, sits in fourth place with 136, and LeBron James rounds out the top five with 117.

“It’s a blessing,” Westbrook said after the game. “I’m truly grateful to be able to play the game well enough to do that. But I’m also appreciative of the ones who came before me.”

Bleacher Report reported the history-making accomplishment was Westbrook’s first triple-double of the season.

Eight years ago, Westbrook became the first NBA player to average a triple-double a game since Robertson accomplished that feat in the 1961-62 season. Westbrook won the Most Valuable Player that season. He repeated the feat three more seasons (2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21).

According to Sportscasting, the point guard also has 1,884 offensive rebounds, the most by a point guard in league history. Coincidentally, with less than two minutes remaining in the contest, Westbrook pulled down his only offensive rebound for the game, which brought his rebound total to 10.

Westbrook, 36, is playing in his 17th NBA season. His best years were spent with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was drafted fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. 

RELATED CONTENT: NBA Star Russell Westbrook Now Investor, Advisory Board Member At Little Kitchen Academy

Trump, dei, public schools, NY
by Sharelle B. McNair

November 20, 2024

Trump Taps Linda McMahon For Education Secretary, Dr. Oz As Medicare Overseer, Howard Lutnick For Commerce Leader

Well this should be fun...

President-elect Donald Trump has added some of his friends to the roster of controversial cabinet nominees, including a Wall Street executive, wrestling mogul, and former Oprah Winfrey protege, the Associated Press reports. WWE leader Linda McMahon has been enlisted as a nominee for secretary of education. Dr. Mehmet Oz, former “Dr. Oz” talk show host, was tapped to oversee health insurance programs such as the Affordable Care Act for older, disabled, and less fortunate Americans. Wall Street tycoon Howard Lutnick was named to lead the Department of Commerce.

Despite backlash from Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Trump has praised all three nominees for their accomplishments in their fields. 

McMahon once served one term on the Connecticut Board of Education in 2009 and has since served on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. With unknown ties to education, the wrestling executive has expressed support for charter schools and school choice. “Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience and deep understanding of both Education and Business to empower the next generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World,” Trump said. 

If confirmed by the Senate for the cabinet position, McMahon will be tasked with aligning Trump’s vision of education — or the “left-wing indoctrination” in America’s schools — to the department that he has threatened to dismantle. The goal will be to get rid of “any school pushing Critical Race Theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”  

According to CNN, Lutnick, the CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, will be tasked with guiding “our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.” While serving as the co-chair of Trump’s presidential transition team since August 2024, Lutnick had his eyes set on the role of Treasury secretary within the cabinet, battling it out against hedge fund manager Scott Bessent. 

Under his new title, once projected to go to McMahon, the CEO will oversee the 13 bureaus housed under the Department, including the Census Bureau, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Patent and Trademark Office. Lutnick will garner support from U.S. businesses and sit in as an emissary between other nations in hopes of negotiating trade deals and increasing foreign investment. 

During Trump’s NYC rally in October 2024, Lutnick highlighted the last prosperous U.S. economy that occurred during the early 1900s — a time of only tariffs and no income tax. “We had so much money that we had the greatest businessmen of America get together to try to figure out how to spend it,” he said.

Trump enlisted Oz to “cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend.” The outspoken supporter will serve as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and report to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been nominated as the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The heart surgeon and failed Pennsylvania senate candidate has been accused of promoting faulty products on his show that aired for 13 seasons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he pushed for government officials to make hydroxychloroquine available despite heightened questions about its safety and effectiveness. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) expressed her concern about Oz’s appointment on X, stating he is unqualified for the position. “Dr. Oz has zero qualifications, pushes alarming pseudoscience, & holds extreme anti-abortion views,” she said. 


“CMS is a critical agency & we need serious leaders to protect Americans’ health care and bring down costs — not TV hosts whose main qualification is their loyalty to Trump.”

RELATED CONTENT: Al Sharpton Expresses Concern Over Lack Of Black Leadership Within Trump’s Cabinet Selection

next election
by Mitti Hicks

November 20, 2024

Women Are Already Starting To Organize For The Next Election Cycle Despite Harris’s Loss

The election results have been devastating for women hoping that a woman would finally lead the nation for the first time in the country's nearly 250-year history.

The election results have been devastating for women who had hoped that a woman would finally lead the nation for the first time in the country’s nearly 250-year history. That didn’t happen, and Kamala Harris supporters are trying to figure out where to go from here.

Despite some women feeling lost, betrayed, and rejected, women are already springing into action and organizing for the next election cycle. That’s why nearly 100 women joined Vote Run Lead Action’s post-election discussion on Tuesday.

Vote Run Lead was founded in 2014 to invite, uplift, and train women to run for office. In 2023, Vote Run Lead Action emerged after the organization leaders realized a need for a stronger voice and more powerful engagement. The nonpartisan organization trains pro-democracy, anti-racist, and feminist women to address the underrepresentation of women in legislatures.

During the panel discussion, participants asked questions about the next steps and engaging and organizing more people for the next election. Some of the questions dropped in the chat included navigating the hate post-election and tips on having tough conversations that lead to solutions.

“We’re going to have to go as low as we can and build from the ground all the way back up,” Rhonda Briggins told participants. She was referring to getting women elected in their local and state legislatures. Briggins is known for her work in leading Black sororities and fraternities to organize their communities to the polls.

One thing the panel made clear on the call was not to blame the vice president for her loss, who had a little less than 100 days to campaign after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

“It doesn’t mean that she ran a perfect campaign. It doesn’t mean that there were things, in retrospect, you can do differently,“ said Reshma Saujani, head of Moms First and founder of Girls Who Code. “She inherited the obstacles that she faced and we need to be honest about that.”

Beyond her gender, panel leaders say Harris’s race also played a role in her loss to Trump.

“I think the Vice President did an unbelievable job in unbelievably difficult circumstances,” said Celinda Lake, a pollster and president of Lake Research Partners. “But, when the transition happened, I think we needed to remind ourselves how difficult it is to elect a woman, especially a woman of color.”

Where Women Had Gains In The 2024 Election

As noted on the call, there were some wins for women this past election. Two Black women, Angela Alsobrooks from Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware will serve in the U.S. Senate together for the first time in the nation’s history.

In New Mexico and Colorado, women are now leading in the state legislatures.

“We came into this election cycle with only one state in the nation with a women’s majority, that was Nevada,” said Sabrina Shulman, chief political officer for Vote Run Lead. “We have added two more states to that column.”

Other wins for women, according to Celinda Lake, were that women gained 12 seats in the Montana state legislature. Montana voters also elected a woman to the Supreme Court.

Women on Vote Run Lead’s panel said another win for 2024: the first “childcare election,” as candidates on both sides made childcare an important issue.

“My message to everyone on this call, as we enter this new phase, as painful as it is, do not lose sight of who you are fighting for,” Saujani added. “We cannot sit out the next four years, no matter how much we want to turn off that television and crawl up in bed.”

RELATED CONTENT: Black Women Trading In ‘Hope ‘For’ Hurt’ After Election, Van Jones Says

Young Thug, RICO Trial, YSL, new music
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 20, 2024

Young Thug Accused Of Breach Of Contract After Negotiating $16M Publishing Deal

AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) claims Young Thug defaulted on a loan it gave his YSL label in 2017.

Atlanta rapper Young Thug has escaped one legal issue just to be embroiled in another after leaving jail after his RICO case.

According to AllHipHop, the YSL recording artist is being sued by AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) after the company accused Young Thug of defaulting on a loan it gave his recording label in 2017. The company also stated that it was left out of a $16 million sale of his catalog, which they were entitled to share in the profits because the copyrighted music sold was supposed to be collateral for the loan given to YSL.

The entertainment company claims Young Thug violated an agreement when he sold over 400 compositions.

Young Thug’s label, YSL, was given a loan of $5.25 million in exchange for exclusive global rights to promote live shows the artist would have performed. AEG expected the label to pay back the money, including interest while sharing concert revenue that involved third-party promoters.

AEG also claims that Young Thug and YSL defaulted on the $5 million loan and misrepresented their finances to fulfill the repayment promises they agreed to.

It claims that in 2021, the “Hot” rapper made over $16 million when he sold his stake in several hundred songs, leaving it out in the cold once the ownership of the copyrights shifted hands. They stated that Young Thug breached the contract when he informed the buyers of the songs and that he claimed the works were free of legal entanglements.

AEG is now pursuing the original loan amount and any connected earnings that may have been raised from selling the songs to the company that purchased the compositions from Young Thug.

It is also considering possibly including other parties in the lawsuit in the next six months or exploring other means of recovering the collateral attached to Young Thug’s music catalog.

RELATED CONTENT: Young Thug Encourages Law Students To Become Defense Attorneys

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