Memphis In May: Beale Street Music Fest Reports Lowest Attendance In Three Decades
Memphis in May, renowned for its annual celebrations, has reported substantial losses stemming from its 2023 event, according to Action News. Beale Street Music Festival, a long-standing feature of the festivities, recorded its lowest attendance in over three decades, with a mere 37,805 guests.
The organization attributes the decrease in the Beale Street Music Festival attendance to multiple factors, including higher talent costs and increased competition for ticket sales from neighboring events. This confluence of adverse circumstances culminated in an overall loss of $3.48 million. To compound the distress, this marks the second consecutive year of record financial losses for the festival, following the 2022 event that incurred a staggering deficit of $2.33 million.
Ongoing disputes and legal battles further complicate the backdrop for this financial turmoil. The 2022 event, amid renovations to Tom Lee Park, had to be relocated to Liberty Park. With the festival’s return to Tom Lee Park in 2023, the challenges were expected to subside. However, the construction was not yet finalized, prolonging the troubles.
Additionally, Memphis in May is currently entangled in a lawsuit with the Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) over unpaid damages incurred by using Tom Lee Park during its spring festivals. MRPP is seeking compensation of $1.4 million to cover the damages sustained during the celebrations.
Memphis in May contends that the restoration costs are typically within the range of an average of $61,832 annually. However, the ongoing lawsuit and financial predicaments have necessitated reevaluating plans for its future events.
One immediate repercussion of these issues is the change in location for the renowned World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Owing to the lawsuit and the associated constraints, the organization has initiated a quest to identify an alternative venue for the event in 2024.
James Holt, president and CEO of Memphis in May, commented on the organization’s resilience in the face of adversity, emphasizing its commitment to overcoming the challenges posed by the recent losses and legal disputes. He alluded to forthcoming announcements regarding the specifics of the 2024 festival events, including dates and venues, which are expected to be disclosed within the next seven to 10 days.
The financial setbacks and ongoing legal disputes have presented significant hurdles for Memphis in May. Still, as a testament to its resolve, it remains determined to surmount these challenges and continue its long-standing tradition of cultural celebrations in the heart of Memphis.
Oct 4 (Reuters) – A Black former factory worker for Tesla lost his bid on Wednesday for a third trial in his race discrimination lawsuit against the electric carmaker, after a California federal judge rejected his claims that the company’s lawyers had engaged in misconduct and tainted his trial.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco in a written order upheld a $3.2 million verdict that a jury awarded to plaintiff Owen Diaz in April, denying his motion for a new trial while also rejecting Tesla’s bid to cut the award in half.
The decision is a mixed result for the electric carmaker, staving off another lengthy trial while drawing new attention to the case, one of several, the most recent of which was filed by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last week, to allege rampant racial harassment at Tesla’s flagship Fremont, California assembly plant.
Diaz, a former elevator operator, claimed he was subjected to daily racist slurs and graffiti and that Tesla ignored his complaints.
is lawyers had argued that Tesla’s legal team asked improper questions, baselessly accused a witness of lying and made misleading statements to the jury during a five-day trial earlier this year.
Orrick on Wednesday said any misconduct by the company’s lawyers had not improperly influenced the jury.
Diaz had been awarded $137 million by a different jury in 2021, but Orrick that year ruled that the verdict was excessive. The judge ordered the second trial to determine damages after Diaz turned down a lower payout of $15 million.
Tesla and lawyers for Diaz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Orrick barred both sides from presenting new evidence or testimony at the second trial, which took place in March.
Diaz claimed that Tesla’s lawyers violated that directive by questioning him and other witnesses about alleged altercations between Diaz and other workers, which had not come up at the first trial. Diaz denies those incidents took place.
Tesla has said it does not tolerate discrimination and takes complaints from workers seriously.
The company has also denied wrongdoing in several other lawsuits claiming employees at the Fremont plant and other factories and service centers have faced racial or sexual harassment.
Those cases include a proposed class action by Black workers and a lawsuit by a California state agency alleging widespread race discrimination at the Fremont plant, which Tesla claims was politically motivated.
Last week, Tesla was also sued by the EEOC, which claims that since 2015 Black factory workers have routinely been subjected to racist slurs and graffiti and retaliated against for complaining about the harassment.
Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Alexia Garamfalvi.
NBA Star Ja Morant Allowed To Practice With Grizzlies While Serving 25-Game Suspension
Suspended Memphis Grizzlies basketball player Ja Morant is being allowed to practice and travel with his team while he serves out his punishment.
According to ESPN, the controversial guard was on the basketball court with the Grizzlies despite being suspended for 25 games for conduct detrimental to the league. The troubled NBA player, who has had issues with handguns in the past year, was at the Grizzlies’ home stadium, the FedExForum, on Oct. 3.
Zach Kleiman, general manager of the Grizzlies, spoke about the NBA permitting Morant to participate in team activities while he serves out his suspension.
“I think it’s great for Ja, and I think it’s great for the group that he can be with us day-to-day,” Kleiman said during the team’s media day on Oct. 2. “The NBA basically has said that as long as Ja continues to stay on track, he’s going to be clear to participate in all private team activities, so practices, shoot-arounds, traveling with the team. He’s not going to be with us, obviously, for preseason games and the first 25, but we’ll see him out there and we can’t wait to have him back Game 26.”
Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins revealed that Morant will work with the bench players during training camp to allow the team to prepare to play without him through his suspension.
“We’ve got a separate plan designed for him outside just the team training where we’re going to push him,” Jenkins said. “He’s excited about it and how we can challenge him even more, when we talk about being the best version of Ja moving forward.”
In June 2023, the NBA suspended the Grizzlies’ All-Star guardfor the first 25 games of the 2023–24 season. This was due to an incident where Morant was seen on an Instagram Live flashing a gun. That was the second occurrence of being seen on social media with a gun in his hand. The 23-year-old was first suspended for eight games in March 2023 following another incident where he was seen with a gun on an Instagram Live video at a Denver nightclub. Morant received his latest suspension after he was seen on a friend’s Instagram feed holding what appeared to be a gun a month earlier.
Democratic Promises To Appoint Black Women Blasted By Progressives Following Appointment Of Laphonza Butler
In an op-ed for the LA Times, columnist LZ Granderson eviscerated the pledges by Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Joe Biden to name Black women to high positions. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Granderson says it is paternalism for men like Biden and Newsom to make these promises.
He wrote, “At the intersection of anti-Blackness and misogyny is a mindset in which Black women are qualified enough to carry democracy yet somehow unqualified to earn their place in the nation’s highest offices. As if qualifications were the primary barrier.”
At the intersection of anti-Blackness and misogyny is a mind-set in which Black women are qualified enough to carry democracy yet somehow unqualified to earn their place in the nation’s highest offices. As if qualifications were the primary barrier. https://t.co/Ml2odYrNQo
I am troubled by the Governor’s remarks. The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election. https://t.co/Q5Q3jznuFd
Granderson argues in his column that the Democratic Party doesn’t have to bargain with voters, asserting that Black women have never needed to be given positions when their records speak clearly for their abilities.
‘But can Democratic men now stop pledging to pick Black women as though they’re a charity in need of matching contributions? Black women have never needed an electoral quid pro quo — a ‘vote for me and I’ll appoint one’ sort of thing.”
Instead of just promising positions to Black women, Granderson argued that a more beneficial method is to get these highly qualified women on the ballot and allow voters to decide their fates instead of just promising positions to Black women.
“The party could seriously back Black female candidates and make history across the nation. Or White male candidates could keep talking about ‘making history’ while they dangle pledges about Black women.”
Newsom received praise from progressives for naming former Emily’s List President Laphonza Butler to the Senate to replace the late Diane Feinstein. Butler is also the first openly LGBTQ+ Senate representative in the state’s history. Others were not impressed with Newsom’s move because Butler will only be a short-term replacement for Feinstein. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California, echoed Granderson’s concerns.
“I am troubled by the Governor’s remarks. The idea that a Black woman should be appointed only as a caretaker to simply check a box is insulting to countless Black women across this country who have carried the Democratic Party to victory election after election.”
In addition to these concerns, The Intercept dug into Butler’s reorganization of Emily’s List to benefit Vice-President Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign. A former employee who spoke to the outlet anonymously said that Butler’s background as a labor leader made the reshuffling difficult to stomach.
“It caught us off guard for sure. She comes from such a prominent labor background, I and my team members definitely expected more of her.”
Lee also expressed concern that appointing a Black woman as a seat warmer would eraseButler’s appointment’s significance, as The Hill reported.
She explained, “The perspective of Black women in the U.S. Senate is sorely needed — and needed for more than a few months. Governor Newsom knows this, which is why he made the pledge in the first place,” Lee continued.
“If Governor Newsom intends to keep his promise and appoint a Black woman to the Senate, the people of California deserve the best possible person for that job. Not a token appointment. Black women deserve more than a participation trophy. We need a seat at the table.”
Howard University Students Rally Behind Dining Staff To Secure Pay Hike and Benefits From Sodexo
In an emotional and triumphant moment, more than 250 Howard University students came together to rally in support of the university’s Sodexo dining employees, as reported by The Hilltop.
Earlier this week, students gathered before the Bethune Annex to support the dedicated employees who had been laboring for four years under their last contract. The dining staff were renegotiating their contracts with Sodexo while also advocating for improved working conditions. The students stood in solidarity by shouting chants and embracing the dining employees in the drizzling rain while awaiting the decision.
The solidarity shown by the students made an indelible impression. Elandrea Baker, a freshman majoring in political science and sociology, saw a post on Instagram about the dining employees’ struggle and felt compelled to show her support, telling The Hilltop, “I thought it’d be a fantastic way to get involved and show my support, especially for all the people who are super nice to us and cook all of our food.”
Hollis Coates, a cashier at Bethune Annex for 12 years, expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of support from Howard University students. Her eyes welled with tears as she addressed the crowd, conveying what their solidarity meant to her and her colleagues.
The result of their collective efforts was transformative.
According to Tabitha Johnson, an organizer and union representative of UNITE Here Local 23, the dining employees will enjoy several substantial improvements. By June 2024, they will receive free single-coverage health insurance. Their wages will see an immediate raise to $18 per hour, followed by an impressive $7.50 raise over four years, a significant improvement over the prior $2.20 raise spread across five years.
Additionally, they will be granted an extra sick day, increasing the total to nine. The workers will also benefit from a 50% match to their 401(k), ensuring their financial well-being. A joint labor-management committee, comprised of representatives from Sodexo and the union, will be established to oversee any misconduct by the workers.
While Sodexo representatives declined to comment on these developments, it was clear that the victory was mainly due to the unwavering support from the Howard University student body. Johnson emphasized that the students’ presence was instrumental in driving the deal to completion. She told The Hilltop, “That deal getting done that night is because of the students.”
The collective presence of the Howard students eventually led to the Sodexo representatives delaying their entrance into the hearing, seemingly intimated by the students’ strong show of support. They refused to acknowledge the students and chose not to enter the hearing until all students had left the building. Following a phone call to the police, students were encouraged to leave the building, although their vocal support continued outside.
Despite the students’ departure, their impact was significant. They chanted phrases like “Workers’ rights are Black rights,” “Pay your workers money, no one should go hungry,” and “Show me what solidarity looks like,” making it one of the most impressive shows of support by college students that Johnson had ever witnessed.
The dining employees were deeply appreciative of the students’ support. Samuel Foster, a receiver at Blackburn University Center, remarked, “This contract is probably the most reasonable one that I know about, and within the 25 years that I’ve been working here. If it had not been for the student support, I think it would have probably been drawn out much longer.”
Tupac Shakur Protégé Claims Tupac Would Want Street Justice For Keffe D, Not Legal Justice
After previously claiming in an interview with The Art of Dialogue that the police didn’t really care about finding Tupac Shakur’s killer, Shakur’s former protégé, Napoleon, insisted on the platform that the late rapper would not want his alleged murderer, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, to languish in prison.
In August, Hip Hop DX reported that Napoleon described the LVPD’s lack of urgency as something born out of a vendetta, saying, “The police is like a gang in the whole U.S.A. You do something against their so-called ‘brothers in blue,’ and whether it’s in Atlanta, you on the radar for all the police across America.
“They didn’t really like [2Pac] because of that. Shakur was acquitted in 1994 after shooting two off-duty police officers in 1993. Therefore, when [2Pac] died, you think they really cared about solving his murder? To them, it was like, ‘Okay, we got rid of him.’”
When asked about his reaction to Davis being arrested in connection with the murder of Shakur, Napoleon told the interviewer on an Oct. 3 appearance, “You know 27 years went by, I really pretty much was expecting nothing to come out of it. I still gotta see how the trial go, you know what I mean? I feel like he told on his self, it’s like one of these things where you gotta realize he put himself in that situation.”
Later, the conversation turned to what Shakur would have wanted to come out of this development, with Napoleon saying, “If Pac was alive, Pac survived the shooting, Pac himself wouldn’t want Keffe D to go to jail. A lot of people might say they wouldn’t understand it, but me knowing Pac, Pac wouldn’t want to get no law involved because Pac would understand that he did something in the streets, what came back was street stuff.”
Napoleon also revealed that even while Shakur was dying, he refused to tell police who shot him, even though he probably had an idea who it was because of the fight he’d just been in at the MGM Grand a few hours earlier. Napoleon also asserted that one reason why the Las Vegas Police Department went after Davis was due to the embarrassment of having someone involved in a murder bragging about it in front of every camera he could find, and the police most likely felt backed into a corner.
According to TMZ, the survivor of the shooting, Marion “Suge” Knight, agreed with Napoleon’s take, while also casting doubt on the narrative that Orlando Anderson was the shooter. Knight also said that Anderson was one of his supporters at his hearing, and that under no circumstances would Knight testify against Davis were he to be called as a witness by the state. Knight’s refusal to testify is in line with his association with the Blood “Piru” street gang, which was cited by the Las Vegas Police Department when it announced it had arrested Davis for the alleged murder of Shakur.
According to CBS News, Davis made his first appearance before the court on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas. He requested a two-week extension because his counsel could not make it to his appointment, and Judge Tara Jones granted the extension. Davis is scheduled for another court date on Oct. 19; after he enters his plea, a date for his trial will be set.
‘Stories From The Stage: The Podcast’ Kicks Off New Season With Powerful Stories Of Breast Cancer Survivors
Stories from the Stage: The Podcast, the companion to the WORLD-original series showcasing extraordinary stories told by ordinary people from all walks of life, premiered its fourth season on Monday, Oct. 2. The season premiere of the series, which features three storytellers performing for a live audience, includes three Black women breast cancer survivors and advocates on how the disease changed their lives.The podcast is hosted by Stories from the Stage co-creators Patricia Alvarado Núñez and Liz Cheng.
The first episode is Rebuilding after Cancer. After being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, 25-year United States Air Force veteran and St. Louis-area resident Sheila Marie Johnson is determined to continue her mother’s legacy while forging her own; New York City resident and comedy producer Suzette Simon uses her comedic talents to highlight how Black women are disproportionately affected by cancer; Atlanta resident, blogger and influencer Megsie Chase becomes an advocate after finding out that breast cancer will alter her dream of motherhood. Johnson, is an author and the subject of a film coming out on BET+ on October 19 (God’s Grace: The Sheila Johnson Story). Their stories were a part of a WORLD partnership with Count Me In, a nonprofit initiative committed to advancing patient-partnered cancer research.
The season continues with new episodes tied to the weekly Stories from the Stage broadcast series — hosted by humorists and storytellers Theresa Okokon and Wes Hazard — now heading into its seventh season on Monday, October 16, at 9:30pm EST on WORLD, the WORLD YouTube Channel, worldchannel.org and the PBS app. It includes four special episodes taped in Arizona and Nebraska. Flourishing in the Desert(October 16) and All Connected (November 20) are produced in collaboration with Arizona PBS, and On Sacred Ground (October 23) and Sacred Circle(November 13), featuring Indigenous tellers for Native American Heritage Month, are produced in collaboration with Nebraska Public Media and Vision Maker Media.
Connection through identity is interwoven throughout Stories from the Stage. Audiences will find humor, poignant lessons and moments of triumph in episodes such as Finding Family(December 4), Bucket List (January 8), Quest (January 22), From the Heart (February 12), Extraordinary Women (March 4), Be the Change (March 18), Belonging (May 6) and Sound Check (May 13). New episodes will air weekly through June 2024 on WORLD and stream across WORLD digital platforms, including YouTube. Individual stories and exclusive digital content can also be viewed on Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and on the WORLD YouTube Channel.
Claudine Gay Breaks Barriers As Harvard’s First Black President
Praise is coming from all across the world as Harvard University inaugurated Claudine Gay as the first Black person to serve as president of the private Ivy League school.
According to CNN, Gay is the first Black person and second woman to head the university since it opened in 1640. This makes her the 30th person in history to reign as the university’s president. Harvard Corporation, the university’s principal governing board, made the appointment. After an extensive search, Gay was selected as the president.
Gay has conducted research in areas dealing with race and identity politics.
Caribbean National Weekly reported that Gay is the child of Haitian immigrants who encouraged her academic endeavors. Gay studied economics at Stanford University, from which she graduated in 1992. She became an associate professor at the University in the 2000s.
Gay has an extensive list of achievements, such as her reign as vice president of the Midwest Political Science Association and trustee of Phillips Exeter Academy.
According to CNN, during her inauguration speech on a rainy Sept. 29, Gay introduced herself and said, “I stand before you on this stage with the weight and the honor of being a first.”
The newly appointed president expressed her gratitude, saying that she was “humbled by the prospect of leading Harvard, emboldened by the trust you have placed in me, and energized by your own commitment to this singular institution and to the common cause of higher education.”
Gay also shared a glimpse of her vision for the university.
“The courage of this university—our resolve, against all odds—to question the world as it is and imagine and make a better one: It is what Harvard was made to do,” she shared.
Harvard’s presidential appointment has garnered praise because it portrays the value of representation and places an accomplished individual at the head of the university.
Maura Healey, Massachusetts governor and Harvard alumnus, warmly welcomed the new president in her address, saying, “President Gay, your presidency is truly historic. You have my admiration and support.”
“Claudine is a person of bedrock integrity,” Lawrence Bacow, the outgoing president, said as a display of approval for the new appointment. “She will provide Harvard with the strong moral compass necessary to lead this great university. The search committee has made an inspired choice for our 30th president. Under Claudine Gay’s leadership, Harvard’s future is very bright.”
Gay is not new to the Harvard family. In 1998 she received her Ph.D. from the university, where she wrote a dissertation in political science and received the Harvard Toppan Prize, which is given to the best essay on a subject in political science. Eight years after receiving her degree, she became a faculty member. Prior to her presidency, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported that the former professor of government and African American studies was employed as the Dean of Social Sciences at Harvard. Gay also launched an initiative called Inequality in America to analyze social and economic inequalities in the United States.
St. Louis Rapper Sexyy Red Advocates For Donald Trump’s Return To The Presidency
On Oct. 3, during an appearance on the “This Past Weekend” podcast hosted by Theo Von, St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red discussed her admiration for former President Donald Trump and how her perspective on him has evolved, according to an article by XXL.
“I like Trump,” Sexyy Red said during the “This Past Weekend” podcast conversation.
She explained that her perception of Trump had shifted within her community.
“Yeah, they support him in the hood. At first, I don’t think people were really messing with him. They thought he was racist, making some comments against women. But once he started getting Black people out of jail and providing financial support, oh baby, we love Trump. We need him back in office.”
Sexyy Red emphasized the importance of the economic relief packages distributed during Trump’s time in office: “We need him back because of those checks, the stimulus checks. Trump, we miss you.”
“I love Trump,” she added. “He’s funny to me. I used to watch him talking to people. He used to be calling people fat. He’s just bold, and he’s funny. We need people like him.”
Sexyy Red’s comments resonate with a small portion of the hip-hop community, as other rappers publicly support Trump. Kodak Black, who received a pardon from Trump before he departed from office in 2020, remains a dedicated supporter despite the former president’s ongoing legal issues. DaBaby and Lil Pump have also voiced their backing for the former reality television star.
The discussion on the podcast highlighted how political opinions and attitudes toward public figures can vary widely, even within a particular community or demographic.
NYC College Student Freed After Sentenced To Year In Dubai Prison For Airport Incident
Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos, a New York City college student, was freed on Oct. 3 after being forced to stay in Dubai since July. The co-ed was initially sentenced to spend a year in the local prison due to an airport incident, but has been allowed to return home, according to ABC News.
The 21-year-old was accused of “assaulting and insulting” a female customs agent while stopped at the Dubai International Airport for a layover. Detained in Dubai, a criminal justice organization that specializes in those facing legal issues in the United Arab Emirates, assisted the Lehman College student as she faced sentencing over the matter.
The advocacy group announced the news in a statement, sharing that De Los Santos was at risk of being detained at the city’s “notorious” prisons.
“Elizabeth was falsely accused of assaulting and insulting a customs official when she was stripped and humiliated upon entering the desert city during a transit stop,” shared the organization’s CEO Radha Stirling. “The leadership has spent billions on marketing a glamorous city to international audiences, relying wholly on the naivety of visitors and investors to bring in the dollars. At the same time, the leadership has done very little to make the venue safe for the very people they lure in.”
Amid her unforeseen detainment, the young woman was forced to pay $50,000 for her accommodations as she was further extorted by the legal authorities overseeing her case, per ABC News. While the American is “ecstatic” to return to U.S. soil, the trauma she endured remains.
Stirling took to social media to thank the U.S. Embassy and Congressman Ritchie Torres for their support in bringing Elizabeth home.
Elizabeth Polanco De Los Santos has been FREED & ordered to leave #Dubai after being sentenced to 1 year in prison. A very welcomed diplomatic move and an end to her 5 month nightmare. Thank you @RitchieTorres@USAinUAE, the media & the public.
— Radha Stirling – CEO @detainedindubai (@RadhaStirling) October 3, 2023
However, she is also urging the United States to warn its citizens about the threats of traveling to the country, due to this is a recurring issue.
Elizabeth should never have been put through such an ordeal in the first place and her experience exemplifies that the #UAE is not safe for tourists and we advise @StateDept to reflect the prevalence of false allegations in their #UAETravelWarnings
— Radha Stirling – CEO @detainedindubai (@RadhaStirling) October 3, 2023
