Dikembe Mutombo
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 1, 2024

Dikembe Mutombo’s Son Leaves Heartfelt Message On Social Media

'I love you, Dad. Rest easy.'

The sports world is in mourning after the news of former Denver Nuggets center Dikembe Motiumbo dying from brain cancer, the league announced on Monday, Sept. 30. In a loving tribute, his son, Ryan, posted a heartfelt message to his father honoring his life.

In an Instagram post, Ryan left his father a message acknowledging his love for Dikembe. SportsCenter grabbed a screenshot of the message.

“My dad will forever be my hero. Not because of his success — not because of the millions who, over the last four decades, have come to know and love him. My dad is my hero because he simply cared. He remains the purest heart I have ever known.

“At times, I thought of my dad as a super-human. The child in me would sigh to hear that this was never actually the case. My dad was a regular man who would stop at no lengths to honor the world, its people, and its creator. He loved others with every ounce of his being. That’s what made him so accessible. That’s what made him real.

“Dikembe Mutombo was salt and light, and today, on the 30th of September, 2024, he has been called to rest.

“I love you, Dad. Rest easy.”

News of Dikembe’s death spread around the world as tributes from fans, friends, and family were spread across social media.

The defensive specialist was 58 years old. He played 18 seasons in the NBA for several teams, including the Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets.

He played his collegiate career at Georgetown University, which also birthed basketball stars like Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Allen Iverson. Mutombo, Ewing, and Mourning, three of the best centers to play in the NBA in the 1990s, were tutored by the late John Thompson, the university’s revered longtime head coach.

The 7-foot-2 center retired after the 2008-09 season. Mutombo was selected to the NBA All-Star Game eight times and was a three-time All-NBA pick. He averaged 9.8 points and pulled down 10.3 rebounds per game. He made the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

RELATED CONTENT: NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo Puts His Atlanta Home On The Market for $6.8M

Steven Horsford
by Sharelle B. McNair

October 1, 2024

Nevada GOP Candidate John Lee Mocks CBC Chair, Claims He’s ‘Not Worried About Black People’

He expects to win with comments like that?

An audio clip of Nevada Republican Congressional candidate John Lee saying he’s “not worried about Black people” during his campaign has gone viral, HuffPost reported. 

During a meet-and-greet event on Sept. 23, Lee can be heard saying Black voters are the last thing on his mind while mocking his Democratic opponent and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) chair Rep. Steven Horsford. “They made him chair of the Black Caucus. Whoop-de-doo,” Lee said last Monday at a campaign meet-and-greet. “I’m from North Las Vegas. I’m not worried about Black people. You know?”

Horsford posted the clip on X to highlight how his words don’t represent “our values” about Nevada’s Black voters and “we will not let him represent us in Congress.”

In the full clip, posted on YouTube, Lee blasted the Caucus for only having Democratic members and wrongfully referred to the group as the “most racist in the world.” “They have one objective, and that is for self-domination in Congress,” Lee can be heard saying. 

The Caucus has been labeled a nonpartisan group since 1971 but has only had a few GOP lawmaker members since its formation. With its current roster of 60 Democratic legislators, Congress’ five Black Republicans — Reps. Byron Donalds (Fla.), Wesley Hunt (Texas), John James (Mich.) Burgess Owens (Utah), and Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) — are not members. His comments may not be the best for his campaign, as his district — Nevada’s 4th — is 15% Black. 

However, this is not Lee’s first offensive remarks about the CBC. In November 2023, he referred to the group as “stupid” and, in August 2024, compared it to having “a blond-haired caucus.”

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump endorsed Lee during the June 2024 primary election. On social media, Trump celebrated some of the things he hopes to see Lee do if elected to Congress. “The former highly popular and successful Mayor of North Las Vegas, John will work hard to lower inflation, uphold the Rule of Law, revitalize our economy, protect our great police and military, and defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump said. 

Lee is the former mayor of North Las Vegas, who also grabbed an endorsement from Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. The GOP is vying for Lee, who ran for governor in 2022, to beat Horsford, who has worked for the people of the 4th district since 2019 and once held the seat between 2013 and 2015.

RELATED CONTENT: NAACP To Spend $20M In Effort To Mobilize Black Voters

legacy admissions, Legacy Admissions
by Daniel Johnson

October 1, 2024

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Ban On Legacy Admissions

California’s ban makes it the fifth state to ban legacy admissions, but the first to extend the ban to private colleges and universities.

On Sept. 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning the practice of legacy admissions at the state’s institutions of higher education. The move comes after the Supreme Court’s decision declaring affirmative action unconstitutional in 2023, which was expected to have some effect on legacy admissions, and it has to some degree.

According to Politico, California’s ban makes it the fifth state to ban legacy admissions but the first to extend the ban to private colleges and universities. In Newsom’s statement accompanying his signature on the ban, he emphasized merit, skill, and hard work.

“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work,” Newsom said. “The California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly.”

California, like other states that have enacted similar bans, will not penalize those who break the law, financially, but will instead post the names of violators to the California Department of Justice website.

In addition, schools that violate the ban will be required to report more information to the state regarding their incoming classes, including their race, income, and participation in athletics.

According to Assemblymember Paul Ting, a San Francisco Democrat who pushed for the legislation and initially attempted to have legacy admissions banned following the Varsity Blues scandal, the ban is an attempt to make the admissions process more equitable.

“We have major private universities who use a significant portion of their admissions pool to help legacy and donors get admitted. We really need to make their admissions policies much more equitable,” Ting said.

The Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, a group that represents the University of Southern California, Stanford University, and the University of Santa Clara — three universities that admitted the most legacy students in 2022 — resisted the bill and lobbied to have financial penalties removed from previous versions of the ban.

The association’s president, Kristen Soares, wrote in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee in June 2024 that she was concerned that some of the reporting requirements were frivolous.

“While we believe all institutions will comply with the bill provisions, we believe it is important to ensure that what is being required in the reporting language is both achievable and relevant,” Soares wrote.

The University of Southern California, however, issued a statement affirming its compliance with the new ban.

“We continuously evolve our recruitment, admission, and financial aid programs to create a student body that is diverse in all respects and to comply with the law as it develops in this area,” the university said.

RELATED CONTENT: African American Enrollment At PWIs Tanks After Affirmative Action Ruling

Boy Scouts, 100 Black Men
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 1, 2024

100 Black Men Organization Begins Mentorship Program With Boy Scouts Of America

Boys attending Bruce Elementary School in Macon, Georgia will be able to take part in the inaugural program.

The 100 Black Men organization has started its own Boy Scouts troop, providing mentorship to male students at a Georgia elementary school.

Boys attending Bruce Elementary in Macon, Georgia, can participate in the inaugural program. The 100 Black Men organization has been a longtime community supporter and will now be able to help the local youth directly in this endeavor.

“They got years and years of helping out the community especially, around the Southside and community around Macon,” explained Terry Basley, a father of some students and member of the organization, to 13WMAZ. “It’s just something I wanted to be a part of… It’s important to be in your kids’ life.”

Basley and other mentors want to guide younger boys who may lack strong male figures in their homes.

“A lot of the kids don’t have the background of having a father in the household,” he said. “We’re just someone positive they can look up to, someone they can see every day.”

The 100 Black Men of America, Inc. also has numerous chapters nationwide, with two cohorts in the Macon area. When creating a Boy Scouts Troop, they stated that their partnering organization’s focus on boys within this age group was a significant factor. Moreover, Troop 100 aims to have 20 members.

“100 Black Man has several other programs that deal with boys, but the Boy Scouts is the only program that deals with boys of this age,” shared Daniel Morgan, who is helping bring Cub Scouts from the school. “We’re proud members and committee members with the 100.”

According to Data USA, Macon-Bibb County has a 44.5% Black population. Given this, this mentorship program hopes to shape the future generation of Black men.

“We’re teaching life skills, a lot of things that they learn in scouting and things they won’t be able to get inside the classroom,” explained another recruiting member of Troop 100, Nnamdi Onyekwuluje. “It’s one of those extracurricular things that give them skills that they can take away and use and apply in their real lives.”

Zion Williamson, lawsuit, rap, domestic violence
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 1, 2024

Zion Williamson Exits Media Day After Reporter Questions Why Kendrick Lamar Wasn’t Included In Playlist

'Come on, it's Kendrick Lamar. Like, I really gotta sit up here and talk about how good of an artist he is?'

A question regarding Kendrick Lamar during the New Orleans Pelicans Media Day caused Zion Williamson to abruptly end his time with the press.

According to Complex, a reporter questioned Williamson’s taste in music during the session, where the interest should have been more focused on the upcoming season and the weight loss the typically overweight player experienced during the off-season. The reporter asked him what songs were on his summer playlist as he prepared for the upcoming season. After pausing to think about an answer, even complimenting the reporter on a “great question,” Williamson named The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Larry June, and Curren$y as being a prominent part of his tunes.

When the same reporter asked him about him excluding Kendrick Lamar from his playlist Williamson responded by asking the reporter why he would ask a question like that.

The reporter said, “I just feel like you have two good songs you could’ve been playing in the gym.”

“What songs would those be?’ asked Williamson.

The reporter mentioned the two Drake diss tracks that Lamar released during the battle against the Canadian rapper earlier this year, “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us.”

“Where was the greatness of the summer in your tracklist?” the reporter retorted.

“I hear you. But you know, you’re entitled to your opinion,” Williamson replied. “I’m entitled to mine, but saying that, come on, it’s Kendrick Lamar. Like, I really gotta sit up here and talk about how good of an artist he is?”

With that answer, the 6-foot-6 player got up and exited the podium, leaving the reporters as he ended his session with the media.

But, Williamson did tell the media about what he anticipates leading into the upcoming season, according to NBA.com

“My goals are to have a successful season as a team and finally participate in the playoffs. Those would be my two goals for this year.”

RELATED CONTENT: Federal Appeals Court Upholds Ruling In Favor Of Zion Williamson

dock strike, Dockworkers Strike
by Mitti Hicks

October 1, 2024

As Dockworkers Go On An Historic Strike, Should Americans Brace For Higher Costs?

The strike is impacting 36 ports and 45,000 members nationwide.

From Maine to Texas, tens of thousands of U.S. dockworkers walked off of the job just after midnight on Tuesday, launching the first coastwide strike in nearly 50 years.

Dockworkers are carrying signs that read, “Fight Automation, Save Jobs, ILA Demands Job Security.”

The ILA stands for the International Longshoremen’s Association. It is the largest union of maritime workers in North America, representing over 85,000 longshoremen on the Atlantic, Gulf Coasts, Great Lakes, major U.S. rivers, Puerto Rico, Eastern Canada, and the Bahamas, according to its website.

According to the Associated Press, as of Oct.1, the strike is impacting 36 ports and 45,000 dockworkers and members. This is the first strike by the union since 1977.

The union warned this would be a possibility on Monday in a news release, claiming that the United States Maritime Alliance (USMC) “continues” to block a path on a new master contract by “refusing ILA’s demands for a fair and decent contract.” In the letter on Sept. 30, the union warned it would begin in 12 hours.

“The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024 while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject”, the ILA said in the statement. “ILA longshore workers deserve to be compensated for the important work they do keeping American commerce moving and growing. It’s disgraceful that most of these foreign-owned shipping companies are engaged in a ‘Make and Take’ operation: They want to make their billion-dollar profits at United States ports and off the backs of American ILA longshore workers and take those earnings out of this country and into the pockets of foreign conglomerates.”

According to ILA members, shippers are gouging customers, contributing to increasing costs to American consumers. 

“They are now charging $30,000 for a full container, a whopping increase from $6,000 per container just a few weeks ago. In just a short time, they went from 6K to 18K, then 24K, and now $30,000,” the letter states. “It’s unheard of, and they are doubling their $30,000 fee stuffing the same container from multiple shippers. They are killing the customers.”

Just weeks prior, the Federal Reserve dropped interest rates by half a point. It was the first interest rate cut since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, signaling that relief would soon be on the way for consumers. In the aftermath of COVID, inflation reached 8%, the highest inflation rate since the early 1980s, The Brookings Institution reports.

There is growing fear the strike could cause another spike in costs and cause shortages if an agreement isn’t made.

RELATED CONTENT: Waffle House Workers On Strike In South Carolina Over Security Issues

Spike Lee, SuperFan, NBA
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 1, 2024

‘She’s Gotta Have It’ As Spike Lee Taunts Las Vegas Aces’ Kelsey Plum At Recent New York Liberty Playoff Game

After the game, Plum said, 'I know he's a big sports fan, so it says a lot that he's in the building and that he respects the game.'

New York filmmaker and super sports fan Spike Lee showed his hometown spirit when he faced off against Las Vegas Aces‘ Kelsey Plum during a recent playoff game against the New York Liberty.

According to Woman’s Fastbreak, the 67-year-old Spike, who is known for jawing with opponents while seated at basketball games, interacted with Plum during the first game of the WNBA Semifinals. The “Do The Right Thing” director went back and forth with the Aces star player during the third quarter between the New York and Vegas teams. The exchange couldn’t be heard, but courtside cameras caught it.

New York Knicks fans and opposing players are used to seeing Spike as a superfan on the sidelines at Madison Square Garden. The game took place on Sept. 29 at the Barclay Center, located in Brooklyn. At the time, the Aces were down 14 points.

The Aces beat the Liberty last year to repeat as WNBA champions, but the NY team beat the Aces 87-77 to take a one-game lead over the champions.

After the game, Plum discussed what happened between her and Spike at a press conference with reporters.

“I can’t say exactly what was said, but I told him that he should talk louder, but it was all well and fun, and it’s really cool that he’s here. Even last round was really cool that he was here,” Plum told reporters. “I know he’s a big sports fan, so it says a lot that he’s in the building and that he respects the game. And so yeah, I was just having fun.”

ESPN reported that this was Spike’s second appearance at a Liberty game since the playoffs started. He attended the opening series clincher when the Liberty sent the Atlanta Dream home for the season.

The two teams meet again on Oct. 1.

tulsa, black Wall Street
by Daniel Johnson

October 1, 2024

DOJ To Finally Review 1921 Bombing Of Tulsa Under Emmett Till Civil Rights Act

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Cold Case Unit will be investigating the massacre under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which allows the Justice Department to investigate crimes that happened on or before Dec. 31, 1979.

The Department of Justice will be investigating the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre for the first time. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Cold Case Unit will be investigating the massacre under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which allows the Justice Department to investigate crimes that happened on or before Dec. 31, 1979.

According to The New York Times, Damario Solomon-Simmons, the lead attorney who represents the last living survivors of the massacre, 109-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle and 110-year-old Viola Ford Fletcher, said that accountability for the massacre is long overdue.

“We feel very, very strongly that if you cannot recognize what happened to Mother Fletcher and Mother Randle as children, then no one is safe in America,” Solomon-Simmons told the outlet. “If you can be bombed and no one investigates it or holds anyone accountable, then none of us are safe.”

On Sept. 30, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke addressed the investigation at a convening of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Cold Case Unit.

“I want to tell you about a review and evaluation that the Civil Rights Division’s Cold Case Unit is undertaking of the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the deadliest episodes of mass racial violence in this nation’s history. On May 31 and June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked a then thriving Black community: the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, sometimes referred to as the ‘Black Wall Street.’ When our review and evaluation conclude, we will issue a public report detailing our findings and conclusions pursuant to the Emmett Till Cold Case Act.”

Clarke continued, telling the story of what led to the massacre.

“The immediate catalyst for the riot was, as with Emmett Till’s murder, the claim that a Black youth had inappropriately engaged with a white woman. The young man, Dick Rowland, was arrested. White men went to the jail to demand that he be released to face mob justice. Members of the Black community assembled at the courthouse to try to prevent a lynching. An altercation broke out. In response, a white mob invaded Greenwood. The mob burned more than 35 square blocks of the community, destroying businesses and homes and killing hundreds of Black men, women, and children, although the exact toll remains uncertain. Some suspect that the aim of the white mob was, all along, to appropriate the wealth of the Black community and that the allegations against Mr. Rowland were merely an excuse.“

Nearly a century after the events of the massacre, Randle and Fletcher filed a lawsuit against the City of Tulsa and additional government agencies, but the lawsuit was only filed under Oklahoma state laws and not federal laws, which meant that the decision of the Oklahoma Supreme Court to refuse to reconsider to dismiss the lawsuit the pair brought was final.

According to The Washington Post, following the dismissal by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, Randle and Fletcher issued a statement, critical of the lack of justice they received from the justice system and the federal government.

“It seems that the only ‘justice’ permitted for Black Americans are sympathetic words and supposed promises that white Americans, our government, and our justice system will ‘do better,’” their statement said. “But the lip-service continues, and tangible justice is consistently denied.”

Solomon-Simmons kept pushing for a federal review, eventually landing a meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. It is his hope that the federal government’s investigation can help bridge gaps in the public’s knowledge of the massacre.

“We want to know more about the massacre. We only know about 10 percent of what actually happened and who actually participated,” Solomon-Simmons told The New York Times, “we hope the federal government can help fill in some of those gaps.”

RELATED CONTENT: No Justice! Oklahoma Supreme Court Dismisses Tulsa Race Massacre Lawsuit

Abortion, Georgia,
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 1, 2024

Fulton County Judge Strikes Down Georgia’s Six-Week Abortion Ban

In light of the ruling, the procedure is now legal for up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.

A Superior Court Judge in Fulton County, Georgia, has struck down the state’s six-week abortion ban, deemed the LIFE Act. The procedure is now legal for up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.

According to NBC News, Judge Robert McBurney struck down the legislation on Sept. 30. In his ruling, he determined that their judicial system’s meaning of “liberty” must also apply to a woman’s bodily autonomy.

“Our higher courts’ interpretations of ‘liberty’ demonstrate that liberty in Georgia includes in its meaning, in its protections, and in its bundle of rights the power of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it, and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices,” McBurney detailed.

He deemed that the law’s “extreme narrowing” of time prevents most women from taking action. This is often due to the six-week window not allowing many women to know if they are pregnant.

“[The law’s] extreme narrowing of the window of time within which women have the legal ability to end a pregnancy from roughly twenty weeks (i.e., viability) down to a mere six weeks, a point at which many — if not most — women are completely unaware or at best unsure if they are pregnant,” wrote McBurney.

Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed the LIFE ACT in 2019. Despite legal challenges, it took effect in July 2022, aided by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade a month prior.

McBurney initially ruled the abortion ban unconstitutional that same year. He did so while overseeing a lawsuit against the legislation. The SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and other plaintiffs made the legal filing in 2019.

However, the state Supreme Court rejected his decision. Upon returning the case to his desk, he affirmed his ruling.

“For these women, the liberty of privacy means that they alone should choose whether they serve as human incubators for the five months leading up to viability. It is not for a legislator, a judge, or a Commander from The Handmaid’s Tale to tell these women what to do with their bodies during this period when the fetus cannot survive outside the womb any more so than society could — or should — force them to serve as a human tissue bank or to give up a kidney for the benefit of another,” he wrote.

In the judge’s view, only when the fetus “reaches viability” can the state intervene.

He added, “That power is not, however, unlimited. When a fetus growing inside a woman reaches viability, when society can assume care and responsibility for that separate life, then — and only then — may society intervene.”

The plaintiffs responded to the ruling in their favor while also acknowledging the women who fatally suffered from the legislation.

“We are encouraged that a Georgia court has ruled for bodily autonomy. At the same time, we can’t forget that every day the ban has been in place has been a day too long—and we have felt the dire consequences with the devastating and preventable deaths of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller,” wrote Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong Women, in a statement.

However, Kemp’s team denounced the decision and said they would continue to “fight” for the LIFE Act.

“Once again, the will of Georgians and their representatives have been overruled by the personal beliefs of one judge. Protecting the lives of the most vulnerable among us is one of our most sacred responsibilities, and Georgia will continue to be a place where we fight for the lives of the unborn,” Kemp’s spokesman, Garrison Douglas, said in a statement.

Moreover, opposing lawmakers consider the Life Act’s regulations “fully constitutional,” adding that an appeal is imminent.

“We believe Georgia’s LIFE Act is fully constitutional, and we will immediately appeal the lower court’s decision,” shared a spokesperson for the state’s Attorney General Christopher Carr.

Beyoncé, Billboard Country Albums Chart, Cowboy Carter
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 1, 2024

Beyoncé Shows Off Her Levi’s Jeans In New ‘Reiimagine’ Campaign

Of the collaboration, both parties hope to promote women at the helm of business and fashion.

Beyoncé is letting all of us be her “Levii’s” Jeans. The singer revealed her new “Reiimagine” campaign with Levi’s, where she shows off her hip-hugging bottoms.

The ad, released on Sept. 30, features Queen Bey with a denim cowboy hat and blue Levi’s 501 jeans, complete with a white t-shirt. Deemed “Chapter 01 Launderette,” Beyoncé appears in a laundromat wearing the ensemble.

Before throwing her jeans in the washing machine, she tosses diamonds first. With her song “Levii’s Jeans” playing in the background, she takes the denim staple off to reveal some bright-white briefs.

“Give you high fashion with a simple white tee,” the Grammy-winner captioned the post.

Although the visual pays homage to a 1985 Levi’s ad, it remixes the traditional commercial.

For Beyoncé, who referenced the brand in her Cowboy Carter track, the collaboration spoke to her recognition of Levi’s as the “ultimate Americana uniform.”

“My song ‘Levii’s Jeans’ celebrates what I believe is the ultimate Americana uniform — something we all wear with pride,” wrote Beyoncé in the press release. “I am honored to work with Levi’s to create quintessential American iconography. Denim-on-denim has often been seen through my lens, so this reimagining campaign, which celebrates the iconic female perspective, is important to me. I look forward to exploring innovative ways for our visions to align in empowering women and honoring their strength.”

The campaign will also feature additional print and digital activations in multiple cities worldwide. Of the collaboration, both parties hope to promote women at the helm of business and fashion.

“In collaboration with Beyoncé, we explore the power of reimagination through this campaign, helping us to connect with our fans in new ways and supporting the growth of our women’s business as the definitive denim lifestyle brand,” said a spokesperson for the brand

Before even announcing their partnership, Beyoncé’s mention of Levi’s Jeans drove up the brand’s stock price. Levi’s also changed its name on its social media platforms to incorporate Beyoncé’s signature “ii” spelling.

With a partnership officially in the public eye, Beyoncé and Levi’s are making the brand’s vintage ads fit for the “Alien Superstar.” For those loving her look, some pieces are available on Levi’s website now.

RELATED CONTENT: Beyoncé Celebrates Breaking Barriers And Elevating Black Country Artists With ‘Cowboy Carter’: ‘Thrilled My Fans Trusted Me’

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